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I recently bought a Nexus 4 and have a few questions about whether or not I should root.
Firstly, I'm not new to this. I have in the past rooted 4 android devices including a Gal-nexus. Nevertheless I have concerns.
1. Does performance suffer with custom Roms/kernels? I have found my N4 very responsive but in the past I felt like some speed and fluidity was lost when I flashed new Roms. Is that still the case?
2. A follow on from 1; What's the best Rom?
3. Are there any benefits to rooting specific to the N4 that I otherwise wouldn't know about?
4. Are there any other reason why I should/ should not root that you know?
hyperdude111 said:
I recently bought a Nexus 4 and have a few questions about whether or not I should root.
Firstly, I'm not new to this. I have in the past rooted 4 android devices including a Gal-nexus. Nevertheless I have concerns.
1. Does performance suffer with custom Roms/kernels? I have found my N4 very responsive but in the past I felt like some speed and fluidity was lost when I flashed new Roms. Is that still the case?
2. A follow on from 1; What's the best Rom?
3. Are there any benefits to rooting specific to the N4 that I otherwise wouldn't know about?
4. Are there any other reason why I should/ should not root that you know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see how anyone could possibly answer your questions. Performance varies from ROM to ROM, but generally building a ROM that makes performance suffer doesn't regularly become popular. The best ROM is an often asked question, and it gets the same answer every time. You need to try them out and see for yourself. People may offer their opinions, but that's it. You may like something in one ROM which I don't etc. There are benefits to rooting, as a few popular apps require root permissions (Titanium backup i.e). I always root my phones, and I've never regretted doing it.
1. Does performance suffer with custom Roms/kernels? I have found my N4 very responsive but in the past I felt like some speed and fluidity was lost when I flashed new Roms. Is that still the case?
Flash a custom rom if you'd like. Honestly, there's nothing wrong with vanilla android 4.2.2, but it's missing a few things I like having...like expanded power menu and the theme engine
2. A follow on from 1; What's the best Rom?
for me it's paranoid. It looks VERY professional, IMHO, and it offers everything I want in a rom, including an aosp base, rather than CM, which has become a little too trendy for me
3. Are there any benefits to rooting specific to the N4 that I otherwise wouldn't know about?
accessing any functions that would need modding to run from anywhere but the /data directory just like always
4. Are there any other reason why I should/ should not root that you know?
the first thing I did when I unboxed mine (after playing with the stock rom for 20 minutes) was run the bootloader unlock command, then flash cwm so I could run a custom rom I'm probably the wrong person to ask if you're apprehensive about using a custom rom, because I'm always for rooting and customizing
If you want to root it do it at your own risk..btw I haven't rooted mine yet
20vakaris00 said:
If you want to root it do it at your own risk..btw I haven't rooted mine yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for sharing this vital and lifechanging information
@OP:
I would use the phone for a few weeks to get familiar with it, read up in the meantime about the rom`s, kernel`s, mods that are available and fastboot and adb . After that you can realy compare and see the benefits and/or downsides between stock and custom.
As long as you have done the research and understand the risks of rooting your device(and you have stated you do) I would. The whole reason I bought this device is because I knew development would be off the chain.....and it is. Good luck whichever you decide and flash safely.
hyperdude111 said:
I recently bought a Nexus 4 and have a few questions about whether or not I should root.
Firstly, I'm not new to this. I have in the past rooted 4 android devices including a Gal-nexus. Nevertheless I have concerns.
1. Does performance suffer with custom Roms/kernels? I have found my N4 very responsive but in the past I felt like some speed and fluidity was lost when I flashed new Roms. Is that still the case?
