I have had probably 8-12 Android handsets. I recently switched to an iPhone from my EVO and I hated my iPhone. I wanted to go with something pretty similar to my EVO so I checked out the screen, specs, user reviews, etc. The Droid X sounded great, but since having it, it locks up, freezes, and Lags like a G1. This NOTHING like my EVO and is disappointing to say the least.
I'm really hoping that a custom ROM can speed up the interface and possibly help with the battery life. Any recommendations? I don't want to theme, or skin...no interest in changing the bootlogo, etc... I just want a nice and FAST phone.
I use a lot of apps...I DON'T let any apps refresh automatically though. I also use Launcher Pro. Thanks in advance.
(Please don't tell me to read the sticky. I have. I need some real life experienced reviews....maybe people who have had an EVO or who understand what I want. Thanks)
system6 said:
I have had probably 8-12 Android handsets. I recently switched to an iPhone from my EVO and I hated my iPhone. I wanted to go with something pretty similar to my EVO so I checked out the screen, specs, user reviews, etc. The Droid X sounded great, but since having it, it locks up, freezes, and Lags like a G1. This NOTHING like my EVO and is disappointing to say the least.
I'm really hoping that a custom ROM can speed up the interface and possibly help with the battery life. Any recommendations? I don't want to theme, or skin...no interest in changing the bootlogo, etc... I just want a nice and FAST phone.
I use a lot of apps...I DON'T let any apps refresh automatically though. I also use Launcher Pro. Thanks in advance.
(Please don't tell me to read the sticky. I have. I need some real life experienced reviews....maybe people who have had an EVO or who understand what I want. Thanks)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMFAO, i wrote the sticky, which has instructions on how to root and while I havent had the time to update everything I did cover some ROMs which include what you have asked for, so not quite sure what else you could be looking for.... But if you really want an explanation:
Root the phone using z4root and then try out a ROM like Rubix Focused 2.0.1. Drod2169 built the ROM and I am currently using it. The interface is very quick and responsive. He has added in multiple governor settings for overclock which include a conservative governor to allow for better battery life. You can use apps like Droid Overclock (jrummy16) and setCPU to change these governor settings as well. Rubix does very well when overclocked if that is something you are interested in.
If you are looking for a ROM that still has some Blur components in it, then try out Apex 1.4.1 or Rubix 2.0 Blurry. Both are very responsive and have some of the blur that certain people out there are looking for. Last but not least, it seems a great majority of people like Liberty 1.5. I used the ROM for quite some time, and it is very responsive, but a lot of people seem to have issues with lag or reboots. I never had this issue, so I can't quite speak to that issue...
ROM's are really more of a matter of personal choice. Try out a few and see what you like.
As far as a comparison to the EVO... my roommate has one, and 2 of my other best friends have one. I have done MULTIPLE benchmarking tools on their phones to compare against my X (on multiple ROMs). None of their tests have beat mine... In my opinion, the only differences between the EVO and the X is this:
1) Evo has unlocked Bootloader to allow custom kernels so you can run ROMS like CynanogenMod (but given time, CVPCS is compiling CM for the X)
2) Evo has front facing camera for those who can't wait to talk to people via a webcam.
3) Evo has a slightly quicker GPU (graphics processing unit) than the X, but winds up limited to 30FPS for the most part. Some of the benchmarks I have seen on the X jump it up to 62FPS on tests I have run.
4) Evo runs sense from HTC. If you want a "Sense" feel... some have made themes that look just like Sense....but you said you don't want a theme.
That's about it...
SysAdmin-X said:
LMFAO, i wrote the sticky, which has instructions on how to root and while I havent had the time to update everything I did cover some ROMs which include what you have asked for, so not quite sure what else you could be looking for.... But if you really want an explanation:
Root the phone using z4root and then try out a ROM like Rubix Focused 2.0.1. Drod2169 built the ROM and I am currently using it. The interface is very quick and responsive. He has added in multiple governor settings for overclock which include a conservative governor to allow for better battery life. You can use apps like Droid Overclock (jrummy16) and setCPU to change these governor settings as well. Rubix does very well when overclocked if that is something you are interested in.
If you are looking for a ROM that still has some Blur components in it, then try out Apex 1.4.1 or Rubix 2.0 Blurry. Both are very responsive and have some of the blur that certain people out there are looking for. Last but not least, it seems a great majority of people like Liberty 1.5. I used the ROM for quite some time, and it is very responsive, but a lot of people seem to have issues with lag or reboots. I never had this issue, so I can't quite speak to that issue...
