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CyanogenMod 13, based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, was formally released back in March, but it's only just arriving for some devices, in the form of nightlies. The most notable of these devices are probably the original HTC One and the Wileyfox Spark, plus the Spark X - the Spark's bigger, more powerful brother.
The lads and lasses on the open source CyanogenMod Team continue to bring their Android nightly ROMs to phones and tablets that have long been abandoned by uncaring manufacturers. This week a handful of new devices get builds for CM13, based on code from Android 6.0. All of them are nightlies (so possibly not ready for primetime), but I'll bet their respective users are happy to get the attention anyway. Here they are:
CyanogenMod 13 is the latest version of the popular open source custom ROM. It delivers Android Marshmallow to hundreds of devices, many with no hope of ever receiving an official update. On other hardware, CyanogenMod offers a chance to remove heavy skins and enjoy a mostly stock Android experience. The latest wave of devices receiving version 13 represents both types.
The march of CyanogenMod continues as nightlies hit two Samsung devices. The Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 and the Galaxy Note 8 are receiving CM13 nightlies, with both the WiFi and the LTE variants of the Tab S2 9.7 included.
Waiting on a carrier is not the only way to get the most recent version of Android onto your device. There's the option to flash a custom ROM instead.
Relatively low prices and a wide-open attitude towards user customization make OnePlus phones popular with the ROM crowd. They're getting a big boon today, as official CyanogenMod support comes to the smaller, cheaper OnePlus X. The X is equipped with the custom Oxygen OS, but for those who prefer the community-built ROM, CM13 is now available in nightly build flavor. The first release is up on CyanogenMod's download page right now.
CyanogenMod 13 comes with Android 6.0, and it has been around since the fall. But bringing each device up to date takes time. Many have spent the past few months on 12.1. My Moto G 2015 (the one I showed off last week) is one of those devices.
Custom ROMs used to be associated with speedy updates. That's not necessarily the case anymore. Technically, yes, someone somewhere will probably release an unofficial build with the latest update that you might feel comfortable using if you're very trusting and have nothing to lose if your phone malfunctions. But for those well-tested versions, you generally have to wait a bit longer.
Asus plans to bring Marshmallow to the Asus ZenFone 2 and its variants, but the when is still up in the air. Thanks to the CyanogenMod project, Asus ZenFone 2 Laser and Selfie owners can say the time is now. CM 13 nightly builds have arrived for the two devices, bringing with them Android 6.0.
The Galaxy S II is an iconic device in Samsung's line-up. It had a big role in changing the public's perception of Samsung's brand and establishing it as a major smartphone player. But in our day and age, at a time when the S7 is about to be announced, the S II is getting long, really looooooooong in the tooth. It's a 5-year old device by now and its specs (dual-core 1.2GHz processor and 4.3" 480x800 display) can hardly be found in the lowest of the low-end Android phones. It does have 1GB of RAM and 16/32GB of storage though, which make it a potential candidate ripe for more modern Android ROMs.
The Asus Transformer line used to be a stalwart of Android tablets, and 2013's Transformer Pad TF701T was no slouch. The device had a beautiful 2560×1600 display that still holds up today, and like all previous Transformer devices, it had a detachable keyboard. It was intended as a productivity machine, but like all Android devices, the manufacturer only provided a couple years' worth of updates. The tablet went from Jelly Bean to KitKat, and there it stayed.
When a custom ROM pops up for a device that already has support, it's like watching another politician join an election. You have two options before you, which way do you go? Are you a pragmatist, ideologically driven, or someone who just wants to tinker around?
Time to dust off your old phones. That Droid 4 in the back of your drawer, that Droid Bionic in the shoe box in your garage, and those RAZR and Droid RAZR that you can't even remember hiding or throwing away, they've all gotten a fresh breath of air. If you own of these you've probably scoured XDA's forums for months and found several custom ROMs based on Marshmallow for them, but if you prefer the CyanogenMod flavor in your ROMs then today is the day you can start flashing it.
Some hardware refuses to die. More than 4 years after Barnes & Noble introduced the Nook Tablet and 2.5 years after it closed its Nook manufacturing business, the tablet is still alive and kicking. At least in the hands of the CyanogenMod maintainers.
The HTC One A9 was HTC's first device to ship with Android Marshmallow, but despite a relatively clean version of Sense, there's still reason to want to flash a custom ROM. Maybe you want the genuine stock Android look. Maybe you want to cut down on the number of pre-installed apps. Either way, you now have the option to flash CyanogenMod and keep Android 6.0 thanks to the arrival of CM 13 nightly builds.
CyanogenMod has been breathing fresh and 'mallow-tasting air into the lungs and ROMs of abandoned devices. The Galaxy S III practically returned from the dead after receiving the kiss of the CM 13 nightly, the Nexus 4 that was left behind by Google strapped on its big boy shoes and sprinted to the new version, and now it's the Nexus 10's turn to receive some chest compressions and get resurrected.
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- CyanogenMod 13 nightlies are now also available for the Galaxy S4 (jfltexx), Australian Galaxy S5 (kltekdi), and the Galaxy S5 Duos (klteduos).
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is scheduled to get Marshmallow eventually, but some models only received Android 5.1.1 in October, meaning most customers are in for quite the wait. Even when the changes do arrive, they may ultimately taste quite a bit like TouchWiz, and that's not a flavor everyone likes having on their tongue.
The CyanogenMod Team continues to expand its list of officially-supported devices, and now the LG section of said list is longer by four entries. Yesterday the CM servers started spitting out nightly builds for the LG G3 S, the LG G3 Beat, The LG G2 Mini, and the LG Optimus L70 smartphones. All of them are CyanogenMod 13 (Android 6.0), and they're all available for download and flashing right now. At the time of writing three of them have two nightly builds, while the G2 Mini has only one.
A few years ago, the Samsung Galaxy S III was everywhere. It didn't have the build quality of an iPhone, but the screen was bigger, and Android apps were really coming into their own. The phone began its life running Ice Cream Sandwich, and most variants stopped at Jelly Bean with no hope of ever getting Lollipop.
T-Mobile users with the latest devices (and sometimes with the latest software updates) appreciate the inclusion of Wi-Fi calling for those areas where the network doesn't reach or can't penetrate indoors. Of course, the fact that Wi-Fi calling is available is a good reason to abstain from flashing custom ROMs, even on multi-carrier devices like the latest batch of Nexus phones. Apparently that won't be a problem for much longer, at least if you're a fan of the CyanogenMod ROM.