Database Users

Launcher choices

What's everyone using and why? I ran launcher pro free before I rooted long ago. After that I switched to adw ex, I love adw! The options for screen transitions are awesome, seems to be very fast and light. Recently ive been trying aosp launcher, which I just can't seem to fall in love with, doesn't seem like there is any options for customization, mainly for the dock, as I don't like having the browser on my dock. What other options are there? I don't really remember what launcher pro was like, thinking about buying it to try it out. Whose still using touch wiz?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

I'm using Launcher Pro, I was using touch wiz untill I discovered that you could change the dock with LP... that's what sold me really. Cosmetics lol. Another feature I like is being able to hide apps in the listing.. it's nice if your using the bloated froyo, like I am at the moment, and don't want to go through and uninstall everything.

I was loving adw ex as well ... then launcher pro added the screen transitions in its last release. I REALLY like the Widgets it comes with . And you can download a modded version on xda that changes the look of them making them much more attractive.
I still have adw ex installed. But probably won't go back unless it adds something new. I just find launcher pro to be smoother. And being able to make your own dock really makes it your own.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

I'm still rocking the TouchWiz. I've tried out several of the others, but I just can't stand the vertically scrolling list (it makes it much harder to find anything IMO). I just hugely prefer the horizontal pages (a la iOS). The homescreens themselves I really don't have much of a preference about, they're all fairly similar in how I use them (basically just the Google News & Weather widget at the top, Android 2.3 music player control under that, then browser/gmail/camera/battery widget under that, and FB + LED Torch widget on the bottom right (with 2 empty spots). I switch around applications too frequently to really be able to have a list of apps that I use a lot that wouldn't really end up being most of my apps.

Every time I try something else out, I keep coming back to LauncherPro Plus -- in no small part due to the absolutely awesome widgets.
ADW used to run a little quicker than LP, but ADW seems to have gotten slower over time as more features were added. ADW EX was supposed to be a big improvement, but I don't think it actually is (and it's more confusing to use).
At this point, the only thing ADW (both regular and EX) has that LP doesn't is the TouchWiz homescreen re-sorting interface. That doesn't bother me at all, though, as once my homescreens are set up they stay that way.
And, the LP developer is working on a complete, from-scratch re-coding (all the current launchers are based on Google's launcher code with modifications and stuff added on, so there's only so much they can do to them) that's supposed to be dramatically speedier and more flexible... so I don't see myself switching to ADW or any other launcher in the near future.

Launcher Pro <3
I bought the plus version but mostly as a way to support the developer. I don't even bother unlocking it half the time
ADW is nice, too, I just prefer LP. Either is worlds better than TWiz. The latest version of LP adds several transition options, and a major rewrite of the whole thing based on newer code is in the works (at least that's my understanding)

Launcher Pro is my favorite so far. I tried ADW but like being able to side scroll and have transparent shortcuts on my homescreen. The only thing I dont like is that I'm not able access ALL widgets on my phone. I kinda liked the buddies now rolodex. Maybe its user error on my part. Does anyone know about accessing all widgets with LP?

I think I answered my own question about other widgets, in the launcherpro forums is says that some of those TWiz widgets do not and will not work, guess I need to get the donate version. Why not, I love the app.

LP, but people on DL30 might want to try out TouchwizGTG, a modded replacement for Samsung stock. It should let you use all the TW widgets.

I bought launcher pro plus, I like it alright, id be in love if I could do transparent drawer
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

And if I could make a swype down gesture open the notification panel
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

I'm on Launcher Pro with DL30. Running it for a few days and like it over touchwiz. Before updating to Froyo I was using Go Launcher on DL09 and that one was decent too.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

Go Launcher
Try Go Launcher
I found out about this a little while ago and Its awesome. Its like a little of everything with the best parts of everything.

