Database Users

Experiences, Thoughts, and Advice on ROMs

Hey guys,
First off, I don't post much on here, but have been doing alot of reading to stay "up-to-date". Yesterday, I just got the Nexus S 4G through Sprint cuz my Epic 4G took a crap and they were backordered so I said sure to the Nexus S.
I spent most the day yesterday looking for ROMs for it and found out about ICS and got all excited for that. So, after looking around I decided on Crossbones 0.1.3 ICS. Overall, I'm liking it but after using it for about a day now, I am noticing the battery life (in comparison to my Epic, which ran the current Legendary ROM with the Samurai Kernel) is HORRIBLE. I don't want to be quick to say it's the phone, ROM, or ICS though. Maybe there's a different way of closing out unused apps that I don't know about? I did just find that you can swipe away unused recent apps. Will that help?
Basically, for a ROM, I look for stability, battery life, speed, and looks. In that order. In GB, I always used Launcher Pro, btw.
So, my question is for those that use or used Crossbones, what are your experiences so far? Also, if it's recommended that I go back to GB for awhile until things get a lil better on ICS (I heard its coming OTA soon), which ROM are people liking? With ICS out now, searching for a good GB ROM has become a lil difficult. So far I read about MUIU (or whatever it is) and CM7, which my gf has on her Dinc2 and her Nook Color. I'm kinda "eh" about CM7. It "just works" imo and I think that's what they are going for. Def not a fan of the looks though. I also miss my power options in my notification pull down too.
PS-
That and I can't get Facebook to add to my account sync. When I go to add it, it does it, goes back to the accounts screen, but its not there. Very strange. Ok, gonna shut up now. this is long enough. lol Thanks in advance.

I've had my Nexus S for a couple of weeks now, I put the stock ICS ROM on the first day and during this time my battery has significantly improved. There are probably three reasons for this, but perhaps not all will apply to you?
1) I've stopped turning everything on, all of the time and constantly tweaking / fiddling / admiring the AMOLED.
2) I've refined how the device uses battery (logged out of Google+).
3) The battery has matured a little.
There's another side effect...
4) I've stopped worrying about the battery so much as I get a day of use from it.
Ice Cream Sandwich and ROMs using it are gonna improve in time. Gingerbread has been out for a year or so and has all this development. So from this there's a lot of potential from ICS...
I'm going to keep my device running the standard ROM for the time being as it's my daily driver, but wanting a device to potentially brick and hack. Thinking about the Galaxy S.

davidsteele1975 said:
I've had my Nexus S for a couple of weeks now, I put the stock ICS ROM on the first day and during this time my battery has significantly improved. There are probably three reasons for this, but perhaps not all will apply to you?
1) I've stopped turning everything on, all of the time and constantly tweaking / fiddling / admiring the AMOLED.
2) I've refined how the device uses battery (logged out of Google+).
3) The battery has matured a little.
There's another side effect...
4) I've stopped worrying about the battery so much as I get a day of use from it.
Ice Cream Sandwich and ROMs using it are gonna improve in time. Gingerbread has been out for a year or so and has all this development. So from this there's a lot of potential from ICS...
I'm going to keep my device running the standard ROM for the time being as it's my daily driver, but wanting a device to potentially brick and hack. Thinking about the Galaxy S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. So far in terms of battery saving tricks, I've disabled animations, the screen is set to about 1/4 brightness, only thing that constantly does anything is k9
mail to check my inbox every 15 mins (that I'm aware of lol). So it could be that my battery needs to "mature"? Btw, are there any good themes out yet? I miss my transparent text msg threads and I really miss my power controls on the notification pull down. I'm def not digging the white on the contacts and SMS screens. Lol

::BUMP:: Seriously? No one else?

Well is was getting bad battery and weird force closes on cross bones, i'm on vhgomex(thinks that's right), it's been a lot better for me and it has the notification power widget in it
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

BrianDigital said:
Well is was getting bad battery and weird force closes on cross bones, i'm on vhgomex(thinks that's right), it's been a lot better for me and it has the notification power widget in it
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I havent had any issues with the rom running or any FCs... Took a look at gomez. Gonna do a nandroid and give it try. Looks promising, and FB sync is supposed to work. lol

infamshxr said:
::BUMP:: Seriously? No one else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're not getting many answers because your issues have already been addressed. A simple search will find many (most) ROMs with notification toggles and Facebook sync. I personally recommend AOKP.

