Samsung has confirmed its prestigious Galaxy S II smartphone will be getting updated to Ice Cream Sandwich. What’s more, UK users will benefit.

The official Samsung account Tweeted “Hi, good news – the Galaxy S II will be receiving ICS, but there are no dates confirmed as yet. We will keep you posted.”

The fact that no date has been specified is a little worrying. Given past experiences of Android updates, the actual roll out may be months away. Hopefully, it will be a matter of weeks rather than months. However, the recent statement issued by Samsung that it intends upgrading particular handsets during the spring of 2012 may indicate that the Samsung Galaxy S II will be among those.

On the other hand, this particular smartphone is the company’s flagship device, so perhaps it will be updated first.

Some analysts are also suggesting that the delay in updating any of the manufacturer’s smartphones may revolve around issues related to Samsung’s own TouchWiz interface. Further, Ice Cream Sandwich is not designed solely for Android handsets. It is a hybrid platform for tablets as well. As such, Samsung is likely to ensure that everything works properly with the update before officially releasing it.

The fact that it is expected to launch early next year does indicate that any issues the company have appear to be resolving themselves.

Android has been criticised in the past for the fragmentation of its platform. Over time, even this issue will disappear. Then Apple could have a real fight on its hands.