[Update: Dec. 03] Asus Android 11 (Android R) update: List of eligible devices & release date

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on April 14, 2020) follows:

Asus smartphones might not be as popular as the likes of Samsung and Huawei devices, but the Taiwanese company does a great job keeping its customer base happy, be it in terms of value for money on devices or even software support.

The latter is the subject of this article, more so the next Asus Android 11 update. With the update to Android 10 almost done for eligible Asus devices, attention will now be turning to the next OS iteration that Goole is working on.

The ZenFone 6 (Asus 6z), ZenFone 5Z, ZenFone 5, ZenFone Max Pro M1, ZenFone Max Pro M2, ZenFone Live L1 and even the gaming-centric ROG Phone II are all running Android 10, stable or beta.

Only a handful of current Asus handsets will be upgraded to Android 11. For those not in the know-how, this is because Asus only guarantees two major OS upgrades to most of its devices.

Granted, devices that come pre-installed with Android 10 are guaranteed to receive the Asus Android 11 update at some point. Even though a good number of Asus devices running Android Pie out of the box would have received the update to Android R, there aren’t many such devices.

That said, below is a list of Asus devices that we think will be upgraded to Android 11. Note that this isn’t official coming from Asus, so expect some changes when the company reveals the official roadmap/timeline.

• Asus ZenFone 6 (Asus 6z)
• Asus ROG Phone 2
• Asus ROG Phone 3
• Asus ZenFone 7*
• Asus ZenFone 7 Pro*

Oops! That was short huh! Well, it’s because Asus hasn’t been as active as before, only managing to release a few phones so far. The eligible ones are listed above while the others – ZenFone Live L2, Max Plus M2, and Max Shot – are ineligible.

The latter three have Android Oreo pre-installed, meaning the farthest they can get in terms of major OS upgrades is Android 10. So, until more new devices come to life, the Asus Android 11 update will only be pushed to the listed devices.

The likes of Asus ZenFone 5Z, ZenFone 5 and even the popular ZenFone Max Pro M1/M2 won’t get past Android 10 having made their debut with Oreo out of the box.

Google is already testing Android R developer preview and is expected to begin public beta testing in May 2020. If last year is our reference, the stable Android 11 update should be here in Q3 2020.

Just like the stable Android 10 update, Asus is likely to follow suit with a stable Android 11 update of its own in early or mid-Q4 2020 or thereabout, probably beginning with the ZenFone 7 (unannounced at the time of writing) and later the ZenFone 6, ROG Phone 3 (unannounced) and ROG Phone 2.

Hoping that we get past the coronavirus pandemic so that we bring you the official info once Asus makes it available later this year.

We have updated the list of eligible devices to include the ROG Phone 3 and the soon-to-be-released ZenFone 7 series. Meanwhile, Asus has started rolling out Android 11 beta update to the ZenFone 6. See the full story here.

While Android 11 beta recruitment for ZenFone 6 aka 6z has already started, it also brings concerns to some users. One of the users took to the Asus ZenTalk community to know if Android 11 beta update for Asus ZenFone 6/Asus 6z will affect the VoLTE support and if Netflix streaming will work as usual.

A Zentalk moderator has responded confirming that the VoLTE support will remain intact on the Asus ZenFone 6/Asus 6z Android 11 open beta update. Read the full coverage here.

IST: 07:15 pm: Earlier this year Asus announced that Asus ZenFone 5/5Z will not be receiving the Android 11 update. Of course, the information didn’t sit well with many users who are now asking Asus to update their units to the upcoming Android 11.

Some of these device owners say they’ll even settle for an updated version of the company’s skin on top of Android if Android 11 proves too much to ask. See the full details here.

IST 02:30 pm: Going by the latest statement coming from a community moderator, the recruiter’s list is still being prepared and there’s no ETA for how long will it take for those eligible to be notified. Details here.

IST 06:00 pm: A Zentalk moderator has now confirmed that the ZenFone 6 (Asus 6Z) Android 11 update won’t bring bouncy UI effects, force HDR+ feature or change the camera features. Head here for more details.

Apart from that, one of the moderators has also confirmed that ZenUI 7 and Android 11 are being evaluated for the ZenFone 5Z devices. Details here.

IST 11:32 am: Asus has begun rolling out the first Android 11 beta update for the Asus ZenFone 6 aka the ZenFone 6Z. The update arrives as version 18.0610.2009.37 and is available to those who successfully registered for the beta program. Head here for more details.

IST 06:47 pm: Asus, via the ZenTalk community form, has announced that the company is now looking for beta testers to test Android 11 on the ZenFone 7. Interested users can apply between September 23, 2020 – October 5, 2020 (CST time).

IST 04:47 pm: It has now surfaced that unlike the original ROG Phone which received only one major OS update, ROG Phone 2 and ROG Phone 3 may get the second OS update as well. For the complete coverage head here.

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