ROM's are really more of a matter of personal choice. Try out a few and see what you like.
As far as a comparison to the EVO... my roommate has one, and 2 of my other best friends have one. I have done MULTIPLE benchmarking tools on their phones to compare against my X (on multiple ROMs). None of their tests have beat mine... In my opinion, the only differences between the EVO and the X is this:
1) Evo has unlocked Bootloader to allow custom kernels so you can run ROMS like CynanogenMod (but given time, CVPCS is compiling CM for the X)
2) Evo has front facing camera for those who can't wait to talk to people via a webcam.
3) Evo has a slightly quicker GPU (graphics processing unit) than the X, but winds up limited to 30FPS for the most part. Some of the benchmarks I have seen on the X jump it up to 62FPS on tests I have run.
4) Evo runs sense from HTC. If you want a "Sense" feel... some have made themes that look just like Sense....but you said you don't want a theme.
That's about it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sticky is EPIC...honestly, it's just data and info. I guess I am looking more for opinions. Thank you for the insight.
I had an EVO and that thing had not once, ever, locked up or froze. 2nd day on my Droid X after a hard reset and it is SO laggy.
Unlock screen even lags to get to home. IDK.... I def don't want the "blurware", but the benchmarks on this phone are impressive. It's response and use have not been, in my opinion.
My wife has the Samsung Vibrant and the specs are amazing for that phone too, but NEVER have I seen a phone lock up and freeze so much. She gave her old G1 to my mom and it's like they run at about the same speed.
I'm real tech savy, a huge phone nerd, etc....I just really didn't like my iPhone. I use Apple products for everything else as I am an audio engineer by profession, but the iPhone was SO limited. I had to hack the crap out of it to get basic things that are available on freebie candybar phones.
One thing I have noticed is that it seems to build my photo cache REALLY slow. Now... I have 14 GBs of photo/video on their, but everytime I open a gallery it takes forever to load. It is getting better about this, slowly but surely....do you think my unit is defective, I am expecting too much, or the more I play with it and let it buld a good cache, etc, it will run better?
Thanks for responding, and THANK YOU for the sticky... If I decide to root that thing will be a lifesaver!
system6 said:
The sticky is EPIC...honestly, it's just data and info. I guess I am looking more for opinions. Thank you for the insight.
I had an EVO and that thing had not once, ever, locked up or froze. 2nd day on my Droid X after a hard reset and it is SO laggy.
Unlock screen even lags to get to home. IDK.... I def don't want the "blurware", but the benchmarks on this phone are impressive. It's response and use have not been, in my opinion.
My wife has the Samsung Vibrant and the specs are amazing for that phone too, but NEVER have I seen a phone lock up and freeze so much. She gave her old G1 to my mom and it's like they run at about the same speed.
I'm real tech savy, a huge phone nerd, etc....I just really didn't like my iPhone. I use Apple products for everything else as I am an audio engineer by profession, but the iPhone was SO limited. I had to hack the crap out of it to get basic things that are available on freebie candybar phones.
One thing I have noticed is that it seems to build my photo cache REALLY slow. Now... I have 14 GBs of photo/video on their, but everytime I open a gallery it takes forever to load. It is getting better about this, slowly but surely....do you think my unit is defective, I am expecting too much, or the more I play with it and let it buld a good cache, etc, it will run better?
Thanks for responding, and THANK YOU for the sticky... If I decide to root that thing will be a lifesaver!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the type of sdcard you have also makes a difference. If you have a new class 6 card instead of what the phone comes with (I think it is like class 2 or 3) then the read/write speed should be a lot better. I have been using the latest Rubix ROM for about 2 weeks now, and I don't experience any lag or reboots/freezing. I really like this ROM, and actually talk to Drod2169 (the developer) a decent amount. I would take a look at Rubix or Fission 2.5.7 as these are both blur-free ROM's.
I am also a huge tech nerd/geek. I have tweaked the crap out of my X. I have probably tried every ROM/theme there is for this thing, and right now I'm sitting solid on Rubix. I also used Darkslide 4.2 Blurless for a while. It is a ROM built by BBCrackman and some others over at mydroidworld. I would suggest trying Darkslide out. It is pre-themed by the makers of the ROM but I think it has been the most reliable and snappy ROM I have used besides Rubix 2.0.
