Database Users

To rom or not to rom

That is the question.
Is it worth installing CM7 on a nexus S or is it better to just leave it as stock gingerbread (if you dont need the small amount of extra features)?
Also how would one go about 'formatting' a nexus S?

I bought the nexus s for the pure Google experience so I don't see a reason for installing a rom.
If I want another rom ill bit a better handset with better specs and build quality.
My 2 cents.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

You can have stock Gingerbread with CM7, you just have to reinstall the Launcher2.apk and remove (or just dont use) ADW Launcher.
I prefer custom ROMs/Kernels because they feel more snappy than completely stock.

I was using CM7 nighties since I got it. I'm not using stock rooted 2.3.3 rom and I don't see myself going back to nighties anytime soon.

All my other android phone I couldn't use without cm6/7. I lived for the stock Android. Now that this phone is 100% stock out of the box, I haven't had a reason to flash cm7 yet. I've had little to no problems and im satisfied with the stock rom.
Still gotta root though.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

I dib and dabble just to try but I always come back to stock
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

CM7 is still a bit unstable, I had it for 2 days and the phone rebooted at least 6 times(and 2 of those times it was stuck, had to pull the batteries out). Also, if you do use the RC1, don't volunteer to provide anonymous usage info as it makes it even more unstable.
I would recommend going with Kimera. Much more stable, very lite (ofc, that means you have to install a few more apps then usual).

The Nexus S with 2.3.x is the first phone I've not fell any compulsion to use a custom rom, even CM. CM7 might be interesting to me once it's out as an official release build, but I'm not sure even then. With previous phones I wouldn't consider running stock at all once the big boys brought their roms out for them, but Android 2.3.3 with Launcher2 is pretty darn good in my opinion.
Same for custom kernels, sort of. I didn't feel the need for one, but I have tried netarchy to get the Voodoo enhancements. I'm currently stock kernel, but have just downloaded the latest 2.3.3 netarchy to give it a whirl again.

there really is no reason to not use custom ROM. for example when cyanogen 7 gets finalized, it includes DSP audio manager boost, 720p video camera with enhanced settings, etc. those are crucial functions that work spectacularly. since its free, there's no reason to avoid those and use stock shen it increases functionality at no cost.

im running cm7 and i love it
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Paul's modaco rom is pretty stock look and feel but has 3G sip and a few small other tweaks. I like it. Can't really tell the difference from stock.

I can only speak from my limited experience, having ditched my Milestone for the Nexus. Having the option to put a custom ROM on the phone was enticing, even though I had no problem with stock ROM. I used ROM Manager, and did the no-loss root method, made a backup, and then did wipe and installed CM7 RC1.
Things I liked: power control widgets in status bar. The fact it introduced me to ADW Launcher and the vast library of themes on the market (I've been happy using LauncherPro so hadn't got to ADW yet). The smaller, more columns app drawer. I liked the fact it went about downloading all the apps I had I wiped. Overall it was a very smooth intro to custom ROMs.
Things I didn't like: apps placed in the dock would lose their custom icon (don't know if this was ADW or CM7's fault). Car home didn't work. Knowing that 2.3.3 will be available OTA soon and my phone wont get it while I am non-stock.
I kept using CM7 for about 5 days and had no crashes, but went back to stock today as none of the other features are of particular interest. Having power control in notifications area is nice, but it's not that much harder just to use widgetsoid and place them on a home screen (which is what I always do).
Anyway, horses for courses. Obviously some love it, but me I was meh. I have no problem with the speed and smoothness of stock, and didn't notice any increase when using CM7.

[Q] What ROM are you using and why, and how often do you change?

I'm a new Android user and loving all of the options out there in terms of Kernels, ROMS, etc, but I find myself being overwhelmed with all of the options out there. So far I'm pretty set with running franco Kernel (running r20 right now), but I find myself always wanting to try out new ROMs, and I'm hoping that doing all of this switching around isn't going to mess up my device but I just can't nail myself down to a ROM that I'm set with.
I had been running CM 10.1 nightlies, but just recently a couple of days ago I jumped over to MiNCO because of the support for franco Kernel.
Now I find myself looking at the Xylon ROM but am worried that jumping around from ROM to ROM is going to mess with my device.
What ROMs are you guys using, and why are you using them? I find myself that the most important factors for me are battery life/performance, quick toggles, and the power menu.

