Asus ZenFone 5Z now receiving Android Pie update in select markets, wider roll-out in January 2019

The ZenFone 5Z has been a runaway hit for Asus. Especially in India. The ZenFone 5Z brings flagship-grade hardware at a mainstream price but more importantly it sees Asus finally doing some much-needed spring cleaning when it comes to its in-house Zen UI software. The ZenFone 5Z is the first Asus phone to run a clean, near stock version of Android Oreo out-of-the-box. The ZenFone 5Z just might also be the first Asus phone to receive a major Android update in less than a year after launch.  

That’s right. The Asus ZenFone 5Z is already receiving the Android 9 Pie update. Users in Taiwan seem to be the first to get their hands on Pie for ZenFone 5Z, and in time, the update should land in other global markets including in India. Note that Asus had previously confirmed that it would start rolling out the Android Pie update for the ZenFone 5Z starting January 2019 but seems like the company has jumped the gun and made the update available early even if it is for select users. Samsung, to recall, has also done something similar with the Android Pie update for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, rolling it out early in select markets, after previously setting a January 2019 timeline.  

The Android 9 Pie update for the ZenFone 5Z reportedly stacks up at 1048MB in size and bumps up the Android security patch to November 2018. It brings a host of Android Pie features to the ZenFone 5Z including a dark mode and new navigation gestures. It brings adaptive RAM, battery and display management, in addition to Google’s Digital Well-Being functionality. Asus seems to have re-worked on the photography aspects and the said update apparently helps speed up the camera in the case of the ZenFone 5Z. The ZenFone 5Z is already a capable camera phone at its price, and the new update will hopefully make things even better in this regard. 

Although the rollout seems to be targeted towards Taiwan for now, it won’t be long before it starts hitting more markets. Whatever be the case, Asus has promised a January 2019 window for a wider rollout, which isn’t very far as well.  

In other news, Asus is rolling out a new firmware update to the ZenFone Max Pro M2 in India. The FOTA update is being pushed out in phased manner, which means not every device is going to get it at the same time. The update bumps up the Android security patch to November 2018 and brings the following improvements to the ZenFone Max Pro M2: 

- Optimize camera effect 

- Update audio parameter 

- Upgrade fingerprint FW 

- Upgrade touch FW 

- Improve display edge

Also Read: Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 Is A Tough Challenger To Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro, Nokia 7.1