I'd say it's just the rom. I'm on an ICS rom, everything works great and I have significantly better battery life than before.
I'm on AndroidME with Eugene's speedy-3 kernel. I don't have Facebook sync and power toggles in notification though, but I don't really care for those two features anyway.

Well I'm on Gomez now. Things already seem to be better. Absolutely no issues so far. I'll know for sure in a day or so.

Well I uninstall bloat.sys apps I don't use with root uninstaller
As for Bette battery life. Honestly think. What could someone do to the phone to put out better battery life. Almost nothing but SBC kernels and the CPU speed and goveners. That's it.
Most of you guys don't have battery issues you just play with your phone all day instead of doing your work.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App. Developer of brickROM, and OP of XDA Thread of The Year 2011.

Shark_On_Land said:
Well I uninstall bloat.sys apps I don't use with root uninstaller
As for Bette battery life. Honestly think. What could someone do to the phone to put out better battery life. Almost nothing but SBC kernels and the CPU speed and goveners. That's it.
Most of you guys don't have battery issues you just play with your phone all day instead of doing your work.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App. Developer of brickROM, and OP of XDA Thread of The Year 2011.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A: that was fairly rude. I'm legitimately asking for help and advice. I didn't make the thread to be judged or ridiculed on my phone usage. I don't judge others on how they use they're phone, so why should I be?
B: I'm comparing this all with my epic. I don't over clock or mess with the CPU settings cuz that's beyond my knowledge atm. Like I said, battery seems MUCH better now with this rom . Now my only gripe is volume. Way quieter on this phone which seems to be a known issue. Trying out volume+ soon. Also, at the end of my day, I'll post my battery stats and see what you guys think. But like I said, I think its OK now.

Im on bigxie's rom and icup kernel im getting great battery life with this but thats just me.i dont know whats great for you.try this rom its somewhat minimalist or pure stock with just statusbar widgets and other features.no 'omg' tweaks that cause more harm than good.and it has trebuchet which is perfectly put into the mix.im satisfied with this .been with this rom since build 1 and ive been happy with its consistency.no bugs encountered
Sent from a Nexus S

dark06 said:
Im on bigxie's rom and icup kernel im getting great battery life with this but thats just me.i dont know whats great for you.try this rom its somewhat minimalist or pure stock with just statusbar widgets and other features.no 'omg' tweaks that cause more harm than good.and it has trebuchet which is perfectly put into the mix.im satisfied with this .been with this rom since build 1 and ive been happy with its consistency.no bugs encountered
Sent from a Nexus S
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the opinion. I'll keep that one in mind if this doesn't work out. Sounds a lot like Gomez. Gomez has basically just what you listed. I'd def take stability over extra crap. Lol

Sry for the double post,but to report back, totally forgot to post my battery stats, but they were definitely better. By far. Still not much luck on the sound tho. Got an app the boosts my media volume but my ringer wasn't affected, which sucks. Anything on this that I haven't possibly found?

I'm going back to CM7. 7.2 is out and honesty its just more optimized for this device. CM optimizes their ROMs to very fast high standards and do stuff a lot of you newbies can't even think of. (Yes, these will be implemented in BESTROM.)
So I'm going back. To smoothness.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App. Developer of brickROM, and OP of XDA Thread of The Year 2011.

Shark_On_Land said:
I'm going back to CM7. 7.2 is out and honesty its just more optimized for this device. CM optimizes their ROMs to very fast high standards and do stuff a lot of you newbies can't even think of. (Yes, these will be implemented in BESTROM.)
So I'm going back. To smoothness.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App. Developer of brickROM, and OP of XDA Thread of The Year 2011.
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Click to collapse
You really shouldn't be so rude and demean other members of this forum like that. Frankly, no one cares if you're going back to CM7 or not. But thank you for your belittling feedback.
To the original poster, I'm running Pete Alfonso's nightlies along with Mathkid's Matrix CFS kernel. With a bit of overclock and tweaking of the kernel settings, I get great smoothness, stability, and decent battery life. To me, any battery life that gets me from "up in the morning" to "home at night" is fine, because I have my charger at my desk. But typically, I can survive a full 24 hours on one charge.
Who knows, though. Maybe I'm just too much of a newbie to realize the full potential of what my device can do and therefore it's my fault that the battery life is as good as it is.