I havean EVO 4G LTE .. ever since i got the o.g. EVO I was hooked on them. But I use a stock with goodies Rom by flex. Its a great rom has everything I need and its super smooth
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app

I generally stick to CyanogenMod. I keep an eye on the changelog and flash new nightlies when things I want are merged.
I've messed with AOKP and MIUI in the past but they're not really for me.

Cyanogenmod 10.1 Jellybro because it has everything I need and is clean code (no dirty hacks). Used to be a fan of aokp but too many dirty code and unicorns for me.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

zephiK said:
clean code (no dirty hacks).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cm is my favourite rom, but thats not really the truth what you say. in order to stuff in tons of devices that normally do not run aosp they have to stretch the base wide open with hacks. this is the hackiest rom in the android scene and it must be, otherwise people out there wouldnt know what android is. thats why cm traditionally never had so much traction on this plattform than on others, simply because uncompromised aosp is leaner and more optimized for android itself and the nexus plattform. on a legacy device i'd always suggest cm, thats obvious. on nexus cm may not be the obvious best choice anymore, because the others are likely faster, more stable, have less daily fallouts, and in some cases have more features, like aokp, if youre the kind of guy that likes that sort of thing. if i flash cm here, its because i like their creative/inventive spirit and would like to support the project overall. flashing is easy though, trying out a couple of em isn't that much of a problem. (-:

Paranoid android. Not even considered any other ROM since I flashed this one. Its just so amazing. I couldn't live without all the colours that change per app, and all the other features it has.
I suggest trying it out now.
Sent from my Nexus 4.

With my previous device, s2, I changed a lot, from RR to AOKP to CM etc etc, I like them all.
On my N4, I'm using stock until a really good-good ROM comes out, I don't have any problems, other than battery, so I don't panic, YET.

calanizzle said:
With my previous device, s2, I changed a lot, from RR to AOKP to CM etc etc, I like them all.
On my N4, I'm using stock until a really good-good ROM comes out, I don't have any problems, other than battery, so I don't panic, YET.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah other than battery issues everything else is a "nice to have" and nothing I "absolutely need"

I've been on xylon w matrix kernel
For battery customization and speed.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

For me its PA rom....Ive tried every rom because I love flashing lol....but this is an honest opinion from experience....I know best rom talk is not allowed but the best to me is PA rom because of one simple reason....other than stock...its perfect!!!! And with that being said I have No issues with it very stable..super fast...alot of features man I can go on and on....if you want your N4 running perfect go PA...there are some other good roms because we have alot of elite devs in here and im sure more are on the way...but to me theres nothing better than super wiping your phone just to make sure its really clean and flashing PA...all you can say is wow after that lol......and now I change roms everytime Moles and his crew update PA....and also flash Franco kernel with this and your N4 will be excellent....

I'm currently on liquidsmooth. I've tried rasbeanjelly, Xylon, codefirex, CM 10.1, MinCo and a few others I can't remember. All were great. I'm really like liquidsmooth. It's a great balance. I flash, sometimes 3 times a day.

Setup: Code FireX w/ Faux beta
CFX is the first non-stock ROM that I decided to try because it uses the Linaro chain and I was pretty curious about the speed.
Long story short, CFX's performance is apparent as soon as you start using the device, it had much needed improvements.
Oh, and did I mention the CFX settings? Synegye's special built in mods allow you to improve your experience even more. For instance I decided to use the 6 signal Wi-Fi/Network, center clock, smaller Nav Bar, as well as dual view. This package, when combined with Faux's kernel presents you with an unbeatable experience on the best Android experience to date.​

Ace42 said:
Setup: Code FireX w/ Faux beta
CFX is the first non-stock ROM that I decided to try because it uses the Linaro chain and I was pretty curious about the speed.
Long story short, CFX's performance is apparent as soon as you start using the device, it had much needed improvements.
Oh, and did I mention the CFX settings? Synegye's special built in mods allow you to improve your experience even more. For instance I decided to use the 6 signal Wi-Fi/Network, center clock, smaller Nav Bar, as well as dual view. This package, when combined with Faux's kernel presents you with an unbeatable experience on the best Android experience to date.​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds pretty intriguing, I think I just found the next ROM that is going to get flashed on my N4.