If you have questions, shoot them at me in here, or hit me up on gchat.
[email protected] More than happy to help out where I can.
SysAdmin-X said:
I think the type of sdcard you have also makes a difference. If you have a new class 6 card instead of what the phone comes with (I think it is like class 2 or 3) then the read/write speed should be a lot better. I have been using the latest Rubix ROM for about 2 weeks now, and I don't experience any lag or reboots/freezing. I really like this ROM, and actually talk to Drod2169 (the developer) a decent amount. I would take a look at Rubix or Fission 2.5.7 as these are both blur-free ROM's.
I am also a huge tech nerd/geek. I have tweaked the crap out of my X. I have probably tried every ROM/theme there is for this thing, and right now I'm sitting solid on Rubix. I also used Darkslide 4.2 Blurless for a while. It is a ROM built by BBCrackman and some others over at mydroidworld. I would suggest trying Darkslide out. It is pre-themed by the makers of the ROM but I think it has been the most reliable and snappy ROM I have used besides Rubix 2.0.
If you have questions, shoot them at me in here, or hit me up on gchat.
[email protected] More than happy to help out where I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a million for the cool info and not just a "NOOB RTFM!" response!
I will check out both!
Just wondering whether any Vibrant users have also gotten a Sensation. I picked the Sensation up last week for my wife and have been very disappointed when I compare it to my Vibrant running Bionix v1.2 (non touch wiz). Maybe it is Sense 3.0, but the phone just does not seem to be nearly as functional as my Vibrant. With Bionix, almost all steps are obvious and intuitive....with Sense very little is intuitive as things that should take one step take two or more. All this coupled with the fact that the Sensation's damn font size is microscopic makes for a frustrating experience. Was originally hoping to get the SGSII, but T-Mobile killed that option!
Should I keep the phone, hoping it can be unlocked, and install a better Rom, or punt for another more stock device.
Thoughts
i'm experiencing the opposite. i find sense 3.0 to have incorporated many of the capabilities only found in custom roms. when i first got the sensation i hated sense but after using it for a while it's grown on me. as far as whether or not to keep it that's up to you however i would wait for the boot loader unlock to decide. sense 3.0 is still very young and buggy but once custom roms become a reality i believe that will change.
Ozam said:
Just wondering whether any Vibrant users have also gotten a Sensation. I picked the Sensation up last week for my wife and have been very disappointed when I compare it to my Vibrant running Bionix v1.2 (non touch wiz). Maybe it is Sense 3.0, but the phone just does not seem to be nearly as functional as my Vibrant. With Bionix, almost all steps are obvious and intuitive....with Sense very little is intuitive as things that should take one step take two or more. All this coupled with the fact that the Sensation's damn font size is microscopic makes for a frustrating experience. Was originally hoping to get the SGSII, but T-Mobile killed that option!
Should I keep the phone, hoping it can be unlocked, and install a better Rom, or punt for another more stock device.
Thoughts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just sent mine back today. Main reasons:
1. First & foremost: I agree with you, the font on numerous apps is way too small (Weather.com/solitaire, as examples). Whether the phone is or someday has the potential to be the smoothest, most kick-ass thing on the planet or not, if I can't see what I'm reading it's useless.
2. The buttons (power and volume) are way too hard to push. Having to essentially use 2 hands to turn it on is way too much work multiplied by the life of the phone.
3. Maybe root/maybe not. I'm seriously addicted , not knowing if it will ever be root-able made me have to return it before the 14 days.
4. With what I'm running now (sig.), it's way faster/smoother than stock Sense, and, going back to point #3 above, I thought TW was a RAM hog, Sense is ridiculous. After about 3 minutes after a reboot, my See PU RAM meter turns yellow & stays that way. Unacceptable...
5. "Only" 768 MB's or RAM, on this phone? Nowhere near enough, the way Sense eats it.
6. Too many nitzy little bugs & annoyances. If you've had one, you know what I mean (Sense "reloading"/screen lagging/low volume in calls). You know how you just don't "feel it"? That's my Sensation experience. Anybody else???
My month with a factory unlocked Galaxy S2
Bought this in mint condition from a friend for about half price with only 1 hour of use, an unwanted upgrade. Came with 2.3.4 as expected, so hooked up to Kies; no update at the time. As is my wont, I used the phone for a few days to get to grips with TouchWiz (TW) and the phone generally. All quite reasonable, no stability issues and TW is not bad by any means.
