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Android 6.0 Marshmallow delivers clever new tools and features, such as Now on Tap and power-saving Doze mode. Though it made its official debut in early October 2015, not all Android phones will get it immediately, or at all.
Unlike iOS updates from Apple, which arrive on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches on the same day, Android updates are a bit murky. Google’s line of Nexus phones and tablets are always the first to get the new version of the mobile operating system before it slowly makes its way to other Android-powered gadgets. Exactly which phones and tablets will get Android Marshmallow and when depends on many factors.
The details can get confusing, so to clear it up I’ve compiled all of the phones and devices that are set to get the update.
Getting Android Marshmallow
First things first, unlocked phones will always get Android updates faster than those sold through a carrier. That’s because each carrier has to receive the update, test it and approve it for release on their network. That process can take weeks or months.
But before it even reaches a carrier, a new version of Android has to go from Google to smartphone chip makers and then to smartphone manufacturers. Since there’s a plethora of Android phones out there, with different internal workings and custom skins on top of the OS and many carriers worldwide, this entire update process can take months or years. Furthermore, some older devices lack support from the company that made them, which means they may never see the update.
Editors’ note October 16, 2015: This post has been updated with new Android update details.
CNET
Google Nexus devices
Starting October 5, Google’s Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013 edition) , Nexus 9 and Nexus Player are getting the update over the air, delivered wirelessly. The Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P will ship with Android Marshmallow are installed.
Unfortunately, the Nexus 4, original Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 are excluded from the update.
HTC
HTC took to Twitter to tell us which phones would get Marshmallow, and some are getting the update before the end of the year. The HTC One M8 and One M9 will both receive Android 6.0 by the end of 2015.
Here’s the full list of supported devices:
- One M8
- One M9
- One M9+
- One E9
- One E9+
- One ME
- One E8
- One M8 Eye
- Butterfly 3
- Desire 826
- Desire 820
- Desire 816
HTC will also release a new phone on October 20 that will come with Marshmallow, according to the company’s event invitation.
Josh Miller/CNET
Motorola
Motorola officially announced which of its devices will get the update, but didn’t offer any details on when it will happen. I’d expect the update to arrive on most of these phones starting in late 2015 and early 2016.
Here’s the full list of supported devices:
- Moto X Pure Edition (third-generation)
- Moto X Style (third-generation)
- Moto X Play
- Moto G (third-generation)
- Moto X (second-generation, Latin America, Europe and Asia editions)
- Moto X Pure Edition (2014)
- Moto G and Moto G with 4G LTE (second-generation)
- DROID Turbo
- Moto MAXX
- Moto Turbo
Sony
Sony officially announced that many of its Xperia phones will get Android 6.0, but acknowledged that the rollout will be slow and will depend on your carrier.
Below is the full list of devices getting the update:
- Xperia Z5
- Xperia Z5 Compact
- Xperia Z5 Premium
- Xperia Z4 Tablet
- Xperia Z3+
- Xperia Z3
- Xperia Z3 Compact
- Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
- Xperia Z2
- Xperia Z2 Tablet
- Xperia M5
- Xperia C5 Ultra
- Xperia M4 Aqua
- Xperia C4
LG
LG has officially said that the LG G4 will get the Marshmallow update, but it’s coming to customers in Poland first. The company did the exact same thing last year with Lollipop before rolling the update out to other phones and customers worldwide. I expect that the LG G3 will get the update too, though there’s no mention of whether or not the recently-debuted LG V10 or the older LG G2 will ever see Android 6.0.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Samsung
Samsung’s mum on the topic of Marshmallow updates for now, but it’s nearly guaranteed that the 2015 flagships, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge , will get the update. I expect the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus to also get Android 6.0 too.
Older models, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Note 2 and Note 3 are very likely going to get left out of this update.
