UK's Samsung Galaxy S II gets Android 4.0 on March 19
updated 08:25 am EDT, Tue March 13, 2012
Next Galaxy S II update wave starts with UK
Samsung confirmed in a follow-up statement that its Android 4.0 update for the Galaxy S II would spread to the UK quickly. The first British devices should start getting the upgrade on March 19, a spokesperson told Pocket-lint. It warned that updates would depend on individual carriers greenlighting the update and might be staggered over the future.
Other countries' updates outside of Europe and Korea are still on an undefined schedule. Those with mostly stock or unlocked devices, such as the Canadian versions, may get an update relatively quickly. American updates may be some of the last to come, since US carriers' insistence on having customized hardware has typically led to delayed updates relative to the rest of the world.
Android 4.0 on the Galaxy S II mostly improves browser performance, some hardware acceleration, and brings in features like Face Unlock and screen capture. Other high-end devices like the Galaxy Note and modern Galaxy Tabs get their update soon, while an Android 2.3 update for older devices like the Galaxy S and original Galaxy Tab is due by the end of the month with additions of some 4.0-like features such as Face Unlock and a photo editor.
The extra time to get Android 4.0 has been attributed both to needing driver support but also Samsung's use of a non-stock OS, which requires that Samsung test against its TouchWiz layer.
