Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wi-Fi Updated to Ice Cream Sandwich

Following the Galaxy Tab 10.1 update, Samsung has begun to update its smaller sibling in the Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wi-Fi with a new over the air update via Wi-Fi and a secondary updater being made available over the wire via Samsung Kies. The update itself is rather sizable for a major Android update at 313 MB. Contents of the update include the core update to Android Ice Cream Sandwich as well as specific enhancements for the tablet, though Samsung has yet to confirm the update for the Verizon LTE version of the 8.9.

The 8.9 was one of Samsung’s alternative variants in the 2011  Tab series of Android tablets, with an 8.9 inch 720p display originally shipping with Honeycomb 3.2. While the tablet itself was well-received, it failed to make much of an impression as more people gravitated toward the larger 10.1 inch version, despite having an LTE variant available on Verizon Wireless. Even so, for those that did purchase the Galaxy Tab 8.9, the update to Ice Cream Sandwich is good news from a support standpoint, although whether Samsung decides to go a step further and develops an update to Jelly Bean remains to be seen, as Samsung has recently launched its latest tablet in the Galaxy Note 10.1 Wi-Fi, with newer overall hardware and software.