Nice discussion. Very interesting.
via Google Nexus 4

For reliability and just the right amount of mods for me it's been CM on any device I've owned 90% of the time. It's the least buggy for me, although of course, there will be the occasional bug along the way. Works beautifully on the the Nexus, although some mods may take longer to merge as other devices have to be taken into account.
Can't think of any "hacks" needed for CM to run on any Nexus, although much hackage needed for it to run on Samsung branded phones, and any other manufacturer that doesn't ship with AOSP and may be slow to release source. The kernel for the GN was less than impressive, but the N4 kernel is great.

Running stock rooted. Going CM 10.1 as soon as I get back home from vacation.
Skickat från min Galaxy Nexus

Stock with Franco kernel and you got the most stable combo ever seriously though. Feels very snappy while battery is great but also is really stable.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I am flashing between a number of Roms daily. Change between cm 10.1, aokp, paranoid, slimbean, codefire. Currently on paranoid b9. I love the options we have on the nexus. It would be a lot less hassle for me if I don't have to restore my texts everytime. Still I pretty much flash a different ROM daily

kyokeun1234 said:
Stock with Franco kernel and you got the most stable combo ever seriously though. Feels very snappy while battery is great but also is really stable.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for stock with Franco.
No stable (official stable) roms out there yet that I like, and since n4 is my primary phone, I need my stability :/.
Probably will switch over to AOKP milestone or CM stable.

On past devices I've run with CyanogenMod (any variation), but on the Nexus line I tend to prefer staying with a stock ROM and a custom kernel (though I'm stock presently) for the sake of cleanliness. CyanogenMod is great, it's built by trusted developers, and all around well known for their great reputation. On the flip side, I tend to stay stock because I need to help other people out often enough that I start to forget which features were added by the CM team and which come with Android itself.

** OFFICIAL WHICH IS THE BEST or FAVORITE ROM /KERNEL THREAD **

This is the official "which is the best or favorite ROM/KERNEL for the Nexus 7 Thread"
In lieu of all the threads recently being created, asking the same question "which is the best, fastest, least trouble free" ROM for the device, this thread has been created. This thread also covers Kernels.
Notice, all other threads asking the same question, will be deleted and re-directed here. This is in an effort to keep the number of new threads lower, and to enable better searches for people looking for an answer.
Thread Rules
1. No Flaming and no arguing. Everybody has a favorite.
2. No links to external Sites. The ROMs must be linked at XDA
3. No linking to Non-GPL
4. No Profanity (or acronyms used to cleverly disguise such words)
Keep it clean people.
MD

Thanks for locking my thread and opening this about best ROM for nexus. I will watch this thread and see which is the answer of my question.

STOCK ROM!

Honestly, on my N73G, I am liking stock. I will probably do Parandroid eventually, but the amount of trouble, vs. benefit is too high. (Am not able to make my N7 connect via adb to unlock, etc...but that's not what this thread is for )

Paranoid Android for me.

Re: ** OFFICIAL WHICH IS THE BEST ROM THREAD **
For Nexus 7 3G, I must say that Supernexus 2 is quite good. even though the customization options are lacking compared to CM10.1 for example, it's smooth and so much stable!
I tried temasek unofficial CM10.1 for quite some time before using supernexus rom; I think I have been flashing 1x of his roms, latest one on top previous ones. I only update temasek rom every 3 or so version or when there is an interesting changes. Can't afford to download everyday; slow and expensive Internet here. If only it offers delta update through cyandelta or rom manager. It's got all CM10.1 features plus many cherry picks which are epic IMO, like native USB OTG mounting, wifi / bluetooth/USB tethering. Just to name a few.
I am now waiting for supernexus 2 build 3 which should be released today, one day after its been released for S2 and S3. It's based on 4.2.2. Gonna try that for a few days. If there's any major problem, I might try temasek rom again.
I have a question: is it safe to flash just the bootloader in fastboot even though I'm using a custom rom based on 4.2.1? I don't want to return to stock because I heard it will wipe internal sd again. My N7 can't connect to my desktop computer through MTP; tried in windows 7 and Ubuntu 12.04
Sent from Nexus 7 3G using Tapatalk HD