I tried Go Launcher briefly, but went back to Launcher Pro. Why? Well, the ADW-like features made it tempting, but I immediately missed the widgets. I found some third party ones that are essentially a ripoff of the Launcher Pro ones, but they clearly inferior. Also, screen transitions were much rougher, and its method for adding app icons to homescreens is not very user friendly. There were pluses as well, but overall, Launcher Pro feels much more polished, so I'm sticking with it. I have not tried ADW Ex yet, and it looks enticing, but I'm back to no LP widgets again. I'm content to keep using LP, knowing that a major rewrite is on the way with lots of new features.
Posted from my DL09 SuperClean Fascinate with Voodoo

Launcher Pro Plus calendar widget... done
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

The calender widget is awesome, screen transitions seem smoother as well. Can't wait for a transparent drawer, and maybe some more transitions.

I like having just one home screen, and a simple app drawer, that way it's easy to find everything. So for me it's Launcher Pro.

Venting: Why is the homescreen so laggy?

This seems to be such a common problem for android phones and tablets. Even with deodexed, slimmed, optimized roms and overclocked kernels, it just boggles my mind that the homescreen is the slowest part of the android experience. Other apps scroll smoothly and are responsive, but the homescreen is jerky and slow.
Try this: Long click an icon and drag it around the screen. The thing can't follow even a moderately fast-moving finger. And that's just a simple icon moving on a 2d plane. But then, I can run a playstation emulator in 3d without problems.
The same thing has been true on my G1, SGS, Droid Charge, GTab 10.1, and Moto Droid 1.
Am I missing something?

i dunno mayne its the snap to grid that causes it because flipping back and forth from pane to pane is smooth.

Coming from the transformer, this was the first thing i actually noticed. One thing that would help is to change the default wallpaper to one of your own. It actually improves it significantly
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

I have a Xoom on 3.2 and the home screen is really smooth. I have looked at many Touchwiz videos on Youtube and it seems very laggy compared to my Xoom. But i guess i will soon see it in person, just ordered a GT10.1 3G.

Only reason that your tab or phone are laggy on homescreen is due to either wallpaper or widget,
To fix it get wallpaper wizardrii and set to no scroll.
In regards to the icons well notice that you have additional few more effects when you tap and hold icons, there is stransparency, grid etc. If you want to move icons from app dock to homescreen it shows both at the same time, and homescreen is active not paused.
Ios will never be able to do this there is just to much
At the moment my tab is acting really weird.
My wallpaper is scrolling although it should not, screen is absolutely jitter free all that happened since I've activated kies via wifi and deselected usb debugging (needed it to install drivers)
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

Can't say mine is laggy at all but I'm not using the stock launcher. The latest "UEKMB" slim Launcher2 with enabled hw acceleration and Multipicture LWP looks and feels extremely smooth. I have no comparison to another Honeycomb Tablet but I can't really see it getting noticeable "smoother".

cryptyk said:
This seems to be such a common problem for android phones and tablets. Even with deodexed, slimmed, optimized roms and overclocked kernels, it just boggles my mind that the homescreen is the slowest part of the android experience. Other apps scroll smoothly and are responsive, but the homescreen is jerky and slow.
Try this: Long click an icon and drag it around the screen. The thing can't follow even a moderately fast-moving finger. And that's just a simple icon moving on a 2d plane. But then, I can run a playstation emulator in 3d without problems.
The same thing has been true on my G1, SGS, Droid Charge, GTab 10.1, and Moto Droid 1.
Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem.... Before the Touchwiz update my homescreen was very laggy, after the update it became less lagy but you can still feel it when scrolling which, I gotta tell you is the most annoying thing... IS there any way to make my homescreen smoother? I've tried wallpaper wizardrii which helped but after awhile the wallpaper cuts in half... I have no more than 5 widgets on my Tab and i'm still amazed on how bad the screen lag is.... I

I'm using ADW Launcher EX, and the screen is super smooth/responsive. The latest version has a high-density option, so we still get the big icons. It's $2 or $3 but it's worth it, and the other thing is to disable the scrolling desktop.
Give it a try. I'm not sure why the stock launcher is so choppy, but they could learn something from the folks who made ADW.
-----
Side note: My current ROM/Kernal is completely stock. No root, no OC, and ADW is still silky smooth. BUT... it was even smoother when I was running my Tab at 1400 with AutoKiller.

