Database Users

The 4.4.3 test

I have been using my PRO 12.2 for a couple of months and I am quite happy. Coming from a Google Nexus background (phone and 7" tablet) one of my main concerns with purchasing a Samsung product was it's poor history of providing software updates. I have owned Samsung tablets in the past and always felt stranded by the lack of updated versions of Android.
It will be interesting to see how fast it will take them to push out Android 4.4.3 OTA. 4.4.3 is a minor update so one would think that it would be fairly quick. I really hope Samsung passes the test. Let's see how serious they really are.

One of the major Samsung`s disadvantages is the poor support and updates for their whole products starting from smart phones to tablets.
For example Galaxy note 10.1 2014 edition was released in October 2014 with Jelly Bean 4.2 and just weeks ago Samsung started to roll out 4.3 for that great tablet. While they have released the Note Pro 12.2 with the kitkat 4.3 on January 2014...
"If you wanna the recent updates and software go and get their new product or you have to wait for a long time till you get the updates"
I think this is Samsung`s Policy.

skyhigh73 said:
One of the major Samsung`s disadvantages is the poor support and updates for their whole products starting from smart phones to tablets.
For example Galaxy note 10.1 2014 edition was released in October 2014 with Jelly Bean 4.2 and just weeks ago Samsung started to roll out 4.3 for that great tablet. While they have released the Note Pro 12.2 with the kitkat 4.3 on January 2014...
"If you wanna the recent updates and software go and get their new product or you have to wait for a long time till you get the updates"
I think this is Samsung`s Policy.
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... and that concerns me.

Please I am a new member here would you please show me how to download akp
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Free mobile app

Samsung does often appear to be neglecting devices when it comes to updates. Fact of the matter is, 99% of the time the cause is a significant problem in the software adaptation.
The Note 3 was the very first non-nexus device to get 4.4.2, so it's not always the case.
You can't measure the release by Nexus standards. The Nexus-release is a glorified beta-test.

ShadowLea said:
Samsung does often appear to be neglecting devices when it comes to updates. Fact of the matter is, 99% of the time the cause is a significant problem in the software adaptation.
The Note 3 was the very first non-nexus device to get 4.4.2, so it's not always the case.
You can't measure the release by Nexus standards. The Nexus-release is a glorified beta-test.
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I don`t think so...
Simply there are 2 devices with almost the same hardware specs (Note 10.1 and Note Pro) the first one (10.1) has recently started to get the 4.4.2 update while the Note Pro was released with the Kitkat 4.4.2 on January 2014.
Another example, the upcoming tablets 10.5 S/Note 4/ Tab 4/...etc will be released with the recent updates 4.4.3 which is still not available for any other Tab/Note/Smart Phone...
I think it is not the matter of software adaptation but the priority goes for the upcoming products not those already released....

ShadowLea said:
Samsung does often appear to be neglecting devices when it comes to updates. Fact of the matter is, 99% of the time the cause is a significant problem in the software adaptation.
The Note 3 was the very first non-nexus device to get 4.4.2, so it's not always the case.
You can't measure the release by Nexus standards. The Nexus-release is a glorified beta-test.
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OEMs can access Google's internal Android's sources before they're open-sourced. Nexus isn't a benchmark - it's a public release of already finished firmware, and patching up the final issues, OEM's updates should follow within one-two months, not 6+ months or more. Since Note 3 is still one of their top phablets with no successors, they had to update it quickly enough to make people stay on their devices - if you'd spend 650 pounds on a device and then wait 6 months (if you're lucky) to get an update, you'd probably be pissed off (and rightfully so). They abandon their low-end devices or older flagships quite quickly.
For example, Galaxy S2 (which I own) was updated to 4.1, but not any further, despite being perfectly capable of doing so. According to Samsung, it's because they ran out of memory with TouchWiz bloatware 99.9% folks never use features, despite the fact that S3 was updated to 4.3, and had 1GB RAM - just as S2 did, S2 /system was 512MB, /preload was another 512MB. S3's firmware was ~800MB. So, really, it's just them having crappy business practices.
Another example? Galaxy Mini 2. It's moderately popular in Poland - it's cheap and "just works", and was released with 2.3 - had a couple of point releases, but never got past Gingerbread. There are 4.x ROMs for this phone here, and they're fast and fine. Capable - just Samsung's not interested. Okay, they were - and eventually announced that no update will be released.
I'm honestly admiring Microsoft for their WP8.1 upgrade policy.