The amount of roms out here is simply confusing.. And please don't accuse me of not doing my homework, I've spent hours reading through rom features and trying them out. None of them have the perfect feeling to me. Also, there is no performance comparision as there is with kernels.
What I'm looking for is as clean rom as possible, more impprtantly though, one that is fast(est) for gaming. Yes, I will use a kernel and oc my device, but roms i've tested still have different performance levels with same kernel settings. Rom should also have tablet ui and some fundametal configuration options such as power menu, quick settings customization etc.. Also, it should be stable enough for everyday use. Battery life is not as important, as it can be saved with app usage and undervolting.
I'm sure others have the same things in mindk, so I'll ask for everyone.
Thank you very much in advance.

scream4cheese said:
STOCK ROM!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
zedwards said:
Honestly, on my N73G, I am liking stock. I will probably do Parandroid eventually, but the amount of trouble, vs. benefit is too high. (Am not able to make my N7 connect via adb to unlock, etc...but that's not what this thread is for )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree - stock and unrooted my N7 rocks. Granted, I've only had it a week tomorrow and I'm coming from Hashcode's Kindle Fire rom'ed device - which with most mods is trying to emulate the Nexus 7 - and does a pretty good job too. But my new device got the latest 4.2.2 jelly bean pushed to it a couple of days ago - no fuss/muss - and smooth and awesome it is still.
I'd decided when I activated my new N7 that I'd hold off root and modding it for a week or two to break it in, make sure that I had no warranty claims to make. With one week down all that I've missed about not having root so far is Titanium Backup.
Maybe I'm in the wrong place. Where is the, "Benefits of rooting your Nexus 7?" thread?

Maybe I'm a weirdo here but while stock ROMs are great and fast and whatnot, I'm looking for the most unique ROM! Or maybe I just need a different launcher to spice things up?
But, agreed, there are way too many ROMs that offer minimal differences...

R: ** official which is the best rom thread **
I think it's smoothroom with franco kernel
Inviato dal mio Nexus 7 con Tapatalk 2

Paranoid Android is by far the best Custom ROM I've tried. Other than ViperX for the HOX etc I think the Paranoid team do such amazing work.
Updated all the time, and never had an issue with PA.
With Faux kernel it "USED" to be amazing all round, but I've noticed recently the battery has been less and less with each update (perhaps Faux isn't keeping up)?
Franco kernel is also brilliant with PA. But yeah, for the Nexus, PA is the way to go !

Re: ** OFFICIAL WHICH IS THE BEST ROM THREAD **
The last time I tried PA, my N7 just freezes in the lock screen, quite often. Only thing I can do is reboot. At other time, when lock screen is working, there are lots of lags pretty much everywhere. I still don't understand why people still praised it until now even though in my testing it feels as if I'm holding a bomb ready to explode at any time.
Even people in the nexus community can't escape the "hype" and placebo effect of roms or tweaks or even kernels.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Re: ** OFFICIAL WHICH IS THE BEST ROM THREAD **
dadeo1111 said:
I have to agree - stock and unrooted my N7 rocks. Granted, I've only had it a week tomorrow and I'm coming from Hashcode's Kindle Fire rom'ed device - which with most mods is trying to emulate the Nexus 7 - and does a pretty good job too. But my new device got the latest 4.2.2 jelly bean pushed to it a couple of days ago - no fuss/muss - and smooth and awesome it is still.
I'd decided when I activated my new N7 that I'd hold off root and modding it for a week or two to break it in, make sure that I had no warranty claims to make. With one week down all that I've missed about not having root so far is Titanium Backup.
Maybe I'm in the wrong place. Where is the, "Benefits of rooting your Nexus 7?" thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love stock and stock kernel on my N7 because it gives me the best battery life plus performance. I can run many applications flawlessly. No hiccups or lags. To be fair, i have only tried MiNCO ROM, paranoidandroid, and CM 10.1. I liked the customizations and the tweaks that were implemented to improve it but it just wasn't for me.
I flashed back to stock a few days and I'm going to camp here for a while.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

For me: #1 Paranoid Android, #2 Stock.