Adw launcher is great. I use it on my Xoom & it makes it fly.Try it on the 10.1 & give us some feedback.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

I see the lag on my Tab that is described by the OP.
However, I do NOT see it on my HTC Thunderbolt phone running Go Launcher EX.

Arun01 said:
Adw launcher is great. I use it on my Xoom & it makes it fly.Try it on the 10.1 & give us some feedback.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just finished installing ADW launcher ex and its A LOT smoother than stock, the transition from landscape to portrait view is still a bit droggy but that's probably because of the widgets. I'm loving the new look ADW gave my tablet.

I too was very frustrated with the homescreen lag on my 10.1. I installed ADW Launcher EX and it has been super smooth and givees you some neat options for homescreen transition effects too. Give it a try.

do a search.
Its because Google has little to no interest in fixing the UI/gpu/hw acceleration issues.
Your phone tablet apps launcher etc have nothing to do with it. Its a fundamental issue with Android that has been ignored and no intention of real fix.

xManMythLegend said:
do a search.
Your phone tablet apps launcher etc have nothing to do with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on the number of people that just said the stock launcher is laggy, and the aftermarket ones are not, I would say the launcher has quite a lot to do with it.

cryptyk said:
Based on the number of people that just said the stock launcher is laggy, and the aftermarket ones are not, I would say the launcher has quite a lot to do with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who made the stock launcher?... Google...
It is well known that Google cuts corners in relation to standardization and hardware acceleration. Instead the focus on incrementally updating release numbers instead.
sent via Tapatalk

cryptyk said:
Based on the number of people that just said the stock launcher is laggy, and the aftermarket ones are not, I would say the launcher has quite a lot to do with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lag and framerate drops happen across the ui not just the launcher. It is an Android problem not anything device specific.

I have a standard (scrolling, but not live) wallpaper, 5 widgets and maybe 30 shortcut icons on my desktop/homescreen. Scrolling from one to another is silky smooth (3.1 TW). On one occasion it was quite laggy, it seemed like it had gone from hw accel'd to software for no obvious reason.... Quick reboot fixed it, though.
While it's probably true some performace issues lie with google, I'd wager most problems lie with users and developers doing things badly (or trying to do too much).

I deleted the social hub widget and my homescreen does not lag at all anymore.

tghockey07 said:
I deleted the social hub widget and my homescreen does not lag at all anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS. Widgets. Remove them.
>>>
>>>
Admit you have no real friends.
Remove the social widget.
????
PROFIT!

Mine varies from ROM to ROM. I actually get the smoothest experience on stock 3.1 no TW.

[DISCUSSION] Which launcher are you using? and why?

As the topic says: Which launcher are you using? and why?
I'm using 2. Regina 3D and Android Seven pro. I would like to combined them somehow. I really like the start menu on Android Seven pro, but i like the 3D effect in Regina 3D, so i'm using them both from time to time.
How about you guys? It would be fun if you post some screenshots along with your post.

go launcher

gjpax said:
go launcher
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
woaw.. that answer sucked. Please write some more, or don't write at all.

Launcher pro

I'm currently using SPB 3D Launcher, it's smooth, fast and looks great. Bit expensive though.
Was using GO Launcher, but after a few hours it gets really sluggish until I have to reboot the phone.
I've used Launcher Pro Plus which is really quick but really lacks features, and ADW EX which is really nice, but I prefer the way GO Launcher and Launcher Pro do the horizontal swipe shortcuts at the bottom of the screen.
I've given QQ Launcher a go too, seems to be very similar to GO Launcher, will be testing it a bit more to see if it suffers from the sluggishness of GO.

