The Galaxy S3 now runs Android 12 thanks to a developer
We must also commend the developer who was able to run Android 12 on a 10-year-old Samsung Galaxy S3, launched in 2012 for the first time. Users always praise smartphone manufacturers for keeping their devices updated for three or four years.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been around for nearly ten years despite being virtually obsolete at this point. In spite of the Galaxy S3’s underpowered processors compared to the flagship phones we’re used to today, developer html6405 was able to run Android 12 on the device.
Smartphones powered by Exynos 4412 chipsets have definitely outgrown their power and dominance, so it’s impressive to see developers trying to breathe new life into old devices. A developer has managed to port an unofficial build of LineageOS 19.0 to the Galaxy S3, which is based on Android 12.
According to this initial report or video, the phone appears to be performing well. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, the camera, and the cellular radio all work well. A nice bonus is that video playback appears to work as well. In spite of this, not everything works perfectly, including SIM PIN unlocking, NFC, and microSD card issues. Formatting the external storage will result in a bootloop, of course.
XDA Developers also notes that several popular LineageOS features are not included in this Android 12 build. Overall, this achievement highlights how hard the ROM community works to keep devices alive. A valiant effort is giving old hardware a second chance at life.
The download guide for Android 12 can be found here if you have an old Galaxy S3 around.
