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ASUS has revealed Android 12 rollout plans for its ZenFone and ROG series of smartphones. The stable build of Android 12 will start rolling out later this year, starting with the ZenFone 8 lineup. Meanwhile, phones like the ROG Phone 5 will receive the update in the first quarter of 2022.
In addition to the Android 12-related changes, the company said this update will also bring additional performance and battery improvements. Expectedly, the update also brings the company’s custom UI overlay known as ZenUI 8.0 (via).
“This update inherits the major functional changes introduced in the official version of Android 12, as well as continuing the popular ASUS battery- and performance-management features. For Zenfone models, it also includes ZenUI-specific changes that allow easier navigation, streamlined control panels, increased visibility for better control, and more customization options,” ASUS said in a release.
The ZenFone 7 and the ROG Phone 3 will only get the update by mid-2022
ASUS said the ZenFone 8 and the ZenFone 8 Flip will get the update starting December 2021. The ROG Phone 5 and the ROG Phone 5S will get Android 12 in the first quarter of 2022. Lastly, the ZenFone 7 and the ROG Phone 3 will see the coveted update sometime during the first half of 2022.
The company initiated the Android 12 beta program earlier this month. Practically anybody with a ZenFone 8 could apply for this program. The company stopped enrollments for Android 12 beta on October 13, though it is now available for download on the ASUS website.
Android 12 brings a wide array of changes to the software. So there’s plenty to be excited about for customers of the ASUS flagships mentioned above. One of the notable new features of the latest Android version is the ‘Material You’ design principle.
Material You is visible throughout the system and also involves bringing a “humanistic approach to design,” as Matias Duarte put it at Google I/O this year. An extension of this design language is personalized themes, also known as dynamic color. It automatically adjusts the system theme to the color of your wallpaper for a consistent UI.
Android 12 also brings new indicators to alert users whenever their phone is accessing the camera or the microphone. A prominent green or orange indicator will be visible on the top right corner of the user’s screen. There’s also going to be a new Privacy Dashboard which will show app permissions along with other relevant details.