I liked the official launcher even before the update, since it is simple and stylish. The updated launcher solved most of my former gripes, so I'm happy using the stock R800i launcher.
Enviado desde mi R800i usando XDA Premium App

_terror_ said:
woaw.. that answer sucked. Please write some more, or don't write at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK
1 . what launcher are you using : go launcher
2. why : because i like it

I am using Go Launcher as well and I advise everyone to just try it. It's very smooth has one of the best app drawers. It's like a better version of Launcher Pro and it also has a lot of free widgets made for it.
GO Launcher EX

WodgeFTW said:
I'm currently using SPB 3D Launcher, it's smooth, fast and looks great. Bit expensive though.
Was using GO Launcher, but after a few hours it gets really sluggish until I have to reboot the phone.
I've used Launcher Pro Plus which is really quick but really lacks features, and ADW EX which is really nice, but I prefer the way GO Launcher and Launcher Pro do the horizontal swipe shortcuts at the bottom of the screen.
I've given QQ Launcher a go too, seems to be very similar to GO Launcher, will be testing it a bit more to see if it suffers from the sluggishness of GO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how's the battery life on SPB 3D? I'm thinking of going with that one to. It's pretty badass looking

LauncherProPlus
Clean.Customizable.Snappier.
and hey,I got the stock Gingerbread look on Rogers
I tried them all.I tried to like them all.ADW Launcher EX,GO Launcher EX,Regina 3D Launcher,Zeam Launcher,Nemus Launcher, and the Gingerbread Launcher ...
... but nothing tops LPP.

I am using Launcher 7.
I love the look and feel of the Windows 7 phones, but don't like what they offer beyond the surface.
As such, this Launcher is perfect for me.
It is very different to your standard launchers so it also provides a certain novelty value.
I find the interface clean, refreshing and easy to use.
However, it crashes a lot (better now though) and you can't really use widgets with it as it causes constant crashing, and slowing of the app draw.
I love it though.

Red_Kop said:
I am using Launcher 7.
I love the look and feel of the Windows 7 phones, but don't like what they offer beyond the surface.
As such, this Launcher is perfect for me.
It is very different to your standard launchers so it also provides a certain novelty value.
I find the interface clean, refreshing and easy to use.
However, it crashes a lot (better now though) and you can't really use widgets with it as it causes constant crashing, and slowing of the app draw.
I love it though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's my secondary launcher
Love it.

GetPatriotized said:
It's my secondary launcher
Love it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine too. I now have go launcher with the new gingerbread theme as first and default launcher and launcher 7 ad second
I tried spb 3D but the RAM dropped from 240mb + to 170mb.

Launcher Pro Plus is my main one. I like it's snappiness, the skinnable widgets rock (ok I admit it I only use calender), customizable dock backgrounds are a snap to use, I LOVE the homescreen transition effects, I can't stand the bland side to side one anymore . Re sizable Widgets are needed for me for my homescreen style, basically for my different sized photos I got tacked on it. I love the configurable icon amount, I always use 5 icons wide on the homescreen.
I bought ADW EX and it was good, but a couple things bugged the crap out of me until I uninstalled it. Number one main reason is the shoddy ass all apps menu animation. I hate hate HATE how the homescreen widges/icons appear in the background when you close the app drawer, before actually 'flies' away. Launcher pro's just seems waaaay more polished. Other than that they are both pretty similar, with ADW being just a little more confusing to customize.
I tried Launcher 7, loved the simplicity and the good job they did, but ended up being too boring after while.

Switched to Launcher 7 again.
Spent an hour making icons,customized it a bit. Downloaded widgets,bought UberMusic.
Loving it!

