[Survey] Android 4.1 vs 4.3 - Xperia SP General

Hi,
Because we all have diffrent opninion about our Sony Xperia SP I would like to do a very small reseach.
With this very easy poll I just want the next question answered:
Are you running official 4.1.2 or 4.3.x?
If you are running a custom ROM (CM, PA or even stockbased) answer Custom ROM..
If you have answerd the question please let me know in a comment:
Tell which one you have chosen (perhaps even the build number of the version you run) and wheter you are happy with it or not!
Thanks!
OP will kickoff:
I have chosen for Stock Sony 4.3.x. I am not that happy with it because it still has a few bugs. I do however am happy because Sony finnaly took the time to update it after delay and more delay. Now we are just waiting for KitKat.

I still choose 4.3 because camera feature and others.
205 fw

I'm running 4.3, without much talk it's just the best choice right now since many bugs have been fixed and it does come with some pretty nice features

I'm in 4.3.... every OS have bugs, but at least with 4.3 you have more features here and there and thats why is better that stay in a old OS version
Also last update just let me little visual bugs (install app bar), GPS (not the big deal) and Wifi (well Wifi range sucks since 4.1)

I am on stock 4.3,and i am happy!
Nearly all bugs are fixed,only ram is failing in some moments

Happy with stock 4.3 latest fw, much better than previous updates. No lag here, so its good for me after all those laggy updates.

I had lag issues with all versions of the stock ROM I've tried. After testing a whole bunch of custom ROMs I've settled on CM 10.1. While it is not exactly cutting edge, it has been out of active development for many months, it is rock solid and stable.

I use stock 4.3 as camera is important to me. I found PA 4.4.4 to be the fastest rom for me, but I want to be able to control ISO manually on my camera. I tried various versions of 4.3 and decided to stick with my carrier version (O2 UK). Once towel rooted and debloated I find it to be very fast and stable. More so than the various deodex stock roms on the forum.

Yea I am also on the .205 4.3 firmware, I am UK customised, one of the last to get it but it is good. I fixed the uninstall glitch with a fixed package installer apk, only issue I have experienced is battery drain due to location services and lower ram (compared with 4.1.2).

I'm using 4.3, with eXistenZ Ultra. Couldn't be happier [emoji1]

Stock 4.1.2 is the best

I'm using stock 4.1.2 with swap on stock kernel

Was on latest stock every time a new firmware was released, then switched to eXistenZ when it seemed like we'd never have KK, but I've never been deceived with either stock firmware or eXistenZ, both have always been very fast and I've never experienced any lag or disconfort on this phone.

EXistenZ is perfect. 4.3 is better than 4.1 imho
Inviato da Sony Xperia SP

Cyanogenmod 11 by FXP
I personally favours CM 11 because of a few flaws present in the stock ROM. Not to be lying, I really like Sony's UI (framework-res.apk) and some aspects of the stock ROM. As per to my experience, the stock ROM is not that heavily modified as I can somehow use some things that are meant for AOSP-based ROMs, which is a huge plus for me. However, when it comes to support and RAM, it fails to meet my requirement, and that is what forced me to use CM.

classicalpunk said:
Was on latest stock every time a new firmware was released, then switched to eXistenZ when it seemed like we'd never have KK, but I've never been deceived with either stock firmware or eXistenZ, both have always been very fast and I've never experienced any lag or disconfort on this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hah, you must be joking...

Gamm86 said:
Hah, you must be joking...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, I can assure you, maybe I've just been lucky but all of the bugs and lags that have been blamed on it ? I've never had them. The only bad point for me is the pretty average camera.

I'm on stock 4.3 (.205 fw). Best I've experience by far, both feature-wise and usability. RAm management could be better though.