My thoughts and trials so far then:
Hardware
Well made, light and thin. Slippery, so a black rubbery skin bought and fitted and I popped a spare 8GB microSD card in, not that the phone needs it for my purposes.
Only criticism is the OLED screen, I'm used to higher resolution (Moto and Sony) and 800x480 looks rather "cheapo" in terms of detail on a screen this large, but no deal breaker. What I do find somewhat at odds with the price of the phone is the slight but noticeable shading and colour tints across the screen at low brightness levels and on some backgrounds. Plus, the screen's legibility outside on a bright day is no better than more run of the mill LCD screens. (I mean cheaper!)
My first GB update
I generally root phones straight after flashing a new firmware version, if it isn't already. I had already successfully rooted the original stock 2.3.4 firmware with Zergrush 4 and debloated that ROM.
I was keen to try a later GB version before trying ICS, and I found 2.3.6 for "Open Europe" on Sammobile and downloaded it. I had already tried Kies, so the USB drivers were present and working. I uninstalled Kies on the PC but left the USB drivers alone. Kies and Odin are not good bedfellows. I did a full factory reset on the phone and erased everything, allowed it to reboot and then powered off, got in to download mode and flashed XXKL1 (which is an engineering version and deodexed it seems). Rooted it via Zergrush 4, deleted known bloat and renamed possible bloat to xxx.bak to clean the ROM for my own usage, and deleted that very annoying start-up sound. Downloaded all the apps I normally use (about 22 of them), including the excellent CPU Spy to check for deep sleep.
I used/charged the phone over the next couple of days to let the OS bed in. No problems encountered at all, and a very pleasing battery life of 30+ hours of light use, with syncing and GPS, 3G, WiFi always on and occasional BT. Magic! Only thing I did is change the Modem to LPR - the KI3 Modem that came with the ROM is not quite as good at holding weak signals. Only just though...
My first ICS update
So, good phone, stable and very usable ROM in 2.3.6. Time had come to try this new ICS thing. Downloaded the LPQ version and installed it, after a full wipe, via Odin. Not impressed by all the automatic installation rubbish at first boot... Rooted via a hot boot CWM and SU/Busybox successfully and did all the same debloating and app installation as GB 2.3.6. Spent some time getting orientated and used to the new menus and so on.
Over the next day or so, I let the ROM settle and began using the ROM - I changed the Modem to LPR as LPQ was not as good, perception wise. ROM was stable and usable, didn't really look or feel much different from 2.3.6 and was worse on battery - I would say 18 hours at best with the same usage pattern.
Absolutely hate the new Exchange thing for live.com email.... real pain usability wise and battery unfriendly.
My second ICS update
So, not overly impressed with LPQ, although it was usable, I decided to try LP7, the UK generic one. Went through the same process as above, and again swapped the Modem from LPS (awful!) to LPR.
No obvious differences at all. Battery life was as poor, but it was usable.
My first CM trial - CM9
So, somewhat disillusioned by Samsung's ICS implementation, I decide to look around for another "mature" ROM. CM9 fitted the bill (I have used CM6 before on another phone) and was smack bang up to date in terms of kernel, AOSP and G Apps. After my usual clean deck start, installed fine, 23/04 build.
At first, I was quite impressed as I could configure more and to my liking. The ROM was stable and I set the phone up with the usual Apps and deleted some useless stuff (like GenieWidget).
Swapped Modem out to LPR - bit of a theme going on here...
I liked the fact that the Spirit FM radio worked (so bought the Pro version as it is that good). The ROM is very usable and never got bogged down, BUT, for reasons I never fully determined, the battery life would start OK and then decline faster during the day. I never saw more than 12 hours life, again using as per my normal pattern and after a few days to settle. There appeared to be various background activities going on that were preventing deep sleep sometimes, but BBS was not really showing me what. Note that I only use BBS as a last resort as it can increase battery use...
No other real problems, but the soft key backlights wouldn't play with NoLED and were somewhat counter-intuitive. A bit trivial, but a mess.
My second CM trial - CM7
I like GB, it is mature and well understood, so CM7 RC 2 was therefore of some appeal. It had been developed over months and must therefore be fairly sorted. Surely.
Installed without issue on a cleaned platform as usual, including G Apps. Did the usual debloat and installed the usual Apps from the Market/Play, and some that were missing, like GMail. LPR modem was already there, Hooray! Spent rather longer fiddling with the settings in CM7 than CM9 since they were less obvious at first, to me anyway.