Been there, done that. . My experience with a Verizon galaxy tab 10.1 was enough to convince me not to buy another Verizon variant of a Samsung tablet. If samsung is slow at releasing updates it only gets worse on carrier versions. Look at AT&T... they put in their FCC application at around the same time as Verizon for the Note probut are only now announcing it. In a world where refreshed hardware is released yearly having a 4 month lag in release is a bit concerning.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

Mr Dasher said:
I have been using my PRO 12.2 for a couple of months and I am quite happy. Coming from a Google Nexus background (phone and 7" tablet) one of my main concerns with purchasing a Samsung product was it's poor history of providing software updates. I have owned Samsung tablets in the past and always felt stranded by the lack of updated versions of Android.
It will be interesting to see how fast it will take them to push out Android 4.4.3 OTA. 4.4.3 is a minor update so one would think that it would be fairly quick. I really hope Samsung passes the test. Let's see how serious they really are.
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That's a systemic Android issue. Apple puts out updates to their 7 year old devices, but Android devices are always abandoned in less than a year. Hopefully, we'll get better support for this device.

[Q] Will Samsung enable the S-pen enhancements from N4 to N3?

If not, then how good of a chance do we have that someone figured the text and file select feature out because it is very useful.

like what hey did to N2 when N3 arrive... nope... they wont give it to us... but all these great people will figure it out anyway... ^_^

Samsung will give nothing to us...even the new UI interface...we likely to have what we get since Note 3 release...
Sent from my SM-N900 using Tapatalk

hbkrossi said:
Samsung will give nothing to us...even the new UI interface...we likely to have what we get since Note 3 release...
Sent from my SM-N900 using Tapatalk
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We will get a new UI with android l

Its hard to say. The OG note was updated with a 'premium suite' when the note 2 was launched which included nearly all the improvements from note 2 (software wise) im sure if we dont receive the newer stuff it can be ported when we get a 4.4.4 base

maskerwsk said:
Its hard to say. The OG note was updated with a 'premium suite' when the note 2 was launched which included nearly all the improvements from note 2 (software wise) im sure if we dont receive the newer stuff it can be ported when we get a 4.4.4 base
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Samsung won't give any new feature for past models. Even these features will be present in future ROM releases (usually it comes with android upgrade because based on the same source code as newer models), they will be disabled anyway. Today new devices aren't much more powerful than previous, so, in most cases only software features make new models more attractive than previous (my S4 SHV-E330S is almost identical to S5 SM-G900F).
Every manufacturer prefers to sell newer devices and earn money than support the old one for free. So, they need to stimulate purchases as much as possible (in Russia we call it "potrebliadstvo").
Samsung did premium upgrade once in the past for previous model(s) and realized they got no benefits from this and additionally let some potential buyers still keep their current phones (i.e. lost some money). Without strict requirements from Google we wouldn't get even android upgrades.
In short: only 3rd party amateur devs can bring something from new to old devices.

sorg said:
Samsung won't give any new feature for past models. Even these features will be present in future ROM releases (usually it comes with android upgrade because based on the same source code as newer models), they will be disabled anyway. Today new devices aren't much more powerful than previous, so, in most cases only software features make new models more attractive than previous (my S4 SHV-E330S is almost identical to S5 SM-G900F).
Every manufacturer prefers to sell newer devices and earn money than support the old one for free. So, they need to stimulate purchases as much as possible (in Russia we call it "potrebliadstvo").
Samsung did premium upgrade once in the past for previous model(s) and realized they got no benefits from this and additionally let some potential buyers still keep their current phones (i.e. lost some money). Without strict requirements from Google we wouldn't get even android upgrades.
In short: only 3rd party amateur devs can bring something from new to old devices.
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Isnt that pretty much what i said?
Maybe they will give us a few items from note4 and if not they can be ported

What's more important Specs or On time Software updates?

