Samsung GALAXY S II Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade [not] coming tomorrow

Holy moly, it’s here people. Starting tomorrow, March 10th, the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade will become available for the Samsung GALAXY S II. According to Samsung’s FAQ, you’ll need to make sure you’re running KIES 2.0 as 1.5 won’t support upgrading to ICS, although an over-the-air update will also be rolled out.

Samsung highlights the following standard ICS improvements:

• Face Unlock and Android Beam.
• New mobile network data usage function.
• Improved applications, usability and multi-tasking.

Samsung warns, however, that ICS drops the High Speed (HS) capability of Bluetooth 3.0 as well as Flash support, so consider that before upgrading.

Samsung also warns that your home screen layout and some app settings will be reset, but don’t worry, your data will remain intact. Also keep in mind some apps are not yet ICS compatible, so check the developer site if you depend on certain apps.

It’s worth noting, that this applies to the international Galaxy S II model and some countries such as the US might get the upgrade at a later stage as carriers have to validate the new software.

UPDATE

Moments ago, Samsung said via its Twitter account that the March 10th date was a mistake posted by its Filipino website and that the actual upgrade date has not yet been established. Samsung asks us to wait patiently for an update via its Twitter feed. Bummer.

[알려드립니다] 10일부터 갤럭시S2 ICS 업그레이드가 된다는 필리핀 삼성전자 홈페이지 글은 잘못 올라간 게시물로 사실과 다릅니다. 업그레이드 일정이 확정이 되면 트위터를 통해서 말씀드리도록 하겠습니다.

— Samsung Electronics (@samsungtomorrow) March 9, 2012