HTC has officially confirmed it is updating three of its flagship smartphones to Google's latest version of its operating system, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The three handsets to receive upgrades to the newest mobile OS version are the HTC One X, One S and One XL.

"We know HTC fans are excited to get their hands on Google's latest version of Android," HTC said in a statement to the media. "At this point in time, we can confirm that we have plans to upgrade our HTC One X, HTC One XL and HTC One S to Jelly Bean. Please stay tuned for more updates regarding device upgrades, timing and other details about HTC and Jelly Bean."

As the statement suggests, the exact timing for the upgrade is not confirmed at this point, and HTC seems to be working rather quietly behind the stage. The upgrade confirmation, however, did not come as much of a surprise, as rumors of HTC's plans surfaced earlier in the week. A few days ago, it was uncovered that Australian carrier Telstra was promising Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the HTC One S and One XL, although the upgrade plans were not official at the time and there was no mention of the One X flagship smartphone.

According to SlashGear and AndroidCommunity, an HTC spokesperson said the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean "is for all versions worldwide, including the carrier-specific versions in the U.S." This means that in addition to the global models of the three handsets, carrier versions of the One X and One S for AT&T, T-Mobile and Rogers will receive the Jelly Bean upgrade as well. It is still uncertain at this point whether the HTC One V, HTC EVO 4G LTE and HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE will be included in those update plans.

Google's Android operating system is already wildly popular and appreciated, but the search giant really stepped up its game with Jelly Bean. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich brought significant improvements as well, but Jelly Bean definitely takes it to the next level. Animations are swifter than ever, and everything is faster, smoother and more stable. The new Android version adds several notable features and improvements, including exciting changes to the notification pull-down menu, a new "filmstrip view" camera feature, keyboard improvements, new widget features, Android Beam, Google Now, and much more.