[Update: Jan. 07] Asus ROG Phone Android 10 update status: The story so far

Discontinuation Notice: The information on this tracker will no longer be updated.

Original story (published on June 29, 2020) follows:

Asus is lining up a new ROG Phone 3 gaming phone reportedly to be announced in July 2020. A few of our readers are indeed interested in the release of this phone, which is expected to be a beast of a gaming handset.

But let’s not get ahead of time. Asus has two other phones in the ROG series, the ROG Phone 2 and the original ROG Phone released in late 2018. The former has Android Pie out of the box while the latter comes running Android Oreo.

As of this writing, the ROG Phone 2 has already received the stable update to Android 10, but owners of the ROG Phone are still in the dark regarding the update to Android 10. This update, if and when it rolls out, will be the second major OS update for this device.

Are they planning on releasing Android 10 to the ROG Phone 1 or will it only be ROG 2?
Source

I have read in many sites that there is the possibility that ROG Phone 1 may have the update to Android 10. it was said in Q3 that it arrived but it was never true. so, it is possible that the update do you arrive by the end of June? thanks for the replies
Source

The ZenTalk forum has a bunch of threads by Asus ROG Phone owners asking the company about the availability of Android 10 for the device, some of which are captured above. Interestingly, ZenTalk forum moderators have remained coy on this matter.

Back in May, Y_ASUS had the following to say about the ROG Phone Android 10 update:

Sorry, we haven’t received information about the Android 10 update plan for ZS600KL.
Source

Obviously, this wasn’t taken well by ROG Phone owners, especially after paying a small fortune to get their hands on the device. As a result, questions about the release of the OS kept flowing and early this month, another moderator, victor2020, chimed in.

Hi there, we have made a note of the feedback and will share it with the relevant team.

A week or so later, another forum mod, this time Christine_ASUS, dropped the bomb! In response to a query regarding availability of Android 10 on the OG ROG Phone, Christine said the following:

Hi friends,
For further information related to any firmware update, please stay in tune with our social media channels or visit our Asus support website.

What a reply! By all means, it suggests no one knows if the ROG Phone will get a second OS upgrade, leave alone when. That’s not the kind of ending you’d have anticipated for this piece, but by the look of it, it seems things aren’t in place at Asus.

On the brighter side, Asus hasn’t completely forgotten the ROG Phone. Not long ago, the device picked up the May 2020 security patch based on Android Pie. But for how long Asus will keep providing regular updates remain unknown.

For a perspective of just how long Asus ROG Phone updates can take, the device only got the Pie update in November 2019 when other devices had already been upgraded to Android 10. Going by this logic, there might still be a chance for the ROG to get the elusive second OS upgrade later this year.

It has been nearly 3 months since the global models of ROG Phone received an update. The last update for the device rolled out in August as version 16.0420.2006.30 with the July patch. Thus making it seem as though Asus has forgotten about its first gaming-centric smartphone.

A new update has been released for the ROG Phone, finally. However, there’s not much to get exciting about since the update only brings a newer security patch and not Android 10. It is rolling out as version 16.0420.2009.39.

[Release Note]
Updated Android security patch

As per a ZenTalk community moderator, it is now confirmed that Asus has no plans to upgrade its flagship gaming device i.e., Asus ROG Phone, to Android 10. Head over here to check out the full coverage.

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