Switched off and put the phone on wall charge overnight and was rather shocked to find the phone was noticeably warm and displaying "Kernel Panic" in the morning. The phone had only charged by about 5% in total (to 64%). Worry Worry. I put the phone on USB charge until 100% without incident.
Started to use the phone as normal, the phone UI and operation was very good, fluid even. But, first problem I had was in the car. I paired BT fine, as usual, and made a phone call. After the call, I couldn't end the call on the car or phone - it had locked up. Oh dear.
Later, I tried the FM Radio during my daily walk - doesn't work, so why is it there? I tried Spirit FM - no way would it work. Oh dear.
The following day, I noticed that the battery life was amazing! I had never seen this phone sip juice like this. Deep sleep was always easily achieved. That was until the afternoon. I noticed that the battery level was declining at a much higher rate than earlier. I hadn't done anything different, so BBS was called in again. Nothing obvious shown but I kept seeing the GPS icon winking at me from the Notification bar, and continually. I always keep GPS on, but for some reason on this ROM, no GPS signal meant the ROM just kept trying. I played with various settings like Location etc. and managed to stop this odd behaviour, but this was too silly. I use a Smartphone for all the smart features. This wasn't very smart at all.
CM7 was my biggest disappointment of all the above ROM trials. It was the lightest and most promising, and yet the least reliable or functional. Which is a huge shame...
Today...
I'm now back on KL1 2.3.6, and it just works fine - day after day.
The future for me?
I would really like to use CM9 (or CM7 for that matter). They represent a number of ideals for me, including the open nature of development, the collaboration, a pioneering spirit and giving users a choice and a superb base to build on. I am no developer - I can split and modify kernels to a point, I can rehash ROMs with or without adb, I can amend frameworks. But little more.
Reserved for "tips and hints"
Avoiding problems
Always data reset and wipe before doing anything major from one ROM to another, or follow the installation guide for any specific differences in approach.
Avoid Titanium Backup like the plague - it invariably leads to functional issues later if you cross flash. Use Google and/or airdroid for everything, it all just works. So many friends and other forums I contribute to have had too many backup issues to count. Go clean. Forget about Google paranoia.
ES File Explorer is very useful and recommended.
Don't bother "calibrating" the battery - it's an outdated practice and useless. Just use the phone normally, and anyone who claims the battery life is "great" 1 hour after flashing a newly announced ROM is a fool. Likewise NEVER fully discharge a Li-Ion battery. Just keep topping it up. See here: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_charge_when_to_charge_table
Thoughts
Newer ROMs are rarely better ROMs. Better means different things to different folk of course.
ICS ROM core LPQ to LP8 are largely all the same, just variants of the same thing for different markets. Some users believe they perform differently.
Custom kernels and ROMs are always work in progress and should be treated as such. Check out the number of revisions. Some kernel cookers are (welcome) enthusiastic amateurs that assume more is better and cram "fixes" in that the professional salaried software engineers have mysteriously missed. If you only need your stock kernel to be insecure, learn how to make it so. You are running Linux on your box, right?
Deodexing is not a means to improve performance, on the contrary.
Undervolting is a mythical beast
I bought a phone with an FM radio because I want to use it!
And I totally agree. to all of it. Tried all iterations of almost all roms available. For some reason keep going to my VR 3.0 nandroid back up.
Except CM9, I don't really think there is any real development going on. Most are just cooked up roms OR stuff taken from the CM9 tree and implemented OR so called fixes that have actually broken something else OR just debloated rooted official firmware (that AFAIK is pretty easy to do with the fantastic dsixda's kitchen or on a rooted rom).
Now fanboy's may flame as much as they wish to, but seriously a stable CM9 (hopefully..!) or a VR 4.0 is all I am willing to wait for.
Till such time VR 3.0 it is.
LenAsh said:
Reserved for "tips and hints"
Newer ROMs are rarely better ROMs. Better means different things to different folk of course.