I wanna buy the S6 or S6 EDGE. I currently have a Note Edge. But I was thinking the NExus line get's updated on time but they don't have that super mega specs that Samsung offers or other OEM's at the moment. So I wanna hear your opinion. Is't possible for Google to make a coding simpler and install-able accross platforms? Watching my Note Edge stuck on 5.0.1 and wishing for a miracle it will be updated someday to 5.1 lol.

definitely specs for me.

Specs all the way. I could care less about how long a manufacturer takes to release an update. That's what XDA is for. As long as the device can be rooted and the bootloader is unlocked/unlockable. Now if I'm on a carrier like AT&T or Verizon that locks there phones down like no tomorrow then I would have a harder time making that decision. But other than that my thinking is software can be replaced, the hardware can't.

I know, but having root unlocked boot loader doesn't always mean that new on time updates reaches our device's. We have to wait for devs to support it. Like my Note Edge....the XDA forum for it is kinda life less. Lol. I know my Note Edge is better in Specs than Nexus 6, but it doesn't have the latest software update/bug fixes, etc. It kinda sucks.

Software updates, for sure. Specs only get you so far until you're at the "My phone can do pretty much everything fine", which let's be honest here, is the point the Nexus 5 is still at. But take away any HINT of a software update, and you'll still be running Lollipop 2 years down the road, or have the same bugs you had at release. And you KNOW how buggy these are at release.

Specs. I can't think of an instance where the update made me think the phone was majorly improved by an update. And the OS version updates require me to factory reset the phone to get rid of performance issues

What's happened to 5.1.1 update

Is it because when we get it our battery problems will be solved and battery life will beat note 5... Strange that full price unlocked phones still no updates but usa carriers have. Disgraceful really... One thing I really like about the iPhone upgrades are fast and for every model with support for older models at least 2 or three years

Santa will bring it.

I agree with you that Samsung are holding 5.1.1 for Note 4 and that's probably not to fix bugs but more likely because they want Note 4 users move to Note 5.
But I don't think Apple is the best example when it comes to updates. They usually release updates that have performances or battery life problem on older iphone's models and only newer models (or the one from the year before) can access to all fonctionalities.

alex9898 said:
I agree with you that Samsung are holding 5.1.1 for Note 4 and that's probably not to fix bugs but more likely because they want Note 4 users move to Note 5.
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That can't be true. The 5.1.1 update is only available in the US right now which is the only country (apart from Korea) that will actually get the Note 5.

Yes us cariers... But what about the rest of the world.... Not to mention people who paid full price.

iridaki said:
That can't be true. The 5.1.1 update is only available in the US right now which is the only country (apart from Korea) that will actually get the Note 5.
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I said Note 5 but I think about the S6 Edge+ too.

magichoward said:
Yes us cariers... But what about the rest of the world.... Not to mention people who paid full price.
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read it again.

Is it not normally the case that the clever folk on the XDA forums can make it so that the US firmware for 5.1.1 can work on the international variant 910F?

captainbirdseye86 said:
Is it not normally the case that the clever folk on the XDA forums can make it so that the US firmware for 5.1.1 can work on the international variant 910F?
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Click to collapse
Shouldn't be too much work, but I doubt it would be worth it considering the official update could come any day now. Also Sprint and T-Mobile released the updates, not Samsung, so Samsung could still be holding back the firmware for international Note 4 customers. There's just nothing we can do right now, other than to wait for the update to drop. I'm going to guess we'll see it the same time the Note 5/S6/S6 Edge/S6 Edge Plus (how many top tier phones does one company really need?) gets updates to Android Marshmellow (which is running awesome btw on my Nexus 5).

captainbirdseye86 said:
Is it not normally the case that the clever folk on the XDA forums can make it so that the US firmware for 5.1.1 can work on the international variant 910F?
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Sammy have screwed things up with lollipop on the sd variants. To get it to boot you need the modem files from the same base. This means to get 5.1.1 tmob booted we'd need the tmob modem. Trust me I've tried every thing I can think of to get either the tmob or sprint releases to boot but no luck
Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