I use go launcher EX because it's free, doesn't lag for me, doesn't drain the battery anymore than the stock launcher, has themes I like and is VERY customizable.
Sent from my R800

using modded stock launcher with 3 homescreens. don't want to really clutter up my launcher (so as is with my desktop in my lappy ) with unnecessary shortcuts of apps i don't even use. after all, stock apps were optimized by the company themselves to work with the phone properly..

Why do people need two launchers? All I hear is that such and such launcher lags,blah blah blah..but then you go and install two launchers? Reason?

I've used launcher pro plus most of the time for my HTC dhd and now for my play. Have tried most of the launcher on the market but always preferred lpp over any other launcher. It's the best launcher out there imo. At the moment I'm giving launcher 7 a go. Really nice and simple design that matches my look I'm going for. It's not as snappy as lpp, but no major lag nor freezes and it's responsive. You can even get battery % shown with it's build in status bar ;-)
Regards Dousan...

captain67 said:
I use go launcher EX because it's free, doesn't lag for me, doesn't drain the battery anymore than the stock launcher, has themes I like and is VERY customizable.
Sent from my R800
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried ADW and Launcher Pro, but found BOTH to crash and lag often. Mostly the lag.
I switched to Go Launcher/Widget/Keyboard/Facebook/Calendar/Task Manager and honestly its so blazing fast it's very impressive. But the thing I HATE about Go Launcher is for "custom" icons it won't let me use the buuf icon packs. Does ANYONE know any way I can buuf icons for go launcher?
Thanks a bunch
And speaking of icons in general, is it just me or are icons on this OS (gingerbread?) SO freaking small! My girlfriend has a Samsung Infuse 4G and I know the screen is technically aLOT larger but her OS (froyo?) has such nice big icons like iOS. Getting buuf icons would partially help this fact but its still annoying that the icons on this android phone are so freaking small.

[Q] What launcher?

I'm curious. I have been running Launcher Pro Plus for a few weeks now and was wondering what other options are better as far as 'tweaking' goes. I keep noticing everyone seems to lean towards ADW Launcher - is it more configurable? Does anyone out there have any experience to mention about trying out the SPB Shell 3D? I recall I had SPB on my Palm Treo ages ago and it seemed to be a decent loader back then.. Not sure about now though and I'd rather get some community feedback before I go buying the thing.. or any other one for that matter..
Thanks!

Adw its my current launcher an my favorite be sure to get the ex version for full customizations
Sent from my HTC Glacier

Try out Go Launcher Ex, It's my favorite launcher. It has a load of widgets and themes to choose from.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

I recently moved from Adw to Go Launcher Ex. It has two features that Adw (AFAIK) does not have, which I like a lot:
circlular home screen pages; i.e. if you keep moving right on the last page you're back on the first one
more than one row in the dock; also circular (see above)

So out of the 100 or so people that have viewed this thread, not a single person has anything to say about spb shell 3d? I'll just assume its not worth even checking out then..

flir31207 said:
I recently moved from Adw to Go Launcher Ex. It has two features that Adw (AFAIK) does not have, which I like a lot:
circlular home screen pages; i.e. if you keep moving right on the last page you're back on the first one
more than one row in the dock; also circular (see above)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADW/EX has endless scroll.
And ADW/EX has a hidden dock with a scroll feature.
FWIW, i use ADW/EX as my daily driver. It's fast, reliable and has little drain on the battery. I also have LPP [paid] and it's nice, quick, but IMHO feels like a Sense/ADW hybrid. Where as AWD is more AOSPish. I've also use Regina which IMHO is the most elaborate. Each workspace can have a wall paper of it's own, and the 3D effects are pretty snazzy.
Zeam launcher is BLAZING fast will little options. and little memory usage.
GoLauncher EX is to bloated for my liking.
and Shell is 15.00 bucks. I'm not spending that much for a launcher..... sorry.

