Samsung: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich coming to Galaxy devices in early 2012

By Andrew Couts December 20, 2011

Android Ice Cream Sandwich large — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets will be upgraded to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in the first quarter of next year, the company has announced. So far, the only Samsung device that runs ICS is the Galaxy Nexus, which just officially arrived in the US (via Verizon Wireless) last week. The Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note will be the first devices to receive the update, with others to follow.

Android 4.0 delivers a much-needed polish to Google’s mobile operating system, making it more user-friendly. ICS also includes a swath of improvements to features like multi-tasking, notifications and Wi-Fi hotspots, among many others, and entirely new features, like Face Unlock

The complete list of Samsung devices eligible for the ICS update include:
• 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

The exact date each device will receive the upgrade to ICS will vary, Samsung says, depending upon “market situation and carriers’ requirements.”

HTC recently announced that it too would be updating its devices with ICS early next year. And the Motorola Droid Razr will receive ICS around the same time.

As any Android user already knows, this staggered and disjointed update schedule is one of the most frustrating aspects of owning one of these devices. It’s also apparently unavoidable, however, thanks to the severe fragmentation of the Android platform caused by manufacturers adding their own tweaks to the OS.

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