Google, Samsung and HTC
Update: Android Marshmallow has a confirmed launch event, meaning Google's next mobile software update is closer than ever. Here's when it's likely coming out.
Android Marshmallow is now closer to its release date than ever, thanks to its new official name, official press event and a bevy of confirmed new features to all manner of Google-powered phones.
Battery life improvements, greater app permission controls, standardised support for fingerprint scanners, more granular volume controls, USB-C support and new Google Now features are all part of a mix that makes this an exciting upgrade for users - but is your phone actually going to get it?
It's now known as Android Marshmallow after internally being called Android Macadamia Nut Cookie, and it's well on the way to launching, with a "s'more" themed September 29 launch event, according to Google.
But do remember that when Android Marshmallow does launch you won't necessarily have instant access to it, as it's down to device manufacturers and, in some countries like the US, carriers to spend time with the new software before imbuing their phones and tablets with it.
If you're using a Nexus device you're most likely to get the update first and some other manufacturers such as Motorola are also good at sending out their updates fast.
To make the rollout less of a mystery here's the latest - and constantly updated information - on when Android Marshmallow is likely to land on the various devices out there.
Google and Nexus
Google's Nexus devices will naturally be the first to get Android Marshmallow. One of their biggest selling points is speedy updates and stock versions of Android.
That said, expect Google to launch a Nexus 5 2015 and Nexus 6 2015 to showcase this "Android M" update. After all, they are reference model phones, and there are plenty of rumors to support LG and Huawei being behind this year's devices. So expect any new Nexus device this year to ship with it.
Not all existing Nexus devices will see the update on day one, but the developer preview is available now for the Nexus 5 2013, Nexus 6 2014, Nexus 9 tablet and Nexus Player set-top box, suggesting they'll all get updated pretty soon after Android M rolls out.
However, earlier Nexus devices may not get the update at all. It's been rumoured that Google will institute a two year update guarantee with Android M and that it will be applied retrospectively, which would mean that while the Nexus 5 will get the update, the older Nexus 4, both versions of the Nexus 7, the Nexus 10 and anything older still probably won't.
All hope isn't lost. We've also heard a debunking of rumours that the Nexus 4, 7 and 10 will get Android Marshmallow. This smidgen of hope originated from bits of code found in the older device's update files which referenced "Android M."
Case closed? Not quite, as it was found in code that gets pushed to all Nexus devices, regardless of whether or not they are getting Android Marshmallow. This means if you have a Nexus 4, Nexus 7 or a Nexus 10, we wouldn't get our hopes up of getting Android Marshmallow just yet.
Samsung
Samsung did a pretty good job of getting Android Lollipop on to its phones rapidly, so we'd expect to see it start appearing in major handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 shortly after launch.
It turns out that the company's newest phones, Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, aren't shipping with Android Marshmallow, after all. So expect these phablets to be in line for the update, too.
The Samsung Galaxy Alpha and older flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5 are likely to get the Android Marshmallow update too, though they may have to wait a little longer.
Anything older than the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a bit more up in the air as to if or when they'll get Android Marshmallow, but it's a distant possibility that the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will get it.
Both of these ex-high-end phones were updated to Android Lollipop, though they'll both be more than two years old by the time Android Marshmallow arrives, so we wouldn't hold our breath.
As for tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S range has been updated to Android 5.0 and is recent enough that we'd expect an Android Marshmallow update. The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 may well get an update too, but we're not optimistic about the chances of most other Samsung slates.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) is still on Android KitKat for example, despite being relatively recent. It's possible that it will simply skip Lollipop and move straight to Android Marshmallow but there's nothing to suggest that's the case.
HTC
Jeff Gordon, HTC's Senior Global Online Communications Manager, has already confirmed on Twitter that Android Marshmallow will be coming to the HTC One M9 and HTC One M9 Plus.
That's not particularly surprising but he did also say that more devices would be announced soon, so stay tuned.
No time frame was given, but HTC started rolling out Android Lollipop to its flagships within 90 days of its arrival, so we could well be in for a similar time frame here, in which case it may start arriving sometime in December 2015.