2. A follow on from 1; What's the best Rom?
3. Are there any benefits to rooting specific to the N4 that I otherwise wouldn't know about?
4. Are there any other reason why I should/ should not root that you know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly I've been rooted I've tried like 5 roms (top roms like cm, Xenon, xylon, liquid smooth, etc) but I feel like stock is smoother and faster... I root for performance and customization but there's no improvement in performance for me (unless overclocked) so I guess I'm going back to stock rooted
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
iNeedICS said:
Honestly I've been rooted I've tried like 5 roms (top roms like cm, Xenon, xylon, liquid smooth, etc) but I feel like stock is smoother and faster... I root for performance and customization but there's no improvement in performance for me (unless overclocked) so I guess I'm going back to stock rooted
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Roms don`t make phones faster, kernels make them faster
i recommend you to root your N4 you will not have any drop downs in performance
gee2012 said:
Roms don`t make phones faster, kernels make them faster
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Click to collapse
Hi,
It depends of a certain point of view... What do youy mean by "faster" (I don't ask this to you particularly ), yes a kernel helps but a rom well optimized can do your phone "faster" without any custom kernel.
After all it depends of what do you mean, faster, smoother, etc... is subjective. A combo kernel / rom optimized is the best and I think that just a kernel can't do only the stuff all the time (flash a bloated rom with a ton of scripts and build.prop tweaks as a "fastest and smoother rom", flash a "good" kernel -> the kernel will not help you even with overclocking or anything else).
You can have a good kernel with some good settings but you can broke all this stuff with a "bad" rom... So it's 50 / 50 - rom / kernel.
It's not only the kernel that makes a phone "faster"...
It's like in a car, it's not only the motor that does everything (I mean that does a faster car), there is also the Cx, the tyres, the fuel, etc...
If you do not have a reason to root, don't do it then.
cipsaz said:
If you do not have a reason to root, don't do it then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good remark.
I rooted mine and flashed Faux mainline kernel with stock 4.2.2 and i noticed a huge improvement in battery life and performance. :good:
My reasons for rooting before I even put my SIM card in:
1. It wipes the phone so best to do it first.
2. Titanium Backup to restore transfer apps/data from my Nexus One.
3. Install Greenify
4. Install AdAway
5. Load Franco kernel which doesn't require root but his kernel app does
I knew going in that I wasn't going to load a custom ROM for a long time (if at all). I don't see how it could get much smoother than stock
There is no "Best" ROM. It's all on personal preference. I personally think PA is the best rom, and have stuck by it ever since getting my N4. You might think another rom is best, so just try all the ones that seem interesting to you, and find out what's best for you.
If you just got your nexus 4 enjoy it stock for a while. It works pretty good! Take your time to read. Welcome aboard!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
I'm on stock right now and it's blazing I mean I might root again and try a kernel with mpdecision enabled and that could make a big difference but we'll see I mean I like stock for now there's not much bloat except for like currents, earth, book, and stuff which is just Google play stuff I'm glad I don't have all that tmobile bloat lol
Sent from Squishy's N⁴!
Yeah Im kind a questioning the point in rooting to. I had rooted and installed RasBean rom with Trinity on my Galaxy Nexus and it was great, but one of the main reasons i rooted was to get stickmount to work for usb memory stick support. As this isnt there yet for the N4 then im failing to see the point... plus once i start flashing roms and taking backups with clockworkmod that eats into available phone space..
im sure i'll be tempted eventually but right now im getting decent battery life, good performance and my screen colours are good enough for me.. so i am on the fence..
will rooting and flashing these custom kernels/roms resolve the wifi instability issue?? thanks!
In my opinion, if You are asking this (and these) question (s) then You definitely should not root your device. It's natural for me to root it 5 minutes after unboxing my new device, but I know why am I doing this. If you asking other people whether You should do it or not then You dont need it
Hey,
I just wanted to ask does the custom roms really worth rooting? in comparison to the google stock rom how much faster and more battery efficient are the custom rom that specialize in those fields? (i.e. LiquidSmooth from what I could gather) and how much more/less stable are they from the stock rom?
Thank you.
