Both HTC and Motorola have decided to treat owners of the HTC One S and the Motorola Droid RAZR/RAZR MAXX to a Christmas present that they will cherish – the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update has started rolling out to those devices on Christmas Eve. We all know how dear and important we hold updates to our smartphones, so the surprise updates are sure to lift some spirits.

In case of the One S, it’s an update to software version 3.16.401.8 and brings along Sense 4+, the newest version of HTC’s custom launcher and skin. Improvements in the update include an enhanced UI with better camera performance, a new landing page and event/map view in the gallery, and improvements in power management for better battery life. Oh, and the update is quite huge at 612MB, so making sure your device is hooked up to a Wi-Fi connection should be on the top of your agenda.

Apart from those HTC-specific changes, the usual Jelly Bean goodies are included too – butter smooth interface and faster overall device performance, Google Now for better search functionality and automatic useful information, advanced expandable notifications, voice typing without the need for an internet connection, and lots more under the hood improvements.

As for the Motorola Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX, the update brings the devices up to Android version 4.1.2, though Verizon has not publicly made any announcements about it. Some owners are even reporting that the update may have been pushed out by mistake as some devices stopped downloading the update in between and never resumed, so it remains if the update made it out on schedule or if it was a glitch at Verizon’s end. Also, the update has not yet rolled out to the international variants of the RAZR.

The HTC One S update has been confirmed to be rolling out in Europe, though don’t be disappointed if you haven’t received the update as it usually takes time to reach all users. Mashing that “check for updates” button in the Settings » About menu on the phone might be a good idea right now for forcing the update to show up, so you can start enjoying all the awesomeness of Jelly Bean as soon as possible.

Merry Christmas, and for the rest of us, Happy Festivus!

Via: Phone Arena