Hey! I've just recently switched to my Galaxy Nexus, but was a Crespo owner since it came out. Been reading your post but I would agree that you should try out the AOKP rom along with a custom undervolted kernel for longer battery life.
I haven't really tinkered with my Nexus S in awhile (I gave it to my gf when I got the Galaxy Nexus) but the last thing I remembered was either installing aokp or cm9. In due time the custom ics roms will improve and the power widgets in the notification bar will be brought back, but they usually want to focus on stability then add new features little by little. Hope you are having fun your Crespo!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

So far I'm still rocking gomez's. Really loving the battery life. Only issue I've had is 3g doesn't always come back after using wifi. Not a big deal tho I guess. Really stable too. I was thinking of using mathkidskernel but don't wanna possibly screw up what I got now. I'm backed up so maybe one of these days. Heard alotof good things about mathkids kernel. Heard good things about aopk too, so that's my other go to. Lol

kto_matchu said:
You really shouldn't be so rude and demean other members of this forum like that. Frankly, no one cares if you're going back to CM7 or not. But thank you for your belittling feedback.
To the original poster, I'm running Pete Alfonso's nightlies along with Mathkid's Matrix CFS kernel. With a bit of overclock and tweaking of the kernel settings, I get great smoothness, stability, and decent battery life. To me, any battery life that gets me from "up in the morning" to "home at night" is fine, because I have my charger at my desk. But typically, I can survive a full 24 hours on one charge.
Who knows, though. Maybe I'm just too much of a newbie to realize the full potential of what my device can do and therefore it's my fault that the battery life is as good as it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry if that was rude but you have to take in count that
I myself is using modified CM7.1RC0AOSP2.3.7GB as base. But far as CM9AOSP4.0.3ICS goes its still not ready for folks like me for DD yet.
As I described below how extensively its optimized and most of it is outside the scope of current XDA.
What you have to understand is performance is not measured via synthetic benchmarks (ex: Quadrant). The biggest issue with people is that they don't know enough to know that they don't know, so they compare it with silly numbers (ex: score) they can't comprehend what they see, much less put numbers behind real life activities that's not applicable in controlled environment.
OS development which eliminates most of it but on software level custom base rom (ex: CyanogenMod) is highly optimized and tweaked to run on optimal performance. Mostly, but not all. But does it mean it can't be tweaked any further? (Rhetorical) No. How do I know? We (scope outside of XDA) tweaked it to the next level. How you ask?
1) Optimized ext4fs: reduced r/w rate (healthy NAND lifespan), improved journaling (corrupted data writeback integrity) = Which improves the IOPs and performance access rate.
2) HC3.x fugu binaries, patched sqlite libraries, mSD read ahead buffer fix.
3) Modified VM: OOM (Out Of Memory), LMK (Low Memory Killer), VM heap (Virtual Machine), DRA (Dirty Ratio), DBR (Dirty Background Ratio), DWC (Dirty Writeback Centisecs), DEC (Dirty Expired Centisecs), SWP (Swap), VCP (VFS Cache Pressure).
4) Increased minfree value: Background, Foreground, Empty, Hidden, Visible, Secondary, Content.
5) Optimized cache: File and Drop cache, Forced cache (resident loop).
6) Custom kernel: OC/UC, UV/SVS/VDD, BFS/CFS, RSU/NP/VR/SP supported.
7) Custom ROM: Optimized Rom script and props (ex: CyanogenMod).
this as its tweaked to THE next level. I'll stick with AOSP2.3.7GB until ICS4.X is more stable and we understand more as most memory grouping and adjustments might be changed.
I bet most of you only do 2 of those thing (6&7)

i suggest you try androiduser aosp rom with icup kernel. you dont have to do anything else and with normal usage you'll get 24+ hours

Is there really a point?

I'm going to pick up a nexus 7 soon but i'd just like to ask a question.
Is there really a point loading custom roms and kernels?
I know OC is not necassary but it i cool but seriously, whats the point of custom roms and kernels over all when you have a device that is going to get all the updates straight from google for a very long time in which we will not need to port to this device and also this game can run any game with spectacular performance and no lagg. And thanks to project butter as well.
So is there really a reason? Can you please tell me why?
And by the way do you need root to install free apks?