Toss3 said:
Shouldn't be too much work, but I doubt it would be worth it considering the official update could come any day now. Also Sprint and T-Mobile released the updates, not Samsung, so Samsung could still be holding back the firmware for international Note 4 customers. There's just nothing we can do right now, other than to wait for the update to drop. I'm going to guess we'll see it the same time the Note 5/S6/S6 Edge/S6 Edge Plus (how many top tier phones does one company really need?) gets updates to Android Marshmellow (which is running awesome btw on my Nexus 5).
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I should add note5 firmware doesnt have stagefright fix too. They will want to add that fix in note 4 firmware aswell.

Guys will Touchwuiz Themes will be added in 5.1.1 update ?
If I Helped Hit Thanks

I dont think so. Samsung wants you to buy s6 or Note 5... then u got themes when u pay cash

I don't think Samsung is holding back updates because of their selling policy. The usual customer doesn't know abou it. We on xda are keeping an eye on the updates, but we are probably just 1% and that isn't significant.

muamers said:
I don't think Samsung is holding back updates because of their selling policy. The usual customer doesn't know abou it. We on xda are keeping an eye on the updates, but we are probably just 1% and that isn't significant.
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That is a valid argument, but most regular people at the store normally go for the phone with the newer android version, so even for regular Joes it matters.

Toss3 said:
That is a valid argument, but most regular people at the store normally go for the phone with the newer android version, so even for regular Joes it matters.
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I don't know...I'm just saying that my family is just buying the newer phones and they don't know what android version they are getting. I recently got my brothers note3 to use and he didn't update at all since he buyed it. And I think he's an avarage user.
The android versions are confusing for the avarage user, not like iOS. Google and Samsung and other manufacturers don't make such big deals of the updates like Apple does.

We've been waiting far too long for 5.1.1, I must say. Samsung truly have taken their time.
I've had the S2, S3 and S4, and never waited this long for updates.
I am loving my Note 4 more than any other Samsung...heck any phone in general I've owned, that is including more than my 1st smartphone, the Nokia N80, which I absolutely adored. Yet I can't help but feel Samsung is letting down what has to be their greatest smartphone in recent times with slow updates, its such a shame really.
Sent from my GALAXY Note 4 via Tapatalk

POLO_i780 said:
We've been waiting far too long for 5.1.1, I must say. Samsung truly have taken their time.
I've had the S2, S3 and S4, and never waited this long for updates.
I am loving my Note 4 more than any other Samsung...heck any phone in general I've owned, that is including more than my 1st smartphone, the Nokia N80, which I absolutely adored. Yet I can't help but feel Samsung is letting down what has to be their greatest smartphone in recent times with slow updates, its such a shame really.
Sent from my GALAXY Note 4 via Tapatalk
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Never waited this long for updates? Seriously, seems like you never owned a Galaxy Note N7000. More than 8 months waiting for the Jelly Bean 4.1.2 update and one year for Carrier Updates. The best treated Note was the Galaxy Note 2, which recived JB 4.2.2, 4.3, 4.4 Kitkat and even Lollipop was planned for it. But yes, now that the Note 5 is released, we need to wait a couple of months to see a big update for our Note 4. I'm pretty sure that Android 6.0 Marshmallow will be the last one, sadly, knowing Samsung and their update policy.

It is very simple. They delay 5.1.1 because of Note 5. They want customer have more reasons to upgrade, to buy their new phone. And if they do like 5.0.1, just upgrade OS core, no more features like on S6, Note 4 user will be disappointed with them. Many user want removable battery, better battery life option, sd card support so they will not upgrade soon!

