Samsung might be on the slow side when it comes to pushing out Android updates, but at least a majority of their devices are supported by CyanogenMod. This week, we learn that three different Samsung devices are now receiving nightly builds of CyanogenMod 11.

CyanogenMod is a very popular custom ROM and when smartphones and tablets go past their prime, it’s usually the CyanogenMod team that keeps them alive with updates while the manufacturer stops updating them. Depending on the popularity of the device though, the CyanogenMod team could end up pushing the latest version of Android to the device before the manufacturer does. Since these three devices aren’t particularly old, we’re able to update to the latest version of Android without having to wait on Samsung to update them.

Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE-A

The Galaxy S4 LTE-A was released months after the original. It included LTE-A support and came equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset. This device in particular has the model number SM-i9506, and to CyanogenMod, it is referred to as ks01lte. As of writing this, there have been two nightlies released, but more should follow. As with all custom ROMs, all you need to do is download the zip file along with the CyanogenMod GAPPS package, and then flash them through the custom recovery for your device after you wipe the required partitions.

T-Mobile Galaxy S5

Next up, we have the T-Mobile Galaxy S5 with the model number SM-G900T. This was the device sold by T-Mobile, but it was also sold in various markets because of all the LTE bands that it supported. This device also comes with a Qualcomm SoC and this is generally favored by the development community. Drivers and documents are more readily available for Qualcomm chips than the in-house Samsung Exynos ones. I imagine that this was a major factor when it came to these two devices getting a port of CM11. For a reference, this device is labeled ‘klte’ on the CyanogenMod website.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1

Last up, we have the 10.1-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro, a device that was unveiled at the beginning of this year, but lagged behind for a few months before it was officially released. We saw the 8.4-inch model of the Galaxy Tab Pro receive their CM11 nightlies not too long ago. Now we’re seeing its big brother getting some CM love and everyone that has grown tired of TouchWiz is very thankful for supporting the device. Those of you that own the 12.2-inch Galaxy Tab Pro are having to wait it out a little while longer. We don’t have any word on when a port for CM11 is coming, or if it will at all, but if we hear more about this device, we will be sure to let you know. As a reference, this 10.1-inch model is going by the build name ‘picassowifi’.

A word of caution

If you have never flashed a custom ROM onto a device before, you might want to try to experiment on a spare device you have lying around. Not that this is a dangerous process since you can generally use Kies in order to revert back to stock, but something could go wrong and that can even make us veteran flashers panic until we can get it fixed. You should also read through the XDA threads for the particular device you want to install CM11 onto. Please remember that nightlies are typically not considered stable and there could be various bugs with some builds.

If a device is getting a nightly build, then the CyanogenMod team feels fairly confident that any known bugs can be resolved before the first stable (aka M) build. There are plenty of people who use nightly builds on their device as a daily driver. However, everyone uses their devices differently and everyone has different expectations and needs. This is why we recommend that you be sure to read through the XDA forum for your particular device before flashing anything. Any known bugs will surely be brought up in the CM thread(s), so you should understand what you’re getting yourself into before you take the plunge.

Source: Galaxy S4 LTE-A – Galaxy S5 – Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1