I've had Android devices for two years and always flashed custom ROMs and kernels. Once I got an N7 I was so impressed with the speed I thought the same thing. After a few days I flashed _motley's kernel and it made it even faster, I was still using the stock ROM though. A few hours ago, I flashed glazed jelly donut which is fast as all hell.
By all means, ROMs and kernels aren't necessary, yet you have a Nexus device so why the hell not?

brando56894 said:
I've had Android devices for two years and always flashed custom ROMs and kernels. Once I got an N7 I was so impressed with the speed I thought the same thing. After a few days I flashed _motley's kernel and it made it even faster, I was still using the stock ROM though. A few hours ago, I flashed glazed jelly donut which is fast as all hell.
By all means, ROMs and kernels aren't necessary, yet you have a Nexus device so why the hell not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah your right.
But what i'm just confused on is which rom or kernel is the best

I'm sticking with the stock ROM but I have it heavily modded.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Ftwisawesome said:
I'm going to pick up a nexus 7 soon but i'd just like to ask a question.
Is there really a point loading custom roms and kernels?
I know OC is not necassary but it i cool but seriously, whats the point of custom roms and kernels over all when you have a device that is going to get all the updates straight from google for a very long time in which we will not need to port to this device and also this game can run any game with spectacular performance and no lagg. And thanks to project butter as well.
So is there really a reason? Can you please tell me why?
And by the way do you need root to install free apks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your mis informed if you think the Nexus 7 doesn't lag in games at stock.Play a game like spiderman with a fps program running on your nexus .. it's a joke at stock speeds. Even the update for PuddleTHD causes major stutter on some new maps added. The list could go on and on .. Asphalt 7 is another game that at stock speeds is a joke...
Custom roms takes off bloatware and adds features and enhances that bring out the true potential of the tablet.
I'm loving the new features of the CM10 Jelly Bean ROM + Motley Kernel . The added landscape mode is especially useful at the home screen... The pro's of adding a custom rom to your table is endless.

There's really no reason to flash a new ROM. Flash a new kernel and over clock it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

tribestros said:
There's really no reason to flash a new ROM. Flash a new kernel and over clock it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the user really. I could list a 100 reasons why I choose a newer rom over stock.
But instead I'll list my top 4 I noticed right off the bat going to CM10;
1.)increased stability
2.)No bloatware
3).reponsiveness..touch screen especially
4.) increased boot times

Increased boot times would mean that it takes longer to boot?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

tribestros said:
There's really no reason to flash a new ROM. Flash a new kernel and over clock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, a second advantage of a custom ROM is to add new features, e.g. navigation/notification bar customizations, theming, lock screen options, that aren't present in the stock ROM. It really beats me why the google team hasn't been rushing to kang all the CM, for example, features (Apple et al would be even more left in the dust), but I guess that's bureaucracy for you.

thebobp said:
Well, a second advantage of a custom ROM is to add new features, e.g. navigation/notification bar customizations, theming, lock screen options, that aren't present in the stock ROM. It really beats me why the google team hasn't been rushing to kang all the CM, for example, features (Apple et al would be even more left in the dust), but I guess that's bureaucracy for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps it's a complexity thing? Google are keeping the Nexus deliberately simple; let manufacturers build their own themes and skins, let the community do the same. But a lot of people getting the Nexus 7 on Christmas Day won't want to know about what modifications could be done to their N7, right..?

Let me play devils advocate. How many who report improved performance, whether it's the touch screen, graphics or other, have validate that perception with hard evidence?
Don't get me wrong, and please try and avoid the flaming. I've nothing against flashing new ROM's or kernals as I've done it with my Fire. I'm just curious.

dferrey said:
Let me play devils advocate. How many who report improved performance, whether it's the touch screen, graphics or other, have validate that perception with hard evidence?
Don't get me wrong, and please try and avoid the flaming. I've nothing against flashing new ROM's or kernals as I've done it with my Fire. I'm just curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only real performance improvement is overclocking. Anything else is just placebo in my book.

glenn37216 said:
Depends on the user really. I could list a 100 reasons why I choose a newer rom over stock.
But instead I'll list my top 4 I noticed right off the bat going to CM10;
1.)increased stability
2.)No bloatware
3).reponsiveness..touch screen especially
4.) increased boot times
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bloat ware? Isn't this a nexus device?
Where got lost ware?

mtxx1 said:
Bloat ware? Isn't this a nexus device?
Where got lost ware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you call bloat and what I call bloat may be different.
G+, Talk, Magazines, Korean Keyboard--All bloat to me. I won't use any of those.
If I ever needed them, I could always re-d/l from the play store. I don't need it built in.
Movies, debatable for me. After watching the free movie, I'll probably never use it again.

