Asus have recently released an official tool for unlocking the bootloader of the ZenFone 2, and many users have been showing curiosity in the release and probing around about what it allows them to do. Generally speaking, bootloader unlocking is nothing new in the Android world, although some manufacturers tend to be more restrictive and protective of their hardware, despite the fact that this is usually never accepted well by Android fans.
After all, the whole operating system is based on the premise of openness and ease of access, so limiting users in what they can do is generally seen as a strong negative factor by many fans. And yet, there is a market for everything, and others are definitely happy with the idea of being “protected” by their manufacturers.
And in some other cases, a company would take things one step further and actually release their own tools to help users in flashing their devices. Unlocking the bootloader is the first prerequisite for this, which explains the purpose of the newly released tool by Asus.
The tool does exactly what it says – it provides a simple way for users to unlock the full potential of their ZenFone 2 devices, allowing them to deploy custom ROMs with ease and to explore everything the system has to offer much more easily. This is important to some power users who like to be in full control of their experience, as there are many interesting options available around the ROM scene, a user just needs to take a look around.
What is the purpose of this though, and what kinds of benefits does it bring in the end? This is probably the main question on people’s minds when it cones to trying this out, and the thing is, the benefits are already known to those the tool is aimed at. On the other hand, users who aren’t quite sure how this can improve their experience should probably stay away from the procedure completely.
That’s because it carries various risks that aren’t immediately obvious but can be discovered through a quick Google search. Flashing custom firmware on a mobile phone always has the small risk of bricking the device, rendering it unusable. Sure, the risk is usually small enough to be negligible, especially for users who know what they are doing and follow the instructions carefully, but the less tech savvy among Android fans might find the whole process a bit problematic if they are not careful.
Which is probably why the tool is offered with a catch – it invalidates the warranty of the device. That might not sound like a big deal to some – especially those who are close to seeing theirs expiring – but it’s actually a pretty major factor that should be considered carefully. The warranty of an Android device can often cover software defects and not just hardware issues, which is why it’s a good asset to have handy.
The benefits are numerous – a custom ROM can really improve the experience, especially for those who need a more tightly focused operating system that excels at a particular task. There are various custom Android ROMs that can handle various tasks with a lot better performance than the base operating system, and the community is always hard at work to improve the whole situation and introduce new features missing from the main release.