Mo Versi, the Vice President of Product Management at HTC also took to Twitter to confirm that the HTC One M8 would be getting the Android Marshmallow update.
We'd expect most phones released by HTC in the last 18-24 months will ultimately get the update, especially high and mid-range ones.
That means the HTC One M8s and HTC Desire Eye are likely to get it among others. We wouldn't totally count the HTC One Mini 2 out either, though it's yet to get Android Lollipop which doesn't bode well.
A question mark hangs over the HTC One M7 though, as while that's still a great phone it's also over two years old.
Sony, LG, Motorola, OnePlus, Huawei, Asus and ZTE
Sony
Sony hasn't confirmed which devices will be getting Android Marshmallow or when, but it seems a safe bet that the Sony Xperia Z3+, Sony Xperia Z3, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet and Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact will all be in line for it along in all likelihood with recent lower end phones like the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua.
Slightly older devices like the Sony Xperia Z2 and Sony Xperia Z1 Compact will probably get it too. We're less optimistic about anything earlier than that, but you never know, the Sony Xperia Z1 and Sony Xperia Z have both been upgraded to Android Lollipop after all.
Anything which isn't already on Lollipop probably won't get the update. That means devices like the Sony Xperia T3 and Sony Xperia E3 could be left out.
LG
LG has stated that it won't be bringing Android 5.1 to the LG G3, which has led to speculation that it will jump straight to Android Marshmallow, but we've heard nothing concrete to substantiate that. However we'd be surprised if LG abandoned its 2014 flagship though, so it's believable.
The LG G4 will, of course, get Android Marshmallow and it may do so quite quickly, as LG started rolling out its Lollipop updates soon after the final version of the software was available.
The rumoured LG G4 Pro may even launch with Android Marshmallow depending on when it arrives, though if not that will likely get updated quite quickly.
We'd expect the LG G Flex 2, LG G4c and other fairly recent LG phones will get Android Marshmallow eventually too, though they'll probably have to wait longer than the G4. It's even possible that the LG G2 will get it, but we wouldn't count on it.
Motorola
As Motorola's phones run a version of Android which is almost stock there tends to be an expectation that they'll receive updates in a timely fashion and hopefully that will be the case here.
After all, the Motorola's new and forthcoming phone are just missing the Android Marshmallow launch, so Android 5.1.1 is the software for Moto X Style, Moto X Play and Moto G 2015.
We'd expect, next in line, the 2014 version of the Moto X and Moto G and also this year's Moto E to be on Motorola's list of Android phones to update.
Earlier models of the X, G and E range may well get Android Marshmallow ultimately too, though they may have to wait a little longer.
OnePlus
OnePlus eventually brought Android Lollipop to the OnePlus One, but it wasn't very fast about it and with the OnePlus 2 now launching and a new OS just out the gates, we wouldn't be surprised if the company was a bit busy to be thinking about Android Marshmallow just yet.
That said we expect some version of it will arrive on the OnePlus 2 and possibly even the OnePlus One eventually, but probably not until sometime in 2016.
Huawei
If you've got a Huawei device you might have quite a wait on your hands for Android Marshmallow, as the majority of its devices are still on Android KitKat or earlier.
The Huawei P8, Huawei P8 Max and Honor 4X are probably among the most likely handsets to get the update, but even then it may take a while.
Asus
Asus is another company which often isn't particularly speedy with its updates. The Zenfone 6, Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 4 are only just getting Android Lollipop for example, but nevertheless they are being updated, so we'd expect relatively recent Asus handsets like those ones and the Zenfone 2 will eventually see Android Marshmallow.
ZTE
ZTE doesn't always bother to update its phones, so if you have one you may have to make do without Android Marshmallow, though the newer and higher profile it is the better your chances of getting the upcoming Android release.
So there's a chance the ZTE Blade S6 and the US-focused ZTE Axon will get the update, but the ZTE Blade V and ZTE Blade Q Mini for example probably won't.
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