The Samsung Galaxy S II and a number of Galaxy tablets will be receiving an update to Android 4.0 in the first quarter of 2012, the company announced today. While this leaves some Samsung smartphones out in the cold, many of the most powerful and popular models will be looked after, allowing the company to beat big competitors like Motorola to the punch.
Samsung, likely benefitting from its position as manufacturer of the Android 4.0 flagship Galaxy Nexus, says it will bring Ice Cream Sandwich to its internationally popular Galaxy S II by March. The OS will also make its way to the Galaxy Tab 10.1, 8.9, and 7.7 models by that time, as well as to the Galaxy Note. Other notable Samsung handsets like the Stratosphere or Galaxy S aren't currently on the upgrade trajectory.
Samsung's competitors may not be as timely with their update schedule. Motorola sobered up Android 4.0 fans with a December 7 blog post stating the OS wouldn’t make it to any Motorola devices until four to six months after the source code release. Other smartphone and tablet manufacturers have been loath to make any upgrade promises.
Samsung has a notoriously spotty history of providing upgrades to its customers, and it did let the release date of the Galaxy Nexus slip from November to December. But now that the company has landed on a crest of the upgrade cycle, it seems determined to ride the wave as long as possible.
