Deployed little by little on recent smartphones or still eligible for major updates, Android 12 can also be installed on some old devices … not to say antique. By exploiting LineageOS, a developer thus managed to install the latest version of Android on the venerable Samsung Galaxy S3.
With a little elbow grease, it is possible to upgrade an old Galaxy S3 to Android 12 // Source: Samsung
Some mobiles are quickly forgotten at the bottom of a drawer or an old cupboard, but the Samsung Galaxy S3 is not one of them. Launched in 2012, the smartphone hasn’t received any official updates for years, but it continues to be of interest to fans of root Android. As XDA Developers points out, they continued to develop on the device, to the point of making it compatible with dual-boot, but also allowing it to natively support the Sailfish operating system, based on Linux, as well as the main Linux kernel.
Better still, the specialized site reports that the Galaxy S3 now benefits from a personalized ROM via LineageOS 19.0, based on Android 12. A developer has indeed managed to animate the latest version of Android on the old Samsung mobile and its processor Exynos 4412.
Some forgotten features and bugs … but the essential is there
With this brand new software skin, the device supports the essential functions to remain usable. The cellular network is supported, as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or photo sensors. Hardware and software acceleration is also topical to allow video playback in good conditions. However, we learn that some features specific to LineageOS are currently inaccessible, but they should come later on the Galaxy S3.
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Be careful with the bugs, some are annoying. The unlocking of the PIN code for the SIM card is for example inert for the moment. In the immediate future, and while waiting for a fix, you must first deactivate the PIN code using another device before placing the SIM card in the Galaxy S3. Other known issues: Formatting a microSD card causes the smartphone to reboot repeatedly, and its NFC module is not yet functional.
If you feel confident about installing Android 12 on a Galaxy S3, you can find the LineageOS 19.0 ROM developed for the device at this address.
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