ICS ROM core LPQ to LP8 are largely all the same, just variants of the same thing for different markets. Some users believe they perform differently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't agree with your final thought. Different ics rooms have really different feels. E.g. Look at scrolling from lpq to lp7.....and there are numerous others as well. If u want more specific thoughts and feedback, just browse through different ics threads in this section..
omeryounos said:
I don't agree with your final thought. Different ics rooms have really different feels. E.g. Look at scrolling from lpq to lp7.....and there are numerous others as well. If u want more specific thoughts and feedback, just browse through different ics threads in this section..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... I have browsed through the sections, and tried various "revisions" or versions of Samsung ICS today while jotting this lot down, and my view, honestly, is there is no real difference. That isn't to say there isn't, I just can't see or feel it. I do accept that playing with 3 ROMs in a few hours is less than ideal. And a drag!
I suppose if someone could deconstruct the ROMs properly and thoroughly...
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts, appreciated.
Very nice review! +1
Keep up the good work
I broadly agree with the OP.
ICS/AOSP/AOKP/CM9 have improved over the last few weeks, but I'm back on GB, and will probably stay with it until I get the SGS3.
May be subjective, but for me the GB stock browser, camera and dialler are streets ahead of what the rest can offer. Scrolling is smoother too. And I like/need a radio.
B3311 said:
I broadly agree with the OP.
ICS/AOSP/AOKP/CM9 have improved over the last few weeks, but I'm back on GB, and will probably stay with it until I get the SGS3.
May be subjective, but for me the GB stock browser, camera and dialler are streets ahead of what the rest can offer. Scrolling is smoother too. And I like/need a radio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems like you and the OP only tried the AOSP/AOKP roms? Give the roms based on the latest official a try.
The dialer is still as good as always (unchanged), camera is actually improved with higher bitrate recording and the ics stock browser...is untouchable at the moment in my opinion. (Granted I use "ICS Browser+" from the market which uses the best ui in a browser I've encountered)
I currently use Dynamic's ICS rom and it would be extremely difficult for me to go back to GB at this point.
Sigurd02 said:
Seems like you and the OP only tried the AOSP/AOKP roms? Give the roms based on the latest official a try.
The dialer is still as good as always (unchanged), camera is actually improved with higher bitrate recording and the ics stock browser...is untouchable at the moment in my opinion. (Granted I use "ICS Browser+" from the market which uses the best ui in a browser I've encountered)
I currently use Dynamic's ICS rom and it would be extremely difficult for me to go back to GB at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I agree that in terms of loading websites, ics default browser is a little bit faster, scrolling and pinch and zooming is much smoother with stock gb browser. Also the dialer is worse on ics as it has removed the contacts section which means I have to put both the dialer and contacts shortcut on the dock.
I'm using Wanamlite v11.1, Siyahkernel v3.1, and Apex Launcher.
A winning combination in my opinion, that is now at least as good as the best GB ROMs in terms of battery life. 7 hours standby with 30 minutes screen time and i'm still on 87%.
In terms of fluidity and performance I think ICS /w Apex beats GB handsdown.
Thanks for the recommendation, but I avoid ROM mix ups, I can do that myself. The ones I have looked at have had some very dubious scripts and additions. I usually look at build.prop first, and generally find all sorts of hybrid attempts at adding stuff that is completely wrong. Lines taken from websites, other phones and so on.
LenAsh said:
Thanks for the recommendation, but I avoid ROM mix ups, I can do that myself. The ones I have looked at have had some very dubious scripts and additions. I usually look at build.prop first, and generally find all sorts of hybrid attempts at adding stuff that is completely wrong. Lines taken from websites, other phones and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends, it was like you say in Gingerbread days, not with ICS WanamLite nor Dynamic, only tried these + CM9
I am using Dynamic 1.4 LP9, it is as smooth and fast as CM9, but everything working because it is Samsung based
I tried the included NEAK and Speedmod kernels, similar performance and very good battery life, only 3% drain overnight, I dont play with processor tweaking
Sigurd02 said:
Seems like you and the OP only tried the AOSP/AOKP roms? Give the roms based on the latest official a try.
The dialer is still as good as always (unchanged), camera is actually improved with higher bitrate recording and the ics stock browser...is untouchable at the moment in my opinion. (Granted I use "ICS Browser+" from the market which uses the best ui in a browser I've encountered)
I currently use Dynamic's ICS rom and it would be extremely difficult for me to go back to GB at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dialer is laggy if you compare it with GB. CM9 variants have slightly more response dialers but overall, GB dialer is way more responsive. There is a small but noticeable lag when pressing a key and the time it takes to register on ICS (CM9 & stock).
Camera recording with stereo voice recording...! Seriously how many people do shoot video with a phone's camera? For facebook uploads mono audio is just fine..
