Android 6.0 Marshmallow update is scheduled to hit Asus ZenFone 2 series of smartphones in the second quarter of 2016.
Last year November, Asus announced that it would roll out the Android M update to a number of its devices. In its last year revelation regarding the Marshmallow update to its devices, the Taiwanese manufacturer did not specify the exact dates or period that the update was expected. Finally, Asus has officially confirmed that over eight of its smartphones are scheduled to receive the Android 6.0 update.
The Android 6.0 Marshmallow update
Unleashed in October 2015, Marshmallow is basically a refinement and improvement of the Android Lollipop operating system. A number of features have been introduced aimed at improving the user experience of Google’s Android OS. The UI has now been improved with colorful icons and menus. Apps in the stock launcher of the refurbished OS are vertically arranged.
Google Now voice search has also been integrated into the latest Android update. Users will be able to perform searches based on the context of info displayed on the screen. The battery section has been improved such that users can get to see the approximate consumption of each app. The update also comes with a new power management system. This system comprises of the App Standby and Doze modes that regulate the phone’s background activity when the device is not engaged.
With the fingerprint scanning tech embedded in a number of latest emerging smartphones, Marshmallow offers support for fingerprint scanning. USB Type C connection is also supported on the new update as well as the ability to transfer apps and data to a microSD card. With other minor changes included, a number of security tweaks have also been made in this latest update.
Update replaces a number of Asus’ default apps
The Marshmallow update to Asus devices comes with a replacement of three ZenUI default apps. Upon installation of the Android M update, Asus Mail, Asus Messenger and Asus Calendar apps will be replaced with Google apps namely Gmail, Google Messenger and Google Calendar. Users are expected to experience this when the device is restored back to the factory settings after the installation of the update.
For those who are die-hard fans of the ZenUI apps, the users can still download the replaced apps from Google Play Store. The Asus devices slated for the Marshmallow update are the ZenFone Selfie, ZenFone Max, ZenFone Zoom, PadFone S and Asus ZenFone 2 series devices that include ZenFone2, ZenFone Deluxe, ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition and ZenFone 2 Laser.
The above-mentioned devices’ users can now expect the much-talked about update as from April this year.