Android 6.0 Marshmallow release date for Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG and Sony devices

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 12 Oct 2015

Android 6.0 Marshmallow

At an event in San Francisco earlier this month, Google unveiled the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and the Chromecast 2. The company then released the AOSP code, factory images, and OTA updates for its Nexus devices in the following week.

Since then many Android OEMs have come out and announced a list of devices that they will be updating to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Below, I have compiled all the statements from various OEMs and also provided a tentative timeframe as to when the Android 6.0 update will be available for their flagship devices. For OEMs who have not announced anything about their Marshmallow roll out plans, I have provided a tentative list of devices that will receive the update based on the company’s software update roll out history.

Nexus

Google has already started rolling out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013), and Nexus 9 from last week. If you have not received the OTA update, you can sideload it manually or flash the factory image to start from a clean slate.

The Nexus 4, Nexus 7 (2012), and Nexus 10 will not be updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, so owners of these devices are out of luck if they want to taste the latest version of Android on their device.

Motorola

Motorola Marshmallow update plans

Motorola has already announced a list of devices that it plans on updating to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The list includes all the recent devices launched by the company, but notably lacks the original Moto X and surprisingly the 2nd gen. Moto E as well

  • 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd gen)
  • 2015 Moto X Style (3rd gen)
  • 2015 Moto X Play
  • 2015 Moto G (3rd gen)
  • 2014 Moto X Pure Edition in the US (2nd gen)
  • 2014 Moto X in Latin America, Europe and Asia2(2nd gen)
  • 2014 Moto G and Moto G with 4G LTE2 (2nd gen)
  • DROID Turbo
  • 2014 Moto MAXX
  • 2014 Moto Turbo
  • Nexus 6

The company did not provide a timeframe as to when it will be updating these devices to Marshmallow, but chances are the Moto X Style and Play will be updated to it within the next couple of months.

Sony

Sony Android 6.0 Masrhmallow

Like Motorola, Sony has also provided a list of devices that it will be updating to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The company has also started looking for 10,000 Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact users who are willing to test and provide feedback for its Marshmallow user experience.

  • 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

Sony did not provide any ETA in its announcement as to when the first batch of its Xperia devices will get the Marshmallow update, but looking at its software rollout history, don’t expect the update to land anytime before the end of this year at the earliest.

HTC

HTC Marshmallow

HTC was the first OEM to announce a list of devices that it will be updating to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Unlike others, the company has also provided a timeframe as to when the unlocked and retail units of the selected handsets will receive the update. The list of HTC devices that will be receiving the Marshmallow update are as follows:

  • One M9
  • One M9
  • One M9+
  • One E9
  • One E9+
  • One ME
  • One E8
  • One M8 EYE
  • Butterfly 3
  • Desire 826
  • Desire 820
  • Desire 816

Out of the above devices, HTC plans on updating the One M9 and One M8 to Android 6.0 Marshmallow at the “beginning end of 2015.” The company also plans on rolling out the Marshmallow update for the Google Play edition One M8 by the end of this month.

Samsung

Despite being the biggest Android OEM, Samsung has not provided any information about its Android 6.0 Marshmallow roll out plans. However, it goes without saying that the company will be updating all of its flagship devices released this year to the latest version of Android. A small list of Samsung devices that will definitely get the Android 6.0 update based on our guess and rumors can be found below.

  • Galaxy S6
  • Galaxy S6 edge
  • Galaxy S6 edge+
  • Galaxy Note 5
  • Galaxy S6 actv
  • Galaxy S5
  • Galaxy Note 4
  • Galaxy S5 actv
  • Galaxy Note 3

Knowing Samsung, it will first be updating the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge to Marshmallow, before rolling out the update to Note 5 and S6 edge+. The first two handsets should get the update at the very end of this year or by early next year, while the Galaxy Note 5 should get its Marshmallow update sometime in the first quarter of 2016.

As for the Galaxy S5 and Note 4, expect these devices to be updated to Marshmallow sometime in early Q2 of 2016.

LG

Like Samsung, LG has also not provided any information about its Android 6.0 Marshmallow roll out plans. Last year, LG was the first company to roll out the Lollipop update for its flagship handset, but the eventual roll out of the update was painstakingly slow. This year, I am guessing LG will be updating its flagship devices — LG G4 and LG V10 — to Marshmallow before the end of this year. Then, the company will follow it up by updating the G3 to Android 6.0 sometime towards the end of Q1, 2016.

LG should also update the G Flex 2, which did not do particularly well, to Marshmallow sometime early next year.

Update: LG has already started rolling out the Marshmallow update for the G4 in Poland.

In all likelihood, LG will also be updating its popular mid-range smartphones like the Bello series to Marshmallow. Even if it does so, don’t expect the update to land anytime before Q2, 2016. As for LG G2 and G Pro owners, it is time for you to switch to another Android device if you are looking to try out Marshmallow. While these devices do pack in enough grunt to run Marshmallow smoothly, it is unlikely that LG will take the engineering effort required to update them.


If your Android handset is not mentioned in any of the list above, don’t lose hope. If it is a fairly recent and popular device, it is likely that it will be updated to Marshmallow by your OEM in the second wave of the roll out.

We will also continue updating this article as and when OEMs provide more details about their roll out plans.