Related

need advice

well,
request to user if they can advice on which firmware will be good as if i stay stock is right choice to update to latest or should iI go custom and if later the n which rom as need it for an upgrade for my young bro phone
If u like asop roms u can do with custom roms..but in custom roms there is no dual SIM functionality only primary SIM works!!!
Sent from my GT-I9082 using Tapatalk 4
shhbz said:
well,
request to user if they can advice on which firmware will be good as if i stay stock is right choice to update to latest or should iI go custom and if later the n which rom as need it for an upgrade for my young bro phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are staying stock, go with the latest 4.2.2 firmware as it has improvements in regard of gaming drivers and lags compared to 4.1.2.
There's GENNXT, that's the most stable available stock based ROM.
Advantage of stock would be better gaming experience, samsung apps and dual SIM functionality
While the down side would be the usage of RAM is a little higher, as can be expected by stock based ROMs, so expect freezes and lags every now and then.
If you are going custom, in 4.2.2 there's only CM11 that was just released 3 days ago. If you opt to downgrade to 4.1.2, there's an array of ROMs available like PAC-MAN, MoKee, SlimBean, Resurrection and so on.
Personally I would recommend SlimBean, as it's the one I'm usually on and it's the one with the best battery backup, but all of them are full of customizations.
Advantage of being on these would be great performance, close to no lags at all, and starts with over 500 Mb RAM free
And the main disadvantage would be single SIM functionality and limited graphic drivers from 4.1.2 firmware
iceyhotguy said:
If you are staying stock, go with the latest 4.2.2 firmware as it has improvements in regard of gaming drivers and lags compared to 4.1.2.
There's GENNXT, that's the most stable available stock based ROM.
Advantage of stock would be better gaming experience, samsung apps and dual SIM functionality
While the down side would be the usage of RAM is a little higher, as can be expected by stock based ROMs, so expect freezes and lags every now and then.
If you are going custom, in 4.2.2 there's only CM11 that was just released 3 days ago. If you opt to downgrade to 4.1.2, there's an array of ROMs available like PAC-MAN, MoKee, SlimBean, Resurrection and so on.
Personally I would recommend SlimBean, as it's the one I'm usually on and it's the one with the best battery backup, but all of them are full of customizations.
Advantage of being on these would be great performance, close to no lags at all, and starts with over 500 Mb RAM free
And the main disadvantage would be single SIM functionality and limited graphic drivers from 4.1.2 firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great so i go with slim so i blv all will be normal as first recovery and then flash super su and then flash the rom. which recovery working better for 4.4.2 flashing
a specific CWM
shhbz said:
great so i go with slim so i blv all will be normal as first recovery and then flash super su and then flash the rom. which recovery working better for 4.4.2 flashing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for android 4.4.1 cm11(4.4.2 not available yet) you have to use a specific recovery which supports SELinux .....you can find more information about it on cm11 thread...
slim 4.4.2 if you are thinking about(slimcat which is called) , is not at all stable yet !!! so there is no 4.4.2 i clear again....
visit this link and see installing procedure if u want this rom !
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2563557
hope i helped
raghavsharmaxda said:
all are same and will help you to flash your custom rom (unless and until u want to flash 4.4 cm11, which requires a specific CWM) ....philz recovery and CWM works all great as they are meant for recovery only
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you see for us on note2 forum philz works the best with great touch support and issues whatsoever so just wanted to be sure on that

Stock with PIE?

