Install Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on Asus Zenfone 2 Laser

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is a great device which will receive the Marshmallow treatment in an official manner. The firmware will be OTA released by Asus but until then, if you want to check how the new Android M runs on your device, you can try a custom ROM that’s based on stock Android 6.0.1 system. I am talking about an unofficial release of CyanogenMod, which can be anytime safely installed on your phone. So, what do you say, are you interested in trying out a fully optimized update that can improve the performances of your Zenfone 2 Laser?

Yes, that’s right; through CM 13 you can bump the speeds, customize the UI, optimize the RAM usage, upgrade the battery life and lot more. Thus, as a promise, with CM13 installed, your Asus Zenfone 2 Laser will run better and faster while you will be able to enjoy a custom version of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS. And yes, in case you were wondering, the update is stable enough for a daily use as all its features and in built settings are working smoothly – further info related with these aspects you can get by checking this page (the developer official web page – on your way, don’t forget to thank for the update file as without it, we couldn’t show you how to safely update your Zenfone 2 to Marshmallow OS ahead of the official release).

As you can already tell, completing this tutorial is not an official operation that you can perform on your smartphone. The CM 13 ROM is not developed by Google or by Asus, so you will use a third party software which is offered by third party devs. In such conditions it is obvious that you will lose your Zenfone 2 Laser warranty – that’s the main negative aspect that is related with this operation. Anyway, don’t worry, nothing bad can happen while using and applying the guidelines from below.

However, as a precaution you might want to read about the best ways in which you can manually troubleshoot software related issues on Android – if somehow something bad happens you can then manually troubleshoot your Zenfone 2 (otherwise, you will have to take your phone back to service and since the warranty can’t be reclaimed you will have to pay for the technical assistance).

Another thing to note is that a custom ROM, as an unofficial Android update, can be flashed only in some conditions which basically imply in performing some additional operations on your phone. In that matter, first you have to unlock the Android system that already powers your handset – the new Marshmallow firmware will have to modify it. So, root access is a must in this situation.

Afterwards, after gaining root access on your Asus Zenfone 2 Laser, you have to install a custom recovery image, like CWM or TWRP recovery. This software will be used on the actual flashing process – as you will see, the CM 13 package is offered in form of a .zip file, a file which can be installed only through a custom recovery image.

Through the same recovery platform you can now save the current Android OS that runs on your phone. This dedicated backup operation can be a real life saver if after completing this guide you discover that you don’t like the new Android 6.0.1 OS. In that situation you can use the Nandroid backup file in order to downgrade your smartphone back to stock, without using another complex update operation.

Of course, since we are talking about backups, you should also save other general data, info and accounts. In fact, saving everything is not really an option as during the CM 13 update process you will have to hard reset your Asus Zenfone 2 Laser and to clear app data cache. Bottom line, without using dedicated backup and restore apps such as cloud storage platforms you can end up in losing essential stuffs like contacts, call logs, texts, images, videos, audio files, market apps, internet settings, calendar info, saved passwords, IMEI / NVRAM data, EFS folder and so on.

Other pre requisites are referring towards more general things like the details mentioned during the following list (make sure you apply everything):

• A computer must be near you because you have to download the files from below.
• Your phone and its USB cord are required too as at some point you will have to connect your computer with your device.
• If while trying to download the files from below you encounter problems, consider in temporarily deactivating the security options from your computer.
• On your smartphone you have to tap several times on Built Number in order to become a developer – just go to “menu – settings – about phone” in order to complete this task.
• Then, access the Developer Options (“menu – settings – developer options”) and check the USB Debugging field.
• Take a look over the battery status on your Zenfone 2 Laser; if somehow the power left is lower than 60%, charge your phone before updating to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS.
• If you skip the step from above, your device can get turned off in the middle of the CM 13 installation process and in that situation software related problems might be issued.
• Make sure you apply all the steps from below only if you own the Laser version of the Zenfone 2 with the model number of Z00T.

How to Install Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow custom ROM on Asus Zenfone 2 Laser

1. From your computer open a web browser client.
2. Then, access this page and download the Marshmallow firmware file.
3. Afterwards, go here and download compatible Google Apps package.
4. For the moment, save the files on your computer – you can store them on your desktop.
5. Next, take the USB cable and establish a connection between your phone and your computer.
6. After doing so, select and transfer the downloaded files on your phone.
7. And when done, remove the USB connection cord.
8. Now you have to power off your Zenfone 2 Laser as recovery mode must be reached – learn how to access recovery on Android.
9. From recovery, first you have to clear everything, so select “wipe data factory reset”, “wipe cache partition” and “wipe dalvik cache”.
10. After doing so, also from recovery select “install zip from SD card” and “choose zip from SD card”.
11. Now, pick the CM 13 file and the Google Apps package.
12. Resume on screen prompts and update your Asus Zenfone 2 Laser to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS.
13. When done, go back to main menu of recovery and select “reboot system now”.

There you go; that was all. Test the new ROM, share your experience with us and also let us know how the update process worked for you by using the comments field from below. Enjoy.