HTC Evo 4G LTE owners will be pleased to know that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean isn't too far off. In fact, the firmware should be ready for certification by mid-January, indicating a rollout soon after.

HTC America president Jason Mackenzie confirmed on Twitter Christmas Eve that the HTC Evo 4G LTE Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and Sense 5 update had run into some technical issues, but is back on track for an early release in 2014.

@gbaby1211 Will enter certification labs in mid-Jan and @HTCUSA will keep you updated on progress. @moversi

— Jason Mackenzie (@JasonMacHTC) December 25, 2013

Certification processes can vary in length, but given the fact that the HTC Evo 4G LTE is a Sprint exclusive, this means only one carrier has to approve the firmware. If all goes well, the actual upgrade should roll out over the air soon after mid-January - Sprint has been known to provide Android updates in a more timely manner than some fellow carriers (ahem, Verizon).

When it does release, the update will contain all the usual security and performance-enhancing tweaks one expects from a shiny new version of Android. Sense 5 will bring a whole new interface for users to play around with, complete with the BlinkFeed content aggregation system and more media features such as Video Highlights.

Although HTC intended to release Android 4.3 Jelly Bean for the Evo 4G LTE during the month of December, it became clear at the end of November that HTC would not be able to keep that promise. Instead, HTC revised its statement and said that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean along with Sense 5 wouldn't be ready for certification until January 2014.

Check back with The Latino Post for more information on HTC Evo 4G LTE updates as it becomes available.