hi,
im looking for an easy option to have stock ROM with PIE.
This is my first android device (coming from ios) and i tried different roms. First PA 3.99 then Mahdi rom (on which i am for now, the latest version with 4.2 kernel).
What i really love from modded roms is the PIE navigation. I really cant live with it anymore. Apart from that, i dont care which ROM i use all i want ist pure stability, performance and battery. That bugged me with PA and Mahdi sometimes i had reboots, gps not working and what bugged me most is how silent the speaker is for notifications.
I really appreciate the devs and one can see that great roms will be build, but fo now i want stability and battery.
I thought going back to stock and install PIE could be the best? i havent tried PA 4.3 yet since im on D802 and ive read for some people this rom breaks the screen.
Any advice what
Qwurdi said:
hi,
im looking for an easy option to have stock ROM with PIE.
This is my first android device (coming from ios) and i tried different roms. First PA 3.99 then Mahdi rom (on which i am for now, the latest version with 4.2 kernel).
What i really love from modded roms is the PIE navigation. I really cant live with it anymore. Apart from that, i dont care which ROM i use all i want ist pure stability, performance and battery. That bugged me with PA and Mahdi sometimes i had reboots, gps not working and what bugged me most is how silent the speaker is for notifications.
I really appreciate the devs and one can see that great roms will be build, but fo now i want stability and battery.
I thought going back to stock and install PIE could be the best? i havent tried PA 4.3 yet since im on D802 and ive read for some people this rom breaks the screen.
Any advice what
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you switch to lg stock kitkat with xposed you can use this
Qwurdi said:
hi,
im looking for an easy option to have stock ROM with PIE.
This is my first android device (coming from ios) and i tried different roms. First PA 3.99 then Mahdi rom (on which i am for now, the latest version with 4.2 kernel).
What i really love from modded roms is the PIE navigation. I really cant live with it anymore. Apart from that, i dont care which ROM i use all i want ist pure stability, performance and battery. That bugged me with PA and Mahdi sometimes i had reboots, gps not working and what bugged me most is how silent the speaker is for notifications.
I really appreciate the devs and one can see that great roms will be build, but fo now i want stability and battery.
I thought going back to stock and install PIE could be the best? i havent tried PA 4.3 yet since im on D802 and ive read for some people this rom breaks the screen.
Any advice what
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind being stock and rooted I would recommend LMT. I've never used it with straight stock but I've used it with several Rom's and really like it. Give it a try. Link below.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1330150

[Q] Recommend STABLE Sprint KitKat 4.4.2 NAE ROM?

In my years of rooted phones (Galaxy S2 E4GT, Galaxy S4 (destroyed USB port), Galaxy S4 #2... neither of the S4's have Spark), I have always stuck with stock rooted ROMs. My Sprint Samsung Galaxy S4 is currently on NAE stock rooted TouchWiz with the MF9 bootloader (no-Knox). I have developed a strange issue with loosing my mobile connection and GPS, referenced here: [Q] NAE started loosing mobile connection & GPS? and here: [Q] Loosing mobile connection & GPS. The best suggestion I feel I have received to deal with my issue is to flash a 4.4.2 NAE ROM that already has the Knox removed from it, which means looking for a non-stock ROM, so I am looking for recommendations...
My main priority is STABILITY over bells and whistles. I would prefer a TouchWiz based ROM, because I like the interface, however the only 4.4.2 NAE TouchWiz ROM I find is Negalite WondeROM X, and the developer of that ROM has not posted here since April, so it appears to be abandoned. Also, I'm not so keen on being stuck with a blue theme anyways.
That then leaves me with AOSP ROMs I believe. It occurs to me that because I'm use Nova Launcher, assuming that works under AOSP, rather than the TouchWiz launcher, my interface isn't going to change anyway, correct?