Re: ** OFFICIAL WHICH IS THE BEST ROM THREAD **
Paranoid android, but cant wait to get back to stock 4.2.2...
Sent from my Nexus 7

I'm a pretty big fan of dirty root box IMHO. I think it looks really slick and gives pretty good performance and tons of customization. Paired with Franco kernel it also gets great battery life.

PRIME D02 is the fastest ROM I've tried, by far.
It is a clean ROM concentrated on improving performance, it doesn't add a lot of features which also can be added afterwards to your taste (for instance if you want a PIE menu you can add LMT Launcher). But you can select extended desktop (full screen), you can customize the navbar buttons and settings, nav ring, status bar, and quick settings (swipe down from the top right of the status bar).
If you use this rom with its standard kernel, make sure to install Trickster MOD and adjust the setting 'CPUQuit Power Management' to 'RUNNABLE' (swipe to the last tab, and don't forget to press 'V' on top of the screen to activate, and enable 'set on boot'). This is needed to get good battery performance, otherwise 3 cores will run at high speed. You will still get the super fluid performance.

fac51void said:
PRIME D02 is the fastest ROM I've tried, by far.
It is a clean ROM concentrated on improving performance, it doesn't add a lot of features which also can be added afterwards to your taste (for instance if you want a PIE menu you can add LMT Launcher). But you can select extended desktop (full screen), you can customize the navbar buttons and settings, nav ring, status bar, and quick settings (swipe down from the top right of the status bar).
If you use this rom with its standard kernel, make sure to install Trickster MOD and adjust the setting 'CPUQuit Power Management' to 'RUNNABLE' (swipe to the last tab, and don't forget to press 'V' on top of the screen to activate). This is needed to get good battery performance, otherwise 3 cores will run at high speed. You will still get the super fluid performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

Isn't anyone using AOKP? I switched from SmoothROM and never looked back. SmoothROM was nice, much better than stock, but the customization and stability with AOKP simply incredible. I'm using a 4.2.2 nightly right now, couldn't wait for the Bluetooth fix and haven't had a problem yet.
aokp.co
Try it out, you don't hate unicorns do you? :cyclops:

Re: ** OFFICIAL WHICH IS THE BEST ROM THREAD **
CodefireX,Xylon,Vanilla Root box,and now Dirty Rootbox have been impressive this year. Originally loved Baked but haven't even looked for an update since v.7.
Don't much care for PA.
Got tired of hearing about tablet ui and the (ugh) 'Phablet' ui and now its Pie this and Pie that. There is a launcher for that so keep pie out of the ROMs please...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

stock rom or custom rom?

Hi,
I' m new Nexus 4 users. I used Galaxy S3 and install cm 10.1 to my s3. I buy Nexus 4 because I like real android but now I'm not sure about root/install my Nexus 4. Because Nexus 4 is real android (UI). What is your advice and idea?

I came from the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note and ran custom ROMs on both, honestly some of them were buggy (specially the note) and now that I been using the Nexus 4 I haven't rooted yet because I am enjoying stock android plus key lime pie is just around the corner, my advice is to run it stock, enjoy KLP and maybe rooted later.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I stayed stock because it's my first time having a true stock phone. Might go ROM route in the future, but haven't seen anything that makes me need to.

