We’ve seen Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 running unmodified on a few gadgets now, but today, we got our first glimpse at what it’ll look like running on Samsung’s flagship phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S2, and presumably, the Samsung Galaxy S3. That’s right: ICS, meet TouchWiz.
SamMobile got their hands on an early build of Ice Cream Sandwich running on a Samsung Galaxy S2 phone, and you can see it in the video below.
Allow us to explain what’s going on here: Android is open-source, and for better or worse, manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung tend to modify it with their own services and UX bits and bobs – to attempt to stand out, you see.
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HTC calls its skin “Sense”, while Samsung’s is called TouchWiz, and what you see here is version 4.0 of it, running atop Android Ice Cream Sandwich. So what you’re likely looking at is the sort of software that will appear on the Samsung Galaxy S3, which we’re expecting to make an appearance at Mobile World Congress in February.
What’s surprising, and perhaps a little alarming, is that TouchWiz 4.0 looks exactly like its predecessor. The new Ice Cream Sandwich font has been carried over, as have all the core features, such as the improved notification tray, multi-tasking with the ability to kill apps with a swipe, and the facial recognition screen unlock.
But the home screen launcher is all but identical – a pity, as Google really put so much emphasis on design in Ice Cream Sandwich. For the first time, it made sense, but Samsung might be in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater here.
Is that what you’d want to see on the Samsung Galaxy S3? We’re not sure, but let’s hear your thoughts in the comments either way.