Browser is a definitive improvement yes, and the desktop mode is welcome but browser mods have been available on GB since long.
It is not that ICS is bad. It is actually very good, but the way it has been implemented on S2 is downright ridiculous...! And not one stable vanilla build isn't really helping..
kranti2064 said:
For some reason keep going to my VR 3.0 nandroid back up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is something I have been contemplating for quite some time now, quite possibly the last month. The only real thing stopping me is that for some reason alot of games (eg dead space and modern combat 3) don't seem to like it when i change roms, and even though all the ingame data is there, sometimes it decides I have to re-download.
I do miss it alot though.. and also red pill kernel
I might end up doing a backup of current my CM9 and take the plunge sometime soon. I've been using CM9 since around feb and lately I think my interest has plateaued and now I'm just beginning to get frustrated with little lags that are popping up more frequently (probably due for a wipe mind you!). The only thing about villiam rom is the bloody touch wiz launcher.. I just don't like messing with the launcher roms were made for either.
kranti2064 said:
Camera recording with stereo voice recording...! Seriously how many people do shoot video with a phone's camera? For facebook uploads mono audio is just fine..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mass lols to be had at the fact that a majority of the time they would be played on the device through the mono loudspeaker too
I also go back for GB..becoz i feel that ics so laggy at dialer,and PES2012 freeze and cant play on ics..but in GB all working great..
Daripada galaxy s2 non-G
melorib said:
Depends, it was like you say in Gingerbread days, not with ICS WanamLite nor Dynamic, only tried these + CM9
I am using Dynamic 1.4 LP9, it is as smooth and fast as CM9, but everything working because it is Samsung based
I tried the included NEAK and Speedmod kernels, similar performance and very good battery life, only 3% drain overnight, I dont play with processor tweaking
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kranti2064 said:
And I totally agree. to all of it. Tried all iterations of almost all roms available. For some reason keep going to my VR 3.0 nandroid back up.
Except CM9, I don't really think there is any real development going on. Most are just cooked up roms OR stuff taken from the CM9 tree and implemented OR so called fixes that have actually broken something else OR just debloated rooted official firmware (that AFAIK is pretty easy to do with the fantastic dsixda's kitchen or on a rooted rom).
Now fanboy's may flame as much as they wish to, but seriously a stable CM9 (hopefully..!) or a VR 4.0 is all I am willing to wait for.
Till such time VR 3.0 it is.
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Currently trying ninphetamine kernel (as per VR3 - thanks for the heads up) on my fave stock KL1 more for interest than anything. Seems OK, no obvious difference from stock running as is apart from it being insecure, need a couple of days to evaluate in real life use.
Bloody good post. I've been using CM9 since the video recording bug was solved, and thats probably the longest I've used any ROM on the SGS2, I really like AOSP but the problem is it does still have quite a few bugs, and isn't quite as fast or as battery friendly as I remember the likes of Hyperdroid v6 being.
This makes me tempted to go back to GB. For me, it is still the ultimate for a daily driver. But I'm lazy so I'll probably stick with CM9.
kranti2064 said:
Dialer is laggy if you compare it with GB. CM9 variants have slightly more response dialers but overall, GB dialer is way more responsive. There is a small but noticeable lag when pressing a key and the time it takes to register on ICS (CM9 & stock).
Camera recording with stereo voice recording...! Seriously how many people do shoot video with a phone's camera? For facebook uploads mono audio is just fine..
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ICS dialer laggy , doesn't happen to me on stock LP9 or Dynamic based on LP9 and CM9 is as smooth as they come. Whilst mono audio is fine for you I quite like having stereo audio. Choice, not limitations my friend
tameracingdriver said:
Bloody good post. I've been using CM9 since the video recording bug was solved, and thats probably the longest I've used any ROM on the SGS2, I really like AOSP but the problem is it does still have quite a few bugs, and isn't quite as fast or as battery friendly as I remember the likes of Hyperdroid v6 being.
This makes me tempted to go back to GB. For me, it is still the ultimate for a daily driver. But I'm lazy so I'll probably stick with CM9.
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Cheers for that - I would definitely recommend the 2.3.6 KL1 off Sammobile if you want a solid GB.
Dude, if you have not tried CheckRom RevoHD V6, then you have not tried the BEST gingerbread rom for sgs2.
This is why I can not use ICS (yet). Checkrom is just too perfect of a Rom.