VoiD_Dweller said:
I'm curious. I have been running Launcher Pro Plus for a few weeks now and was wondering what other options are better as far as 'tweaking' goes. I keep noticing everyone seems to lean towards ADW Launcher - is it more configurable? Does anyone out there have any experience to mention about trying out the SPB Shell 3D? I recall I had SPB on my Palm Treo ages ago and it seemed to be a decent loader back then.. Not sure about now though and I'd rather get some community feedback before I go buying the thing.. or any other one for that matter..
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LPP is my favorite, I have tried most launchers and LPP is the best. I like the customization of it, the swipe actions on the launcher doubles as a hidden launcher, you can hide the garbage in the app drawer, great for someone like me that is running stock gingerbread.

Tried them all and I still stay with ADW (ex) fast, stable and option packed. I liked GO at first but having to install everything I wanted separately is a pain and the last couple updates made it slow and power hungry.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

I was loyal to LPP for 3rd party launcher for a long time, but recently tried Go Launcher Ex after hearing/reading about it forever but being reluctact to switch. Though I'm now running VU's native Sense 3.0 launcher, Go is my new go-to (pun intented) 3rd party launcher. Does everything LPP does and better IMO. Plus it's free, whereas you have to pay for LPP's widgets and advanced features. I found Go to be much smoother too, and it has the support of a full team of devs whereas LPP seems to have stopped being updated a while ago.

I usually prefer LPP for the included widgets and its blazing fast, but ADW EX does seem to have more customizable options and looks great. I have read some good reviews on the SPB Shell 3D and it looks really nice, but I just cant see myself spending $15 on a launcher...

I personally like ADW so many customizable options and tons of themes you can never get bored with. Go Launcher is pretty good too i use go sms n theme make so it all compliments each other but above all id go with adw extremely smooth practically feels like a stock launcher

I am personally still exploring all of these. I wish there was an easy way to copy everything from the stock launcher (shortcuts, widgets, etc.) over to one of these new ones. Is there?
Anyways, I tried ADW first, but it has never really worked well, always lagged, frozen, etc. I think Go Launcher seems pretty nice, as does Launcher Pro, but I'm still exploring.

royhobbs said:
I am personally still exploring all of these. I wish there was an easy way to copy everything from the stock launcher (shortcuts, widgets, etc.) over to one of these new ones. Is there?
Anyways, I tried ADW first, but it has never really worked well, always lagged, frozen, etc. I think Go Launcher seems pretty nice, as does Launcher Pro, but I'm still exploring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in ADW and pretty much every other launcher, there is on option to increase the transition speeds of the homescreens and window animations. you can also download Spare Parts from the market and itll also improve the speed of the transitions. overclocking will help too

Well thanks for the info on all of these, I ended up purchasing ADW Ex and I'm really digging it. I think it's kind of odd that you have to install a separate service to get the global notifications on the dock icons for gmail/sms counts unread but I guess that's o.k. Otherwise it's looking great..

VoiD_Dweller said:
Well thanks for the info on all of these, I ended up purchasing ADW Ex and I'm really digging it. I think it's kind of odd that you have to install a separate service to get the global notifications on the dock icons for gmail/sms counts unread but I guess that's o.k. Otherwise it's looking great..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google changes gmail so often that a separate service for notifications just made sense since it must be updated so often.

neidlinger said:
ADW/EX has endless scroll.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean on the home pages? Launcher Pro has that.
I still use Launcher Pro (and paid for it). I've started using the 'swipe up on icons in dock to launch other programs', which is a neat feature, but don't like that it has to be FC'd on boot with CM7.

LPP is smooth and has many options and SPB shell 3D is freaking awesome BUT, it sucks the life out of your battery like crazy (like horribly crazy).

aznprodgy said:
in ADW and pretty much every other launcher, there is on option to increase the transition speeds of the homescreens and window animations. you can also download Spare Parts from the market and itll also improve the speed of the transitions. overclocking will help too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you on all but your last statement. There is absolutely no need to overclock and run your battery anY harder. In fact, I run Underclocked and my transition speed is actually better than most people running stock or otherwise.
I had used LPP for a long tiMe but use ADW EX now. I used LPP mainly for the widgets it offered. Now that Android Pro Widgets is in the Market there is no need for LPP.