I would prefer to be able to use the KT-SGS4 kernel, only because I like it. I prefer to be able to make choice for myself than to have choices made for me (I might not prefer a ROM that removes a lot of bloatware if I don't consider some of it bloatware, or forces me into a certain color scheme, for example).
So any recommendations for AOSP ROMs that fit my needs? I haven't even started looking yet, but thought I'd throw this out there. CyanogenMod certainly seems to be the most well know ROM (and that is AOSP, correct?), but to my way of thinking, any ROM that needs nightly updates must have a lot of issues that need fixing (correct me if I am wrong about that... and I'm not the nightly flashing type anyways). I have always stuck stock rooted to avoid problems, so I DON'T want flash a ROM that will CAUSE problems! Thanks!
Well... I don't seem to be getting much (ANY) response to this. Having looked around myself, I am finding it difficult just finding ANY 4.4.2 ROMs, everything seems to have gone on to 4.4.4. My reason for AVOIDING 4.4.4 at this point is that 4.4.2 is still the official release level for my phone, plus the ext sd card issues I've heard about (which may or may not be an issue). SO... ARE THERE ANY VALID 4.4.2 NAE CUSTOM ROMs to flash? At least tell me that. I still strongly dislike ANYTHING that has NIGHTLY updates. Thanks.
Previous versions are Nae based newest 2.0 version is ng2 based
[ROM][NAE/NG2][TW 4.4] [TEAM ACHERON] SuperS4 [ODEXED] UPDATED 8-22-14
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2773162
pontif said:
Previous versions are Nae based newest 2.0 version is ng2 based
[ROM][NAE/NG2][TW 4.4] [TEAM ACHERON] SuperS4 [ODEXED] UPDATED 8-22-14
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2773162
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that, but I'm figuring since my phone hasn't officially received a NG2 update yet (unless I am missing something... I think the Spark version has), I don't want to make that jump yet (stupid or not...)
rsngfrce said:
I know that, but I'm figuring since my phone hasn't officially received a NG2 update yet (unless I am missing something... I think the Spark version has), I don't want to make that jump yet (stupid or not...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download the older version 1.6 it's nae based. The link is in the OP for older versions. You don't have to take the leap.
Well, right now, based on what I have found, or based on recommendations, these seem to be my options:
[ROM][NAE][4.4.2] Negalite WondeROM X | Aroma | Xposed | Performance | Kernel | 04-11
[ROM][NAE/NG2][TW 4.4] [TEAM ACHERON] SuperS4 [ODEXED] UPDATED 8-22-14 (older version 1.6)
[ROM] ***Sacs_Custom_Rom_4.4.2_KITKAT_v6*** (I am still really not clear at all what the features of this ROM are).
[ROM][Official][4.4.2] SlimKat Stable 3.0 (older 4.4.2 NAE version, BUT I cannot find 4.4.2 NAE gapps on their site anywhere).
Does anybody have any opinions?
Hey man. I was sort of in the same boat as you. Years of flashing but prefer stock for stability. Lately my s4 felt not only sluggish, but there have been odd jitters in audio, terrible battery life when I'm actually using it very little. So I decided to install CM in a whim.
Last I used CM it was trash. The rom was absurdly unstable and it was just a bad experience, however, with over a year on the market I thought that the S4 version might have changed and be better. And change it did. This rom is better, more stable, absurdly faster, and to top it off battery has improved about 30%. Maybe even more. The system settings are not only extremely decluttered and well laid out, but it also has lots of features that I used apps for, such as NFC profiles baked into the OS.
As for the nightly, I strongly recommend against flashing them, pick the "Stable" version of the rom, the "Milestone" build. Also, CM unified all S4s to 1 master build so our device would be this: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Jflte_Info That's great news as that means that all of the resources have been focused on one rom and it works very well. No issues with any radios, GPS, BT, WiFi, they all switch on faster than they did on the stock s4 build and GPS locks fast. Everything for me is working perfectly after a week. I advice you flash stock, root, then you flash a recovery(I used TWRP) and do a full wipe, flash the latest CM M build and see for yourself. I'm thoroughly impressed with the ROM, I'm sure you will be too.
Thanks very much for the informative post! I will have to give CM a look as you suggest. :thumbup:

