Windows Phone 8 Update 3 visual changes [slideshow]

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Following the news that Windows Phone 8 Update 3 is available to developers, I updated my Nokia Lumia 920 to the latest version through my App Studio account. My colleague Alan Buckingham went through the changes this release introduces in one of his past stories. As you may known, the latest goodies will make their way to all compatible handsets once the upgrade rolls out to the public over the next couple of months.

Since I could not help myself, I decided to share the most relevant screenshots of Windows Phone 8 Update 3, as it works on my Lumia 920. This release does not include manufacturer-specific enhancements, as it is only an operating system upgrade and not a complete firmware upgrade. For this reason, it probably does not make much sense for most of you to go through the trouble of installing the preview, unless you are an early adopter.

The Windows Phone 8 Update 3 software upgrade does not remove any manufacturer-specific customizations either. On my Lumia 920 Nokia's Lumia Amber enhancements continue to be available, with no noticeable impact following the OS update.

Since Windows Phone 8 Update 3 is basically a minor upgrade there are no major visual differences between it and its predecessor, apart from a couple of changes in the settings menu which make way for the new options.

The biggest visual difference will show up only on larger Windows Phones, sporting 5-inch to 6-inch displays, where the OS will allow for extra columns and rows of live tiles. You can see how all three types of live tiles show up on a 4.5-inch display -- where there is no extra width for the display to make room for more of them -- in the slideshow.