A new Asus ROG Phone software update is now rolling out with an updated Android security patch for the month of July – in September 2019.
The update comes at a time when other Asus phones, including some low-tier variants, have already switched to August security patches. It doesn’t surprise us that Asus ROG Phone is only making the switch to July security patches at this point in time.
The ROG Phone hasn’t received significant attention from the Taiwanese company compared to other Asus phones. Besides the fact that it is receiving the July security patch in September, this software update is also based on an older Android OS, Oreo 8.1.
Perhaps it’s because the gaming phone is in a relatively new niche that hasn’t quite taken off, implying that the adoption of the phone is probably not that significant to the company to warrant regular software updates on time.
But then again, looking at the launch price of the ROG Phone, it’s hard to fathom why Asus would give it such a marginalized treatment compared to other more mainstream ZenFone phones.
Nonetheless, owners of the ROG Phone should still welcome the incoming update considering that it also fixes an issue related to vibration failure. The OTA update is arriving as version 15.1630.1907.98 and is targeting model ZS600KL with WW, RU, and CN SKUs.
Since its an OTA update and it has just been published on Asus software support pages for the respective SKUs, the download notification may take a few days before it arrives on your handset, so be patient.
As noted earlier, this update is based on Oreo 8.1, but Asus already confirmed that Android Pie will arrive in Q3 2019. Granted, the company only has this month to deliver on this promise, so we wait.
At this rate, especially now that Android 10 beta is already available for the ZenFone 5Z, the wait for the latest and greatest Android OS to arrive on the gaming phone could go all the way past Q2 2020, but I hope I’m wrong on this.
Asus has already rolled out the newer August update to the likes of Asus ZenFone 6 (Asus 6Z), ZenFone Max M2, ZenFone 5Q/5 Lite/5 Selfie Pro, and ZenFone Max Pro M1 & Max Pro M2, among others.
It’s likely that the ROG Phone could get this August security patch with the stable update to Android Pie, but this is just a hunch.
NOTE: You can find more Asus-related coverage here.
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Hillary Keverenge
2100 Posts
Tech has been my playground for over a decade. While the Android journey began early, it truly took flight with the revolutionary Lollipop update. Since then, it's been a parade of Android devices (with a sprinkle of iOS), culminating in a mostly happy marriage with Google's smart home ecosystem. Expect insightful articles and explorations of the ever-evolving world of Android and Google products coupled with occasional rants on the Nest smart home ecosystem.
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