Just a few weeks ago, we showcased an unofficial port of One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 for the Exynos variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. This was possible thanks to the work that XDA Recognized Developer AlexisXDA put in to get it to boot by using a modified system image from the Galaxy Note 10 Lite. Known as Noble ROM, this port has created quite a buzz in the Galaxy Note 9 community. Now, Noble ROM 1.1 has arrived and Samsung Galaxy S9 owners can now also try out the firmware on their phones.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Forums ||| Samsung Galaxy S9+ Forums
Unofficial ports of this kind are expected to have a number of bugs within the code since the system image that’s being used wasn’t created for that specific device. That being said, an aftermarket ROM like Noble ROM just goes to show that many OEMs haven’t been the greatest when it comes to delivering major Android version updates to legacy devices, even if the device is capable of running it. Apart from bringing the full One UI 3.1 experience on top of Android 11 with the March 2021 security patches to the Exynos-powered global (SM-G96xF) and Korean (SM-G96xN) editions of the Samsung Galaxy S9, the latest version of the ROM also contains several fixes.
The full changelog of the update can be found below:
- Added S9 and S9+ support (S9 users have to renounce at Bixby service)
- Fixed Photo Editor FC after update
- Fixed Game Launcher FC before update
- Fixed heart rate sensor
- Fixed sound loudness
- Fixed Biometrics Settings FC after setting new biometric lock
- Added Sound Alive missing modes
- Fixed installation message error "system not mounted" and symlinks errors
- Added new option in AROMA to choose which kind of debloat you wanna apply
- Removed Good Lock section in AROMA and put an option to install just Good Lock Launcher app
- Removed Chinese Smart Manager in aroma
- Removed not working camera modes
- Updated kernels
- Improved general stability and performance
While the port is stable enough to be run as a daily driver on the Galaxy S9, some features like Live Focus and Pro Video mode have been removed due to instability. The developer also points out that the Photo Editor app might crash at the beginning, so they suggest you update it through Galaxy Store.
If those bugs aren’t a concern for you, then you can install this unofficial port of One UI 3.1 flavored Android 11 for your Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ by following the instructions in the link below. You'll, of course, need to have an unlocked bootloader and TWRP installed to flash this ROM.