ASUS now supporting 3rd-party Android OS developers with free devices

By Chris Burns/June 12, 2019 11:28 am EST

ASUS just send their new ZenFone 6 smartphone to a number of 3rd-party developers on non-Google versions of Android. It's apparent that ASUS contacted the developer-centric XDA Developers Forum at some point this year, and this week they've announced a the collection of developers with which they've worked. As it were, the folks at XDA seem to have done the selecting – but the list shows a who's who for users who've not kept up with the whole rooting/modifying Android smartphone community over the last several years.

NOTE: Don't go run out to ASUS trying to claw additional devices out of their hands – this was a limited run situation, and it's not immediately apparent if they'll ever send more devices to anyone ever again. For now they've made it clear that there will be no more ASUS ZenFone 6 hand-outs for the foreseeable future.

ASUS sent at lest one ASUS ZenFone 6 smartphone to the following users, via XDA Developer assistance. LineageOS as supported by luca020400 and OrderKrieger, Project Treble GSI work by phhusson, and OmniRom and (unofficial LineageOS) by micky387, as well as CarbonROM by frap129. Also on the list is Kirisakura kernel by Freak 07, Proton kernel by kdrag0n, and TWRP as supported here by Dees_Troy and bigbiff.

Perhaps the most interesting addition to the list was Arnova8G2, for work done on Google Camera ports. Google doesn't officially support their camera software being used by non-Google Pixel smartphones, but the highly complex HDR system was able to be ported to a number of non-Google smartphones by Arnova8G2. It would not be a shock to see this ASUS phone get said app via XDA soon.

According to XDA editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman, ASUS is not, at this time, "formally opening a development program." He suggested that "this is a trial that we're doing to see how well it goes." Now, if only this would lead to ASUS bringing more firepower to the USA to drum up more competition in the Android realm, that'd be super duper.