brando56894 said:
I've had Android devices for two years and always flashed custom ROMs and kernels. Once I got an N7 I was so impressed with the speed I thought the same thing. After a few days I flashed _motley's kernel and it made it even faster, I was still using the stock ROM though. A few hours ago, I flashed glazed jelly donut which is fast as all hell.
By all means, ROMs and kernels aren't necessary, yet you have a Nexus device so why the hell not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm thinking of doing the same as you. Only thing holding me back is that most ROMs I've tried are buggy, at least a tiny bit. I'm on stock ROM with trinity kernel, doing just fine. Don't play many games, so performance bumps aren't necessary for me.
Does removing G+ and such really do all that much? I don't use them, so I figured they'd just be dormant somewhere. Do they slow the system down that much?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

glenn37216 said:
Your mis informed if you think the Nexus 7 doesn't lag in games at stock.Play a game like spiderman with a fps program running on your nexus .. it's a joke at stock speeds. Even the update for PuddleTHD causes major stutter on some new maps added. The list could go on and on .. Asphalt 7 is another game that at stock speeds is a joke...
Custom roms takes off bloatware and adds features and enhances that bring out the true potential of the tablet.
I'm loving the new features of the CM10 Jelly Bean ROM + Motley Kernel . The added landscape mode is especially useful at the home screen... The pro's of adding a custom rom to your table is endless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those games are not optimized for Tegra 3 (except of course Puddle) and there are numerous posts about them.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

[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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!)

Discussion: TouchWiz 4.1.2 vs. Android 4.3

Hello.
I'm in the mood for some discussion. Currently waging which rom to install on my note 2, TouchWiz or latest android (4.3). How would you people rate a 4.1.2 rom built on correct sources against the latest version of Android? Performance, battery and user friendly wise.
Bring it on!
/pemell

I think I know where your going with this but it might turn into something bad. Like comparing roms I think is against the rules.
Comparing Touchwhiz to AOSP usually depends on the needs of user.
I prefer TW than AOSP for the note because if the note 2 pen and camera but hey to each their own!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

Which ROM even has 4.3 on the Note 2? CM? I've looked around a little bit but haven't really seen much information in regards to that.
edit: Got my own question answered, disregard this post, I suck at searching.

@jetbruceli it's not about comparison of roms, I would like to discuss platforms in regards of performance, battery and user friendly factors.
@Clyzm there is some, for exempel the unofficial builds of cm 10.2 and paranoid android.
I'm thinking that TouchWiz will serve me good battery wise. For you who currently runs this what is your battery % drain per hour?

pemell said:
@jetbruceli it's not about comparison of roms, I would like to discuss platforms in regards of performance, battery and user friendly factors.
@Clyzm there is some, for exempel the unofficial builds of cm 10.2 and paranoid android.
I'm thinking that TouchWiz will serve me good battery wise. For you who currently runs this what is your battery % drain per hour?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's comparing ROms.
stock vs aosp. Then you will ask which one.
It's better to try on your own.
For Me stock odexed rooted with a lot of bloatware removed works the best
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

pemell said:
It's not about comparison of roms, I would like to discuss platforms in regards of performance, battery and user friendly factors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's not really a lot to discuss because the differences from 4.1>4.2>4.3 really aren't that earth shattering. Especially when you factor in Samsung's s/w modifications. Of the three, 4.1 is considered the most stable with 4.2 having a bunch of issues; some being corrected with 4.2.2 and others not (BT). 4.3 corrects the BT issue which Samsung had already fixed by using their own BT s/w in their 4.2.X ROMs.
Here's a summary of a great 4.1<>4.2 comparison done by Android Authority. A lot of what they are describing doesn't really affect TW-based devices and is more aimed at Nexi users.
So many of the goodies that you love from Android 4.1 Jelly Bean have been carried over to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Most of the stock apps and widgets are similar in both Android versions. To the eyes, there’s no big change in Android 4.2 at all. But, some new significant features and some minor alterations make Android 4.2 sweeter and fun. Here is a brief list of new features from Android 4.2 Jelly Bean:
Support for multiple users (for Android tablets)
Multiple lockscreen pages with widgets Wireless display
Revamped Camera app Photo Sphere HDR Mode (for supported devices)
New Clock app Quick Settings pull-down menu Daydream Gesture typing
Additional options in Developer Options
Magnification Gestures and Explore by Touch accessibility features
Security enhancements
UI design changes
Placed side by side, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean shows a slightly modified and slightly upgraded version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
http://www.androidauthority.com/android-4-1-vs-android-4-2-jelly-bean-149740/​
As for 4.2>4.3 the changes are even fewer.
http://www.android.com/about/jelly-bean/
4.1 is as solid as a rock on the N2 and the new features in 4.2/4.3 are either not that significant or wouldn't apply to a TW-enabled device. I'm looking forward to 4.2/4.3 (supposedly Samsung's skipping 4.2) coming to the N2 primarily to get some of Samsung's "S" additions that were introduced on the SGS4. But I’ll probably get a N3 which will most likely be on 4.3 before the N2 gets upgraded. Of the native Google features the one I'm most interested in is the more flexible lock screen with widget capabilities. Now that Android is mature the days of radically new versions coming out multiple times a year are pretty much over. 4.1 was introduced in June 2012 and here it is August 2013 and the evolution across 4.1/4.2/4.3 is pretty minor.