Experience differs from user to user. The most conclusive way to get an answer is to try it out yourself. For me, PA has been just as fast as the stock ROM and had equally good battery life, but I have had the occasional random reboot. To me that's a miniscule trade-off for the features you get. You won't really get a ROM that's significantly faster than a stock ROM though because the hardware on the phone is good enough that everything feels fast.
tomer90 said:
Hey,
I just wanted to ask does the custom roms really worth rooting? in comparison to the google stock rom how much faster and more battery efficient are the custom rom that specialize in those fields? (i.e. LiquidSmooth from what I could gather) and how much more/less stable are they from the stock rom?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend you try both and stick with the one that works best for you. Only you can determine which one you like more. The N4 is easy to install a custom rom on (even from stock). Plus with the backup apps out there you don't have to risk losing your data and starting over. No two users are identical and what works for one may not work for another.
For what it's worth, I've flashed back to stock/locked/unrooted because I never came to depend on the features the different roms gave me. I'm getting older and don't have the time to stay current on the different roms and features. All I need for my phone are apps/features that are found in the stock rom and the google store. Battery life is better on a custom rom but it's not worth it to me to continue my "flashaholic" ways. I still get through a day sometimes a day and a half on the stock rom - which is all I need. My use case could be drastically different than yours so don't do what I did unless you know it will work for you.
The developers here do great work and it's a great community so I would recommend you try them all to see which one you like the most.
Good luck.
You need to find the answer yourself.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using tapatalk 2
its not about me testing for myself because i'm not looking for features or special stuff i can get along with everything i'm really just looking for the fastest most battery saving ROM, thats it, I play little to almost no games basicly mail and scanning and stuff like that(i'm a student right now) and soon i'll be writing some apps for myself for security purposes so I need something to really milk that Quad Core for all its worth so I also need some CPU tweaking apps(not sure if thats ROM related)
You'll be very happy with Sabermod or Rasbean both close to stock. Sabermod is the only Rom built using the 4.8 chaintool and is very fast. The battery life is also excellent. I recommend those 2 for a close to stock experience with some useful tweaks both fast smooth and solid.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Thank you for your input.
Any other opinions?
and by the way, excuse my ignorance but what does it mean 4.8 chaintool? what makes it faster then the 4.7 or the older ones? and since its really new im guessing, does it mean its less stable then the other ROMS? and when you say excellent battery life, its in comparison to all those other ROMS that aim for max battery life?
Thank you!
If you really want more battery life or smoothness then IMO you should just install a new kernel; Franco's kernel has great battery life but it still has better performance than stock, Trinity kernel is super fast and smooth, and there's loads more options available.
I'm running CM10.1 and Franco kernel and its very stable, barely ever have any sort of bugs or random reboots
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
I run CM10.1. Close to stock, but has a few options that are nice to have especially if you like to customize your phone. There are other Roms that have more options, but to me, what's in CM is enough. It's really up to you.
With that being said, I recently flashed a stock rooted rom and got MUCH better battery life than on CM. I don't know if it was an app I had or what, but stock definitely gave me better battery life. I have tried kernels and Rom combinations, but always come back to CM with every single phone I've had. But, in my experience on the Nexus 4, stock Rom gives me the best battery life.
For me liquidsmooth is brilliant! Extremely fast while having tons of customization options. Pair it with matr1x and it really is a great combo for speed and battery life. This is only my opinion but it works for me. I got over 22000 on antutu with this combination (no overclock) while I think its around 17000 on stock. I also get significantly better battery life compared to stock.
if you really want a bump in battery and performance, i suggest rooting and just install francos kernel.i've tried every rom on this forum and for me i ALWAYS find my way back to stock for me it just feels the most fluid and everything works like it should. like me you dont play games or anything and im no app hoarder.that said stock rom with francos kernel gives me the best of everything including color/gamma tweaks to make your screen look better with his app.
with that said i suggest to check out different kernels
Installing kernel...
paul_viado said:
if you really want a bump in battery and performance, i suggest rooting and just install francos kernel.i've tried every rom on this forum and for me i ALWAYS find my way back to stock for me it just feels the most fluid and everything works like it should. like me you dont play games or anything and im no app hoarder.that said stock rom with francos kernel gives me the best of everything including color/gamma tweaks to make your screen look better with his app.
with that said i suggest to check out different kernels
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now, if we install franco's kernel onto the Stock ROM, will this prevent any future Google updates from being installed?
mastewman said:
Now, if we install franco's kernel onto the Stock ROM, will this prevent any future Google updates from being installed?