CBConsultation said:
I agree with you on all but your last statement. There is absolutely no need to overclock and run your battery anY harder. In fact, I run Underclocked and my transition speed is actually better than most people running stock or otherwise.
I had used LPP for a long tiMe but use ADW EX now. I used LPP mainly for the widgets it offered. Now that Android Pro Widgets is in the Market there is no need for LPP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my bad, thanks for the clarification

excarnate said:
Do you mean on the home pages? Launcher Pro has that.
I still use Launcher Pro (and paid for it). I've started using the 'swipe up on icons in dock to launch other programs', which is a neat feature, but don't like that it has to be FC'd on boot with CM7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the homescreen has endless scrolling feature.

Apex Launcer is really a must have for every M7 owner

In desperate attempts for making this somehwat slow and laggy phone faster and bring it to life I have spent much time trying out different browser.
Most of the more popular launchers today are kind of customizable.
my main focus has been on opening app animations, and how fast apps are opening and if the animations are both FAST and Smooth with no stutter, this is where most launchers fail but where apex succeed, it seem to work very well with the weak gpu of M7. WIth Apex it has become a totally new phone my faster user experience and to switch between apps is a lot faster and the animations finally look good as they should, the animaions I use are Lollipop style animations.
I do not care much of lollipop anymore to be honest I have all what I need now a fast phone thanks to apex laucnher and also heads up notifications thanks to a google play app.. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=codes.simen.l50notifications&hl=en (I recommend using it with black color and kind of a lot of transparency) add c notice https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ccs.notice&hl=en for even better switching between apps and superior multi tasking
When you install the Apex Laucnher what you need to is to go the mange apps in settings then press the default app settings at the bottom to the left then after that set apex laucnher as default, this will mean that when you press the home button on your M7 you will not come back to Huawei laucher but you will come back to apex home screen.
Yes what can I say...I am really surprised that the launcher had so much impact. the biggest problem with the Mate 7 has been opening apps slow, and the animations apex laucnher fix this, and I have tried many laucnhers and Apex is the only one that also have fast animations when opening and switching between app. When it comes to animations in home screen and drawer most lancuhers are fast.. it is when you switch between apps and go back to home screen for instance the the differences are biggest.
Launchers I have tried before coming to this conclusion
APUS Launcher, Nova Launcher, 360 Launcher , go Launcher , action Launcher 3, CM Launcher , Buzz Launcher , Dodol Launcher, Hola Launcher ,

What settings did you use ?
Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using XDA Free mobile app

Well, I bought Apex launcher for my previous phone and it worked great. But with this huawei device, i'm afraid that 'll loose the good features of the chinese manufacturer... All the ios like features like the search panel or the use without the app drawer wich is, for me, completly useless

Hi
I am using Nova Launcher and I wonder what are the benefits of Apex launcher over Nova?
Thanks.

I'm using Nova and it has been perfect.

apopet26 said:
What settings did you use ?
Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using XDA Free mobile app
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I use no speciel setting besides keeping apex in memory.
.Other parts are more of the appearance. the animations I use I think is default (which is lollipop animation which means apps open from bottom and up)
Otherwise I prefer to use more folders in the home screen since the folders open very fast and does not take much space either when folders are expanded..I prefer that then using the drawer all the time.. I use black background with kind of high transpercy in folders and drawer.
The speed increase you get with default settings.. but there is a lot more settings that affect the appearance.. which is more about taste.

phrozenflame said:
I'm using Nova and it has been perfect.
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Yeah but compare aphex with nova especially after a few hours of heavy use, you see the nova animations will start to lag after a while, while in aphex they are always consistent. .. one reason might be aphex is not as function packed.. which means it is heavier on the Mate 7.
I use the 2 GB version.

