Most of the big name Android smartphone vendors have already laid out their Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade plans, but LG has been notably absent from the list of companies offering an update schedule. Well, a brief announcement on the company’s official Facebook page has remedied that — Android 4.0 will be coming to select LG handsets as early as Q2 2012.
The first round of updates will roll out to the Prada 3.0, Optimus LTE, Optimus Sol, Optimus 2X, LG Eclipse and strangely, the LG myTouch Q. Meanwhile, owners of other Optimus-branded handsets won’t be left waiting for too long. The Optimus 3D, Optimus Black, Optimus Big, Optimus Q2 and the Optimus EX will be getting their first taste of Ice Cream Sandwich in Q3 2012.
But let’s go back to the myTouch Q for a moment. Though it’s a pretty unimpressive device when compared to some of the others getting the update, the myTouch Q is the only device on the list that’s actually available here in the States. It’s a puzzling choice, especially when LG makes no mention of devices like the Thrill or the Nitro HD, both of which are U.S. variants of devices that will indeed be getting the update.
While I’m sure LG fans are probably heartened by the news (that is, if they have switched to custom ROMs already), the company still has a long (and probably bumpy) road ahead of them. LG’s mobile division, if you recall, has had a pretty awful run over the past six quarters, and 2012 could be a make-it-or-break it year for them. They’ve already devoted around half of their 2012 CapEx budget to revitalize their handset business, and here’s hoping they’ve got some blockbuster device launches planned along with these software updates.