Climate Tech News

Samsung Galaxy S2 was acclaimed as slim, fast and powerful during its launch last year, but what places the smartphone as a market leader is the ability to upgrade software anywhere.

The Galaxy S2 sold in the millions last year without what Samsung fans expect to have soon with the upgrade, so it will only mean the smartphone will dominate the high end market for a while longer.

The original specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S2 included:

Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread) with TouchWiz UI 4.0;

1.2 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 SoC processor;

ARM Mali-400 MP (GT-I9100) Adreno 220;

1 GB RAM

And other features like multi-touch touch screen, headset controls, proximity and ambient light sensors, 3-axis gyroscope, magnetometer, accelerometer, aGPS. All designed to make using the mobile a great user experience.

Now there is even more to the phone’s specs. Considering Samsung Galaxy S2 is not the priciest smartphone in the market with all its advanced features, it is still a good mobile to have.

Firmware Build XXLP6 of Android 4.0.3 ICS

Soon you will be able to input the Samsung Galaxy S II Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM for even better performance of the phone.

Build XXLP6 is expected to introduce changes to the interface in the form of new apps such as Google+ and Google Messenger, Android Authority reports.  According to users who have tried the new firmware, the Galaxy S2 seems to run faster under this firmware, although touch responsiveness remains the same as that on build XXLP2.

Basic requirements:

The installation will fully wipe all of your phone data (including settings and applications).  So, back up your phone data before you flash the new firmware.

Uninstall Samsung KIES on your computer, or else it could interrupt the flashing process.

Make sure the Samsung USB drivers for your Galaxy S2 are installed on your computer; otherwise Odin3 will not be able to recognize your phone.  Get the drivers for 32-bit Windows here or for 64-bit Windows here.

Ensure full battery charge on your phone before starting to flash the firmware.

Updating Instructions

Download the XXLP6 firmware package from here and save it to your computer.

Using RAR extraction software (e.g., WinRAR), unpack the contents of the RAR package.  You’ll get the following 3 files after extraction:

GT-I9100-MULTI-CSC-OXXLP3_RST.tar.md5

I9100_CODE_I9100XXLP6_CL72050_REV02_user_low_ship.tar.md5

MODEM_I9100XXLP6_REV_02_CL1097526.tar.md5

Download Odin3 v1.83 from here and save it to your computer.

Switch off your phone.

Press and hold the Volume Down, Home, and Power keys together for your device to boot into Download mode.

On your computer, launch the Odin3 application by double-clicking “Odin3 v1.83.exe”.

Connect your device to your PC using a USB cable.  Once connected, you should be welcomed by the message “Added!” in the message box found on the bottom left of the Odin3 window. If you didn’t get the message then probably there is a problem with your phone’s driver not properly installed. Make sure to install the right drivers for your phone to be recognized.

Select and match the following files in their respective tabs in the Odin3 application:

Click the PDA tab and browse for I9100_CODE_I9100XXLP6_CL72050_REV02_user_low_ship.tar.md5

Click the Phone tab and browse for MODEM_I9100XXLP6_REV_02_CL1097526.tar.md5

Click the CSC tab and browse for GT-I9100-MULTI-CSC-OXXLP3_RST.tar.md5

Under “Option” in Odin3, make sure that the “Auto Reboot” and “F. Reset Time” checkboxes are selected.  The other options should remain unselected.

Once all the necessary files are in place, press the START button in Odin3 to begin flashing the XXLP6 firmware on your device. If the installation was successful, you’ll then be prompted with a PASS message (green square box) in the left-most box of Odin.

After the installation process finishes, your device should automatically reboot itself.

Disconnect your smartphone from the computer after the phone has completely rebooted.

You have successfully installed firmware build XXLP6 of Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich on your Samsung Galaxy S2.

The phone is sold at around $500 depending on several factors like direct cash sale or contract. Samsung Galaxy S2 becomes better with age.