Some like the Touchwiz functionalities and it supports multi window and s- features. AOSP has other stuffs. basically depends on what u want and what you like

coolkratos said:
Some like the Touchwiz functionalities and it supports multi window and s- features. AOSP has other stuffs. basically depends on what u want and what you like
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I just flashed cm10.1 nightlies and found it super smooth and very well bare for the most part.
Like it felt stripped to the core but super fast and there was no real complaint on my part. You end up with more memory to use and of course it's almost pure stock android with some tweaks. I especially like the blue halo theme!
Now back to Touchwhiz I found myself loving it more than AOSP mainly for this device.
Having s pen related apps and gestures makes it an easy choice. We have pop note and other goodies from the pen.
Air gesture and even without the pen we have built in features like multiwindow and a much better camera experience.
Over all I think when we get 4.3 Touchwhiz, most of the other than users of aosp will switch!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I like the ProBam ROM, the s-pen features work and it has lots of free RAM. with all apps running the ram usage is around 1.2gb used
jetbruceli said:
Well I just flashed cm10.1 nightlies and found it super smooth and very well bare for the most part.
Like it felt stripped to the core but super fast and there was no real complaint on my part. You end up with more memory to use and of course it's almost pure stock android with some tweaks. I especially like the blue halo theme!
Now back to Touchwhiz I found myself loving it more than AOSP mainly for this device.
Having s pen related apps and gestures makes it an easy choice. We have pop note and other goodies from the pen.
Air gesture and even without the pen we have built in features like multiwindow and a much better camera experience.
Over all I think when we get 4.3 Touchwhiz, most of the other than users of aosp will switch!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

coolkratos said:
I like the ProBam ROM, the s-pen features work and it has lots of free RAM. with all apps running the ram usage is around 1.2gb used
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus with Odexed TW, I believe in my OPINION, that's its the smoothest experience!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

jetbruceli said:
Plus with Odexed TW, I believe in my OPINION, that's its the smoothest experience!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't say I tried ROMs for Samsung, but while I had HTC I did flash a lot - since DHD wasn't getting JB and I experimented a lot with JB ROMS. IMHO, all the "smoothest experience" stuff and how this ROM is better than the other is ONLY due to the fact that when you flash it - your phone is EMPTY. This is also the fact when we buy our phones and we go ooooohh and aaaahhh, how smooth it is. Then, after few months, we fill 'em up with al sorts of widgets and background running processes and they're not so smooth anymore. IMHO, no matter what ROM you use, the performance will always be the same, no matter what. OK, it might be slightly better or worse, but so little that you won't be able to tell. That's why I use stock ROM, since it has most functionality. I just know ANY ROM will be slow after x months of use....