ROM Advice

Hi All,
I have had my Galaxy S 4 (I9505) for a while now but it is still running android 4.3.
I was hoping to update it to 5.0.1 but when I plugged it into my PC, Kies said 'This device is unsupported'
I want to flash a new rom onto it (I have done this in the past with a samsung tablet)
I was just wanting some feedback as to what is regarded as a good rom for it these days. Should I go a standard stock rom from sammobile or are there custom roms out there that perform better?
Thanks for any help and advice.
Daniel
Custom roms give you more performance. Stock roms tend to lag here and there, from what I saw in rom reviews.
If you want a minimalist rom, go for CM12 or Slim roms. They have very few features.
If you want lots of features, go for AICP or Resurrection Remix. These two combine the most popular features from other roms (I personally use Resurrection Remix).
And there are the GPE roms. I don't know how GPE 5.1 is, but on 5.0 the rom was rock solid and everything worked.
I can't say anythinv about stock touchwiz because, since I changed I never went back
Spoorman88 said:
Hi All,
I have had my Galaxy S 4 (I9505) for a while now but it is still running android 4.3.
I was hoping to update it to 5.0.1 but when I plugged it into my PC, Kies said 'This device is unsupported'
I want to flash a new rom onto it (I have done this in the past with a samsung tablet)
I was just wanting some feedback as to what is regarded as a good rom for it these days. Should I go a standard stock rom from sammobile or are there custom roms out there that perform better?
Thanks for any help and advice.
Daniel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a custom S6 Touchwiz ROM for your phone model - you'll be pleasantly surprised by the new look, feel and performance. I know I am!
I tried CM but not such a big fan... Experiment a bit until you find what you were ALWAYS looking for!
You try to consider CM 12.1 or GPE Roms. The major disadvantage is the camera quality and some multitasking features on TW, but it's hella fast and smooth.
Sent from my GT-I9505G
Roms
I would recommend Cyanogenmod but sometimes it comes with some problems. Check out first which is the stable version for s4.
Also, I would recommend the WickedRom which is great and great performance. And the WanamLite Rom is amazing if you would like to tune your mobile , for example gpu or cpu in higher frequencies or even set custom gestures and etc.( but remember to be careful with those why you might break your phone
Spoorman88 said:
I was hoping to update it to 5.0.1 but when I plugged it into my PC, Kies said 'This device is unsupported'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's like you have already a custom rom, or a rooted & modified stock rom !.
Spoorman88 said:
I was just wanting some feedback as to what is regarded as a good rom for it these days. Should I go a standard stock rom from sammobile or are there custom roms out there that perform better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go for Resurrection Remix like said: GDReaper, or may be BlissPOP ( with terrible battery drain for me).
I tried just the straight CM 12 rom and it was okay, but once I put on the one of the Optimized CM 12.1 roms I got better battery life and faster performance, but also lost a few features, got a few bugs, but so far so good. It really depends what you want.
If you are willing to have a few crashes, bugs you can put on the newest rom builds, but if you want stable, then going for the older well established ones may be a better option.
skoey said:
I tried just the straight CM 12 rom and it was okay, but once I put on the one of the Optimized CM 12.1 roms I got better battery life and faster performance, but also lost a few features, got a few bugs, but so far so good. It really depends what you want.
If you are willing to have a few crashes, bugs you can put on the newest rom builds, but if you want stable, then going for the older well established ones may be a better option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to correct you here buddy It's almost always better to pick the latest CM build. Because it's a work in progress, every new build has a lot fixes.
I'm curious though to what bugs you are referring to. I used it pretty long and I found it almost to be bugfree. Besides the obvious difficulty's with bluetooth.
Lennyz1988 said:
I have to correct you here buddy It's almost always better to pick the latest CM build. Because it's a work in progress, every new build has a lot fixes.
I'm curious though to what bugs you are referring to. I used it pretty long and I found it almost to be bugfree. Besides the obvious difficulty's with bluetooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Lenny, the official CM builds I have never had an issue with (except nightlies of course) however when we get into the custom ROM world such as Slimroms, modified CM builds etc I do tend to hit a few bugs, such as crashes of apps, however often those builds then become stable.
Hope that makes more sense?
The only good advice is to just use stock roms. It's stable, no bugs, no issues. The only thing that pisses you off is the laggggggg!

Using abandoned ROMS

How safe is it to use ROMs like OmniROM, which ended their development and kitkat was the latest code base? I understand there is probably little support, but what about security issues?
Security wise the newer ROMs have the latest updates and fixes.
But if you don't sideload apps visit dodgy sites and are generally careful you may be okay.
Personally I like the newer ROMs anyway CM13 is my current.
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk
It really depends on the specific rom. A rom that was made by a really good developer and then abandoned is better than one made by someone who isn't good but updates it daily. Generally all roms will be equally "safe" as long as it's made by someone reputable. You would only have a problem if you started installing a bunch of shaddy (/pirated)apps or got hit by something like the stagefright vulnerability(unlikely, and most roms are patched for it anyway). Either way, you are ultimately responsible for how safe your phone is, especially if it's rooted. With that said, I would consider any custom rom to be experimental and won't be as secure(or stable) as the latest stock.
I am coming from the stock lollipop, and I gotta say that KitKat OmniROM is surprisingly fast and trouble free. The user interface is very snappy and lag free. The interface response to any action is pretty much instant. It's like breathing a new life into an old phone. It did take a few hours to figure out that I had to flash the old JB bootstack, and KK modem to make it works, some screwing around with gapps, launchers, but the result is wonderful. I wish they didn't abandon LG G2 in newer version.

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