We’ve heard it unofficially before, but Samsung Electronics has now confirmed its update schedule for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which will be coming to the majority of the Galaxy range.
The first devices, perhaps unsurprisingly, to get the update will be the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy Note smartphones. These two top notch smartphones will be getting the update before the end of Q1 2012, so before the end of March. Samsung also has plans to update a wide range of other phones and tablets in its Galaxy range – the full list is as follows:
- GALAXY S II
- GALAXY S II LTE
- GALAXY Note
- GALAXY R
- GALAXY Tab 10.1
- GALAXY Tab 8.9
- GALAXY Tab 7.7
- GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus
With each of these devices, Samsung says the first to get the update should be the GSM, or SIM free, variants. Due to each mobile network having specific requirements and their own software, things get a little more complicated, so the update will roll out in stages to each network across the globe.
Unfortunately there are some Galaxy devices missing from the list, such as the recent Galaxy Y, Galaxy W and even the older Galaxy S. We would have thought that the original Galaxy S would have sufficient specs to run Android 4.0, but perhaps Samsung are leaving it out of the update loop due to age.
If your Samsung device isn’t on the list, chances are developers will create an unofficial way of getting Ice Cream Sandwich on it, so if you’re an experienced Android user you could still get the latest version of software onto your device.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich brings together the Android we know from smartphones (Gingerbread) and Google’s tablet-specific OS, Honeycomb, to create an operating system fit for smartphones, tablets and many other types of smart device. It includes some very cool new features such as Android Beam for wireless file sharing using NFC, and Face Unlock.
ICS first hit the market on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, though yesterday the update began rolling out to Google’s second flagship Android phone, the Samsung Nexus S.
Are you excited to get a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich?
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
Source: Samsung Blog