Ported version of Sony's Marshmallow Concept launcher works on all Android 5.1.1 phones

For the past few months, Sony has been experimenting with an Android 6.0 Marshmallow concept. Available in beta form for the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact handsets, Sony's Marshmallow Concept is a near stock Android implementation - with minimal but useful customization on Sony's behalf - that appears to have struck a sensitive cord among beta testers.

Thanks to a couple of willing XDA-Developers, a ported version of Marshmallow Concept launcher is now available for a wide range of Android devices. Intuitively called the "xMarshmallow Concept Launcher" (we have a hunch that X stands for Xperia), the home screen replacement app is now available for any smartphone running Android 5.1.1 or newer.

The launcher works on any non-rooted device, but just in case you're rocking a rooted Android 5.0 (or higher) smartphone, there's a second download option that fixes some of the known bugs, comes with a few bundled themes, and should run smoother overall.

Judging on a limited test-drive of the xMarshmallow Concept Launcher on a Google Nexus 4 running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, we can say that we're looking at a fully fledged launcher with a variety of customization options.

By default, the launcher comes with a MIUI-like homescreen style that replaces the app drawer with a quick search button. Tap this button, and aside from the search function, you'll also be presented with a list of your most-used apps as well as with a list of recommended apps. If you'd rather get a standard Android homescreen that shows the app drawer button centered in the lower part of the home screen, you can flip a toggle in the settings screen.