The magic of custom ROMs, all of you
Source: Samsung
Android phones typically last at least two to three years, although today most of the best phones come with four years of software updates. But if you’re willing to give the custom ROM space a look, phones can last much longer. Custom ROMs aren’t as popular as they once were, but they can still be a way to breathe new life into an old smartphone. If you still have a Galaxy S3 or Galaxy Note 2 — both originally launched in 2012 — kicking around in a drawer somewhere, you might want to dig them out. A decade after their release, they are both getting Android 13 through a custom ROM.
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An unofficial build of LineageOS 20 is now available on the XDA forums. It is based on Android 13, which first graced the AOSP over a month ago. As you might imagine, this build is at a very early stage – LineageOS 20 is still in active development and no official builds are available. LineageOS 19 wasn’t officially launched until early this year, so we may have to wait a long time. Likewise, this build is also an early one: features like NFC, Bluetooth audio on calls, SD cards, and network monitoring have been broken. Most of these features should be resolved as the firmware ages.
Before installing it, keep in mind that the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 are currently ten years old and only getting older. And when you install 2022 software on 2012 hardware, you can’t expect it to work perfectly. After all, the Galaxy Note 2 comes with up to 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the Galaxy S3 can only pack 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. It was a hugely powerful phone when it was released, but the specs haven’t aged well. It’s all about reusing new hardware, but you probably shouldn’t be using this as a daily driver.
With that out of the way, head over to the official thread on XDA to learn more and download it for your Galaxy S3 or Galaxy Note 2. As always, follow the instructions as written to avoid bricking your device, and remember this always done at your own risk.