Kalemucu said:
Hi
I am using Nova Launcher and I wonder what are the benefits of Apex launcher over Nova?
Thanks.
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The benifit is faster and more consistent animations, to my eyes is without question faster and more consistent over time.. Nova animations are not as smooth and does not work as fast and consistent on the M7 GPU that is my opinion.. It took me one week of trying all different launchers to realize the difference... my main eye was on how fast and smooth and consistent animations are..
My first thought when install aphex was that it more or less looked like a clone to Nova, but the main advantage seem to be better performance in Apex most likely cause it is more lightweight compared to nova.
Apex has the most well optimized Lollipop animations I have seen.. the animations are such important part of the phone..it have a really impact on the user experience since all you do all day with your phone is mostly switching app constantly..so it is important the it looks good and smooth and lagfree.. Apex is the only launcher that worked good for the Mate 7 2GB model.

Thank you.
I will try Apex when i have some time

Been on Apex for few days, generally liked it but there are better launchers in my opinion. CM launcher is to recommend, definitely brings speed back to Mate 7, it's got some useful tools as well(like antivirus, app protector etc, speed booster). However, if you're really looking for light launcher that is quick on mate 7 Xperia launcher is the choice. My phone is flying now(even on super laggy b312), i've been using Xperia z2 before and i loved it's launcher. It's minimalistic yet super functional, it's very light and clean looking, got great app drawer. There's few versions to download on xda forum( won't find it in play store), however older version seems to work better on Mate7 and has more launcher options and tweaks. Only with this launcher i can see 1 GB free RAM again on lollipop.

muzammil84 said:
Been on Apex for few days, generally liked it but there are better launchers in my opinion. CM launcher is to recommend, definitely brings speed back to Mate 7, it's got some useful tools as well(like antivirus, app protector etc, speed booster). However, if you're really looking for light launcher that is quick on mate 7 Xperia launcher is the choice. My phone is flying now(even on super laggy b312), i've been using Xperia z2 before and i loved it's launcher. It's minimalistic yet super functional, it's very light and clean looking, got great app drawer. There's few versions to download on xda forum( won't find it in play store), however older version seems to work better on Mate7 and has more launcher options and tweaks. Only with this launcher i can see 1 GB free RAM again on lollipop.
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link?

I personally prefer Action Launcher, as the 'covers' and 'shutters' are truly useful features that I couldn't do without after spending some time with them. Haven't really used Apex Launcher since the Galaxy S II, as I ran Nova. However, I wanted to try something new when I switched to the Ascend Mate 7, and haven't regretted the decision since. If you're not a fan of a vertically scrolling list of apps, it won't be your cup of tea. The aforementioned covers and shutters definitely merit a glance on the Play Store, though. 11/10 would recommend.

I managed to download xperia z3 launcher. As I've owned previously z ultra this is perfect launcher for me. Simple, elegant and mostly it works better than apex, nova or s launcher. Thanx for the tip.

Where. Can I download Xperia launcher?
Also why does not asus launcher turn up on Google play? When I search?
Asus launcher have very good reviews and their asus phones have very weak intel cpu and low memory despite that all reviewers are vet impressed with the speed and flow of the phone .... I hope asus launcher works with Mate 7

https://play.google.com/store/apps/...her&pcampaignid=APPU_1_koXYVayAD8WSsAGT0p74DQ

Is one of you know how to keep the "search module" of the Huawei launcher on Apex ? You Know when you solide down and it appears with icons of récent apps ! I really love this feature and i don't want to loose it !

I hope some one can link to the xperia launcher in question, however I am still questionable, the biggest is the difference in opening/switching app animations, if they are not fast and fluid then it means it is not a good optimized launcher, how fast it is in the home screen and drawers are not as important since almost every launcher is fast in this area...