The Asus ZenFone 9 explores Paranoid Android Topaz

Asus’s ROG Phone 6 was our pick for the best gaming phone of the year in 2022, but the Taiwanese brand is also well recognized for its small yet fast flagship models, such as the ZenFone 8 series, which just got its Android 13 upgrade last month. Early in December, the more modern ZenFone 9 received the update. Owners of the Zenfone 9 may now test out Paranoid Android, a distinct version of Android 13, in addition to the fantastic additions that ZenUI delivers on top-of-stock Android.

This ZenFone 9 Topaz ROM (DaVinci) is still in its alpha stages, but Paranoid developers are quick to provide new releases. Developer Androbots cites no problems with the ROM in an XDA forum post, but users are urged to contact the team if they do. The release also includes the Android security patch for this month, which is a nice touch.

Even though this ROM is said to be compatible, the creator advises against using it on phones that have a custom kernel. Topaz Alpha 1 must be flashed once the bootloader of your Zenfone 9 has been unlocked, which requires a data wipe. The aforementioned forum thread on XDA contains more details for flashing the ROM.

Topaz has been rapidly spreading to many of the top flagship phones thanks to the Paranoid Android team. Stable builds for the OnePlus 5, 5T, 7, 7 Pro, 7T, and 7T Pro were released last week; with a related but unrelated development, the Nothing Phone 1 received Topaz last week. Moreover, realme’s X50 Pro 5G and GT Neo 2 5G have progressed to their second betas within the past 24 hours.

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