Zanr Zij said:
It is very simple. They delay 5.1.1 because of Note 5. They want customer have more reasons to upgrade, to buy their new phone. And if they do like 5.0.1, just upgrade OS core, no more features like on S6, Note 4 user will be disappointed with them. Many user want removable battery, better battery life option, sd card support so they will not upgrade soon!
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Click to collapse
You are right, this is the truth.
I will keep my Note 4 (KitKat 4.4.4), I downgrade from 5.0.1 because of bugs and I will not update my Note 4 to any new firmware unless it will be bug free as much as the 4.4.4 firmware.
that will lead me to change my mind regarding what is next after Note 4 (My next smartphone) ?!!!
I will think twice before buying something from Samsung, specially after using glass for building their smartphones.

I give up. Time to get rid of the Note Pro

I really liked the size of this tablet and thought that Samsung would at least keep the software updated for a little longer than they did.
No new version, seems like they made the new version for Windows OS only.
I gave up and got a Tab S3, maybe one day Samsung will make another larger Android tablet.
Until then, my pristine Note Pro is heading for swappa.

You are going to get rid of your 'pristine Note Pro' just because the OS isn't updated? I don't get it. I can use mine for a lot of productivity apps even though it isn't being updated to the latest OS version.

You might consider installing a rom from here like Lineage and getting full Nougat, changed the entire experience, and on a par with my wife's iPad Pro now. Where there's a will, there's a way.
Sent from my SM-P900 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

You do realize Google's contracts with manufacturers only last 2 years? The only devices that are updated after two years are Pixels and Apple. The NotePro is 3 years old. The contract for the updates ended 12 months ago.
I have never understood this obsession people have with updates. What, does the device stop working when it doesn't get a new update?
I'm a massive fan of 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it.'
My NotePro is on P905XXUANC3/P905DBTANC3. March 2014, 4.4.2.
My Note 3 is still on the very stable N9005XXUENB7/N9005DBTENB2. February 2014, 4.4.2.
I have absolutely no desire to update my device at the risk of reduced battery life, bugs and issues. And before anyone goes "That doesn't happen", the Bluetooth issues with 5.0 most definitely did happen. It works perfectly, why the hell would I compromise that?
I hear this nonsense a lot. "I want to end my contract because you haven't updated yet!" "I'm never buying a Samsung again because the phone wasn't updated 4 years after it came out!" Last week someone was whining about how it was fraud that his S3 didn't get Nougat.(!) The only thing missing is stomping feet and holding breath.

People can do what they want with their own devices. I love updates, but won't whine when I don't get them. My Note Pro is running Lineage and is running like a new device. I have no issues. I also had no issues on the stock ROM and would not consider my productivity in jeopardy because I don't have the latest updates. I do agree that some are a little more emotional about such things than seems reasonable. I don't see how a devices usefulness is reduced because of the lack of updates.

I agree. Although I would like to see some security updates to protect me from the bad guys.

ShadowLea said:
You do realize Google's contracts with manufacturers only last 2 years? The only devices that are updated after two years are Pixels and Apple. The NotePro is 3 years old. The contract for the updates ended 12 months ago.
I have never understood this obsession people have with updates. What, does the device stop working when it doesn't get a new update?
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Obsession? Stop posting such nonsense. Samsung stopped issuing updates for what used to be their highend device after a year and a half. And that is really disappointing. Especially when the device was still being sold long after that.

One thing i will add is that most devices are designed to run optimally when they are released on the os of the initial release. Even further updates by the manufacturer invariably compromise the performance of the device.
Sent from my SM-P900 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

admisi said:
One thing i will add is that most devices are designed to run optimally when they are released on the os of the initial release. Even further updates by the manufacturer invariably compromise the performance of the device.
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Not according to my experience with Tab 2 7.0, Tab 3 8.0 and S4. I have updated them all to the latest LineageOS and they all perform better than when they were new. The reason they don't update their devices is obvious, it costs money, and they want people to buy new devices.

To me, as a junkie for custom Android versions, I find the lack of a Samsung update untroubling. Currently I'm running a version of marshmallow hacked from the Samsung tab s2 by @bonuzzz to run on this. Works a charm and runs apps such as soundcamp that make this baby seem new.
And... I note there's an android 7 just being released for the above tablet... so maybe bonuzzz or someone else will port it over for us as well.
It's a good time to own one of these babies from my point of view.