Try it, tweak it to your liking, use it for a week or 3 then try and go back to stock.
CheckRom XDA thread
Should I sell the lg g2 and get mi4C which is currently on discount for 173$.
I think it is a better phone and I also like miui a lot. I like the g2, but it is only 9 months old from the date I bought it and I know that a lot of people have yellow spots on the sreen after 1 year use.
I don't know if I should change with the mi4c. I like the g2. I am currently on cr droid android m and it is very fast.
rdlegy said:
Should I sell the lg g2 and get mi4C which is currently on discount for 173$.
I think it is a better phone and I also like miui a lot. I like the g2, but it is only 9 months old from the date I bought it and I know that a lot of people have yellow spots on the sreen after 1 year use.
I don't know if I should change with the mi4c. I like the g2. I am currently on cr droid android m and it is very fast.
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Why are you thinking of that ? It is still a good phone . Development is still in motion .
Because the mi4 is a newer and better device with software that I like better
The sore point of the G2 is the slow, buggy stock ROM. One way to work around it is to install an AOSP based ROM, but you lose the stock camera and the ability to run certain banking and video streaming apps (because they seem to check for AOSP ROMs). The second options is perhaps to get a stripped down G2 lollipop ROM (only for d800). But if neither of these works out, I'd say sell it and get something else.
Akopps said:
The sore point of the G2 is the slow, buggy stock ROM. One way to work around it is to install an AOSP based ROM, but you lose the stock camera and the ability to run certain banking and video streaming apps (because they seem to check for AOSP ROMs). The second options is perhaps to get a stripped down G2 lollipop ROM (only for d800). But if neither of these works out, I'd say sell it and get something else.
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I have no idea what you're talking about. Most(/all) aosp roms are garbage - laggy, lower raw performance, no camera, poor stability, etc. They're experimental roms for enthusiasts to test, not like stock roms that are fast and stable which are meant to be used everyday. For some reason people delude themselves into thinking aosp is somehow better...
Op, if you like miui and want to spend the extra $ for the mi4c, then you should do it. It seems to be a much better phone.
stan54 said:
I have no idea what you're talking about. Most(/all) aosp roms are garbage - laggy, lower raw performance, no camera, poor stability, etc. They're experimental roms for enthusiasts to test, not like stock roms that are fast and stable which are meant to be used everyday. For some reason people delude themselves into thinking aosp is somehow better...
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I highly disagree with this post. I am not speaking for "most" AOSP ROMs. Just look at the well established ones: Cyanogenmod, BlissPOP, etc (I honestly think this is it, as far as good AOSP ROMS go). I had pretty much zero issues with Cyanogenmod ROMs on devices I have used them on. Of course, if you run the bleeding edge CM13 will have more bugs than the more stable and well established CM12.1. Right now I am running the last LG2-compatible official OmniROM, which is based on KitKat, on my G2 and this ROM was basically a revelation. It's incredibly, blazingly fast. So fast, that I think if I took away two cores and halved the clock speed of the remaining cores, there would still be no difference in speed or responsiveness, and it still would run fast. The stock 5.0.2 ROM on the other hand, seriously feels like its running on its last legs, specially if you multitask a lot. The lag can be real and very noticeable.
As for the camera, the advantages of the stock LG camera are highly exaggerated. It can take forever to focus, and often fails to focus, specially shooting videos. I downloaded every free camera app I could find on the play store onto the OmniROM install, and pretty much everyone of them is more than passable. Right now I am using Google camera, but HD Camera seems pretty satisfactory too (sans the ads in the free version). Overall, I'd say the LG camera is better, but it's not that much significantly better or more important to prevent me from using other ROMs.
I used reconstruction remix, blisspop, vanir and currently using cr droid android M. Even with android M I have no issues. Have been using it for about a month. Had one crash or two on one app. That is all. I really like it and it is very fast.
I like everything about this phone expect that you can't put tempered glass screen protector, because it doesn't fit good.
The mi4C is on a really good price atm for 170$. I like miui, new features, usb - c, sunlight display, better SOC, tempered glass will stick good, new device(Released 2015 September). The g2 is almost 3 years old. That is the thing that makes me wanna sell it. It is just old and I might get a yellow spot on the screen, because a lot of people have one.
The mi4C is really a better phone, but I am still not sure if I should do it, because I still like the g2, but on the other hand the mi4c is on a really good deal atm