I want to keep stock rom but I like some features on cm 10.1 Sometimes I said let's root and stop again huhh

selimozbas said:
Hi,
I' m new Nexus 4 users. I used Galaxy S3 and install cm 10.1 to my s3. I buy Nexus 4 because I like real android but now I'm not sure about root/install my Nexus 4. Because Nexus 4 is real android (UI). What is your advice and idea?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can't find a reason to root, then you have your answer.
I wanted to adjust my quick settings tiles, install themes and have a T9 dialer, therefore I rooted and flashed. Everyone is different.
rojiblanko14 said:
I came from the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note and ran custom ROMs on both, honestly some of them were buggy (specially the note) and now that I been using the Nexus 4 I haven't rooted yet because I am enjoying stock android plus key lime pie is just around the corner, my advice is to run it stock, enjoy KLP and maybe rooted later.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the Nexus 4 is in AOSP and the majority of the ROMs are compiled you won't have the rampant bug issues here. Just an FYI.

i rooted, and keep stock, then after a while i flashed a new kernal, i wanted root, for a few reasons, like block ad's t9 dialer, but yeah stock rom is good for me.

Run it stock and revisit if/when you notice something lacking. The factory images are great, and I happily run stock when new images drop.
You've run CM10.1 so you know what custom ROMs can offer. Typically custom ROMs can/will be much less buggy on a Nexus since AOSP typically doesn't face any issues on this device.

Thank you for the answers. I think i keep stock rom. Maybe future...
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

For all of you that are on stock theirs a ROM that's truly worth trying it called liquid smooth
i get amazing speed,smoothness,awesome battery life ,and infinite customization i have tried just about every ROM
on and its my favorite.

As much as stock is decent I dislike it, no T9 and such. Rooting allows me to install a custom rom and root apps. I generally lower the height of the navigation bar to gain more screen estate, and such, they run just as well as stock.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Thespmex13 said:
For all of you that are on stock theirs a ROM that's truly worth trying it called liquid smooth
i get amazing speed,smoothness,awesome battery life ,and infinite customization i have tried just about every ROM
on and its my favorite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. I tried more custom rom on sgs3 but i like real android so i sell my sgs3 and buy nexus 4.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

Check out Paranoid Android 3+ (link is in my signature. IMO best custom ROM out there.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

I flashed a few ROM's already but I went back to stock with a custom kernel.
But I have to admit the liquidsmooth rom keeps calling me back. I might just make that my daily runner.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

shook187 said:
I flashed a few ROM's already but I went back to stock with a custom kernel.
But I have to admit the liquidsmooth rom keeps calling me back. I might just make that my daily runner.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you man ive flashed a couple roms and went back to stock with custom kernel buy i tried liquid smooth with matrix kernel 8.5 and wow ive been blown away so smooth and EXCELLENT battery life you should try its my daily driver now lol

EliteAstro said:
I agree with you man ive flashed a couple roms and went back to stock with custom kernel buy i tried liquid smooth with matrix kernel 8.5 and wow ive been blown away so smooth and EXCELLENT battery life you should try its my daily driver now lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since I have the my Nexus I am running CM 10.1 M3, I am moreless satisfied, but I should try Liquid ROM
Have you been on CM any time - to compare these ROMs?

I was on stock for like forever I didn't see the point of changing, what else could I possibly need?
Then I installed LiquidSmooth. Wow. Dunno how I did without it, plenty smooth, fast and customisable.
Do a nandroid and try it, you'll not regret it!
---------- Post added at 11:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:42 AM ----------
Spec-Chum said:
I was on stock for like forever I didn't see the point of changing, what else could I possibly need?
Then I installed LiquidSmooth. Wow. Dunno how I did without it, plenty smooth, fast and customisable.
Do a nandroid and try it, you'll not regret it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering how many people recommend the superb LiquidSmooth how the heck can it only have 2 votes here? And one of them is me!
Come on guys and gals, visit their thread and rate 5 stars to give it the recognition it deserves!

nexus is the only device where you wanna install a rom. legacy rom scene is rom hell, we're talking hacks, ports, mashups, frankenstein roms made of bits and pieces to get around missing sources and whatnot.
nexus is supported by google, that means developers get to compile actual aosp. google supplies tools, drivers, kernels, blobs, pretty much everything. a developer that compiles here basically creates stock android. and instead of pissing away time with hacks you can actually make features and worry about things that matter. its unlikely to create severe bugs unless you really try hard to mess with androids internals. some extra features may not be cooked through but thats the same with stock and its revisional bugs.

[Q] Any real advantages with custom ROMs on a Nexus?