dalanik said:
Can't say I tried ROMs for Samsung, but while I had HTC I did flash a lot - since DHD wasn't getting JB and I experimented a lot with JB ROMS. IMHO, all the "smoothest experience" stuff and how this ROM is better than the other is ONLY due to the fact that when you flash it - your phone is EMPTY. This is also the fact when we buy our phones and we go ooooohh and aaaahhh, how smooth it is. Then, after few months, we fill 'em up with al sorts of widgets and background running processes and they're not so smooth anymore. IMHO, no matter what ROM you use, the performance will always be the same, no matter what. OK, it might be slightly better or worse, but so little that you won't be able to tell. That's why I use stock ROM, since it has most functionality. I just know ANY ROM will be slow after x months of use....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's why when I flash a new ROM. I wait a day after to determine the speed and stability.
Anyone can say this or that about a ROM or system but in the end its about the user. And I use my device like no other. So performance and stability are the main factors for me!!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I'm also a big fan of stock, rooted. Custom roms are fun and all yet there are times where you will hit issues because the Dev made a mistake or a change inadvertently affected something else. In my experience the improvements in battery life are negligible at best and at the end of the day I need my phone to be reliable. My latest experience with a custom rom has me with a phone which won't wake from deep sleep if I put it in airplane mode. I'm just waiting to get back home from a business trip and then the first thing I'll be doing is reverting my phone to stock. The last thing I need is a phone which randomly dies in my when I'm away from my laptop and regular access to a high speed Internet connection. These days I'm able to travel light. Besides clothes a note 2 and a note 8 are all I need to get things done but they must be reliable above all else.
Sent from my GT-N7100

If you have been on 4.2.2 on an S4 u would not expect to see much other differences on the android front except added security. Whatever goodies samsung adds to the note 3 I would expect to see on the note two update. Therefore we will know nothing until September October.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium

I'm running unofficial Cyanogenmod 4.3 on my N7105 and must say it's suprisingly stable. Of course there is a long way to go before it can serve as a daily driver, but it's amazing these guys can do so much in such a short time.

Apart some issues with camera , the cm 10.2 is really smooth and battery life is very ok for me.

[Q] Setting up a new Nexus 4 user

Hi all,
I am gearing up to get a Nexus 4 in a couple of weeks following its price drop, and I think I'd like to install a custom ROM (and maybe a custom kernel) as I like the idea of improved performance and having my OS specifically tailored to my phone. It seems like there is a massive number of options available to people who want to customize their Android phone, and I'd really appreciate some advice as to where I should start looking.
I have read up a bit on prominent ROM's like CM, PA, SlimBean, MIUI, etc, but user experiences tend to vary pretty widely. Basically, I am all for minimalism, stability, and trying to get my battery to last as long as possible. I'm really just looking for an elegant, intuitive ROM that is fast and efficient and doesn't need too much running on the back end to do what it needs to do. I really like PA's Halo notifications, but from what I have read the ROM itself can be a bit buggy and sluggish relative to other ROM's. Is there any way I can integrate Halo notifications into a more lightweight ROM?
Finally, it seems like running custom kernels has the potential to improve performance/battery life/etc, but usage is so user-specific that it's impossible to say which kernel is "best" for such things. If that is the case, is there an easy way of understanding their strengths and weaknesses so I can decide which one is right for me? I'm just a bit lost as of right now .
Thanks for the help!

Downloaded7 said:
Hi all,
I am gearing up to get a Nexus 4 in a couple of weeks following its price drop, and I think I'd like to install a custom ROM (and maybe a custom kernel) as I like the idea of improved performance and having my OS specifically tailored to my phone. It seems like there is a massive number of options available to people who want to customize their Android phone, and I'd really appreciate some advice as to where I should start looking.
I have read up a bit on prominent ROM's like CM, PA, SlimBean, MIUI, etc, but user experiences tend to vary pretty widely. Basically, I am all for minimalism, stability, and trying to get my battery to last as long as possible. I'm really just looking for an elegant, intuitive ROM that is fast and efficient and doesn't need too much running on the back end to do what it needs to do. I really like PA's Halo notifications, but from what I have read the ROM itself can be a bit buggy and sluggish relative to other ROM's. Is there any way I can integrate Halo notifications into a more lightweight ROM?
Finally, it seems like running custom kernels has the potential to improve performance/battery life/etc, but usage is so user-specific that it's impossible to say which kernel is "best" for such things. If that is the case, is there an easy way of understanding their strengths and weaknesses so I can decide which one is right for me? I'm just a bit lost as of right now .
Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I've gone back to stock because of stability and battery life. Best thing is to try them. You can't really brick a Nexus

Be quick to pick one up. They're going out of stock very quickly.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

NathanBookham said:
Be quick to pick one up. They're going out of stock very quickly.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes they are. 8gb are gone.

Any word on supply scarcity in the UK? I am in Denmark right now and I can't order from the Play Store until I get back to England. If by the time I get back they are all gone, I might as well skip the wait and buy one for a little more money on Amazon right now.