ShadowLea said:
I'm a massive fan of 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it.'
My NotePro is on P905XXUANC3/P905DBTANC3. March 2014, 4.4.2.
My Note 3 is still on the very stable N9005XXUENB7/N9005DBTENB2. February 2014, 4.4.2.
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Click to collapse
The "don't fix it if it ain't broken" idea here is totally irrelevant. People don't want to update because it is broken but because they want the new functionalities!! NotePro is not just a random low level tablet, it's an excellent one and it should have at least been updated to Android 6.

First of all my notepro runs on stock 5.02 from samsung.. And it is still working like a charm.. The problem I have now is that I am starting to run out of storage space and 5.02 has the stupid implementation of the extended storage also being the internal storage, not the SD. So a lot of apps don't install the huge data on SD but also internal.. And Samsung comes with too much bloatware that is also only getting bigger after each update..
So after a lot of years I see myself forced now to do one out of 2 things:
1. Get root and delete a lot of samsung bs apps
2. install a totally different rom
what would you advise?

Any one of those (1. or 2.) can and will brick something that you used to use. Most likely the S-pen functions. But there are other horror stories out their about doing what you want to do and the user finding a problem later.

admisi said:
You might consider installing a rom from here like Lineage and getting full Nougat, changed the entire experience
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Do they fully support the S-Pen?

andytiedye said:
Do they fully support the S-Pen?
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Yes and no. Lineage supports S Pen, but you don't get the Touchwiz stuff such as S Note etc, but easily substituted with Squid from the Play Store, which in my opinion is better.

Some of us don't have the option of custom ROMs. I am stuck with either unrooted Lollipop or rooted KitKat. Funny how some criticize others for wanting to have current software on their expensive devices...

(2017) S-Pen Backwards Compatability
billinaz said:
I gave up and got a Tab S3, maybe one day Samsung will make another larger Android tablet.
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Does the (2017) S-Pen from the Tab S3 happen to work on the Note 12.2?
Thanks!

I'm convinced that now is the best time to own one of these tablets. In fact, I bought an SM-P907a last night. This is based on my ownership of a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1(2014) for the last couple years. This has been running stock Rom, because it's an SM-P605v. So far, no one's been able to figure out how to root it or upgrade it past Android 5.1.1. Even so, Google is continuing to upgrade Google Play Services, making these Samsung devices the best product on the market bar none. They're no longer the fastest on the market, but are better featured than anything out there, including the Surface Pro, IPad Pro, and yes, even the Samsung Tab S3 (It has no connectivity capabilities, and I personally like the fact that the Galaxy Pro, and Note 10.1 have the S Pen mounted internally). The reasons I've decided to buy the Galaxy Pro amount to screen real estate for sketching, and display of my sheet music while I'm playing and singing. My advice, keep your tablet. You're not going to find anything to replace it that will really meet your expectations for some time yet. I'm planning on using the Galaxy Pro for at least a couple of years, advance giving the Note 10.1 to my wife.

If you are willing to root your Note Pro P900, there are two different roms recently posted under development that port the Samsung S2's version of Marshmallow -- complete w/ Samsung apps and touchwiz -- to this tablet.
"Yet Another Marshmallow Rom" (this is the one I am using at the moment)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-pro-12/development/p900-marshmallow-rom-t3604194
And this one (camera doesn't work with it):
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-pro-12/development/p900-touchwiz-marshmallow-t3567916
I post these here because they not only allow upgrading to Marshmallow while keeping the Samsung Touchwiz vibe, they also allow installing some apps the Pro 12.2 couldn't run otherwise. Soundcamp, and at least two art programs.
So don't give up on the Pro 12.2 yet.
Blessings.

Kingsman1 said:
I bought an SM-P907a last night.
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shonkin said:
If you are willing to root your Note Pro P900, there are two different roms recently posted under development that port the Samsung S2's version of Marshmallow -- complete w/ Samsung apps and touchwiz -- to this tablet.
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He has a 907a. No ROMs.