I'm getting my Nexus 4 in about a week and couldn't be more excited.. I used to use an old Motorola Defy on which I ran a slightly buggy CM10 ROM, which was anyday better than the Froyo with MotoBlur it came with. So it made sense to run CM10.
A friend of mine who recently bought a One X decided to flash custom ROMs and despite trying a few ROMs, he claimed that the original Sense ROM was the smoothest. Is that complete bull****? I mean, does the stock N4 ROM work the best compared to the custom ones on here?
And considering the fact that the next version of Android may be around the corner, should I just stick with the stock ROM and wait for an OTA update?
I just want the smoothest experience possible. Not looking for huge list of customizations or anything.

Depends on what you want. If you want slightly better battery life or fancy having more options to tweak as in hardware then a custom rom is the way to go. If you're happy with stock then stay stock. I've unlocked, and rooted my N4 but have kept the stock rom for now. It's just nice being rooted to allow you to back up your apps + DATA which you can't fully do when your unrooted. Plus once your unlocked your bootloader and rooted the world is your oyster, so to speak. At least maybe try rooting and a custom rom or two then if you don't see any real advantage you can always go back to stock rom, unroot then lock your device and have it back to factory default. That way you'll get your OTA updates once more.

My reasons for custom rom
- need full screen for games
- 2g/3G toggles
- custom colors
- ability to under volt etc
- themes
And don't compare custom roms between nexus devices and others
They are lot stable and fully Aosp supported
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

first i would say stock rom runs super smooth, super responsive
but like the previous post, i do like the FULL SCREEN FEATURE for games and for anything else you would want more screen real estate for ex, web browsing, movies, or to just have a different sort of UI with no nav or status bar and just pie
but then again pie is just a launcher, but you would need a custom rom for full screen, nav and status bar customization
Kernels are something else, ive been using franco kernel since day 1 for all my devices (nexus 4,7,10) super stable and very CONSISTENT with me and by that i mean i never run into random problems with my phone its always running the same.
its all about personal preference.

A lot of people say there is no point in using custom ROMs on a nexus. But I disagree. Custom ROMs give you the stock ASOP experience that you want in addition to extra features that make it so much better. I could not live without all the features CyanogenMod offers; they have become so useful and convenient that it would be hard to stick with stock Android. For example, customizable notification LED, screen off music controls, tweakable lock screen, modifying quick setting toggles, expanded desktop, call blacklist etc.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

I think custom ROMs and kernels are the only way to go.
-Sent from Marino's Nexus 4-

I Am Marino said:
I think custom ROMs and kernels are the only way to go.
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This. I mean Google does a good job already with the stock ROM/Kernel (way better than OEM's and their skinned garbage and slow updates), but custom Kernels and ROMs take it further.

Stock on a Nexus? I don't know why anyone would miss out on all that custom loveliness.
At the very least unlock the boot loader and root it as soon as you get it to save the bother later of backing up all your data.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

I did it specifically for LTE. The customizations are just a nice bonus.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

The Nexus devices are the ones which made more sense to get Custom ROMS, because they are open source.

Cotufas said:
The Nexus devices are the ones which made more sense to get Custom ROMS, because they are open source.
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Most would argue that OEM skinned devices make more sense to have custom ROM's/Kernels due to all the bloatware typically installed, and lack of quick system updates. Nexus devices in-particular have a clean stock Android experience, and fast updates straight from Google.
Custom ROM's and Kernels just happen to be far easier on Nexus devices since they're AOSP supported and have Kernel sources directly available.

You must be a Happy Flasher to enjoy this developer device!

The full screen mode might be worth the jump. Didn't know stock didn't have the feature. I've seen a little bit of that PIE controls thing. Not sure if it's actually that user friendly, but I might give PA a shot.
My only gripe is with the fact that, since the rumored 4.3 is around the corner, I might have to go through the process of putting stock back for the OTA update. If it's coming by next month, I might just keep it stock anyway.
Either way, thanks for your replies! Appreciate it.. My previous phone's threads weren't anywhere as active as it is on here
Looking forward to my nexus! (Getting it in less than a week now!)