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Click to collapse
Updates in any form will show up in the forum and no need to simply rely on Google for them. They have recently released an updated kernel which I see being implemented by some rom developers and kernel developers already. Let's understand what we have here guys, a community of constant building additions/updates to our phones. So updates should be the last thing for you to worry about IMO
Also to me OP some of the questions you asked can all be answered with a simple Google Search, not that the answers given here are wrong but you would probably find more in depth and uniformed answers by looking it up.. Quite sure its on a wiki somewhere...
playya said:
Updates in any form will show up in the forum and no need to simply rely on Google for them. They have recently released an updated kernel which I see being implemented by some rom developers and kernel developers already. Let's understand what we have here guys, a community of constant building additions/updates to our phones. So updates should be the last thing for you to worry about IMO
Also to me OP some of the questions you asked can all be answered with a simple Google Search, not that the answers given here are wrong but you would probably find more in depth and uniformed answers by looking it up.. Quite sure its on a wiki somewhere...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe he means Google ota's and yes it can stop you from getting ota's. Any modification to system. Whether you added or removed something will fail. You would have to be on complete stock for it to work. Just download yourself a nexus 4 toolkit. The latest factory image, latest drivers, and make sure you backup your internal storage on your computer. Use the tool to return your phone back to stock. Of course whenever you feel is tge right time to do so.
Jsparta26 said:
I believe he means Google ota's and yes it can stop you from getting ota's. Any modification to system. Whether you added or removed something will fail. You would have to be on complete stock for it to work. Just download yourself a nexus 4 toolkit. The latest factory image, latest drivers, and make sure you backup your internal storage on your computer. Use the tool to return your phone back to stock. Of course whenever you feel is tge right time to do so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no I fully understood what he meant and my point was simply people unroot or stay stock to wait for an update. Whether you are rooted or not the update will find you in some form. Either with a rooted stock rom or a custom rom but rest assure that xda will not let an update happen and its not on everyone's phone :good:
Disclaimer: I know what is the best for me and what I want to use. Don't flame me for the title, first read it please.
Let's say we have two options:
1. Stock ROM with applications that add functionality and possibly run in the background, e.g. Power Toggles or Lightflow,
2. Custom ROM with built-in tweaks, like a quick-settings mod or some kind of LED customization.
So, my question is: which is better in terms of everything (available RAM, battery, etc)? Stock software with running apps or custom built-ROM with modifications to the source files? Or are they equal basically? I'd vote for option 2, but honestly, I have no idea, that's why I'm asking. Technical details are welcomed as well as personal opinions.
Pipusz said:
Disclaimer: I know what is the best for me and what I want to use. Don't flame me for the title, first read it please.
Let's say we have two options:
1. Stock ROM with applications that add functionality and possibly run in the background, e.g. Power Toggles or Lightflow,
2. Custom ROM with built-in tweaks, like a quick-settings mod or some kind of LED customization.
So, my question is: which is better in terms of everything (available RAM, battery, etc)? Stock software with running apps or custom built-ROM with modifications to the source files? Or are they equal basically? I'd vote for option 2, but honestly, I have no idea, that's why I'm asking. Technical details are welcomed as well as personal opinions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When speaking of Nexus device, there is no real difference between custom and stock in terms of official apps and bloatware, because of its vanilla (pure android) nature.
The main difference is the ability to control and modify more sides of your ROM. This can easily lead to better performance, battery, and so on because you can customize it by your needs and use.
The only reason, IMO, to stay on stock is if you want automatic updates, remain warrenty Etc. In terms of performance and such it is recommended to flash a custom ROM.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Why don't you just give it a try? They're free. Not like you can't go back.
zephiK said:
Why don't you just give it a try? They're free. Not like you can't go back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meh, I'm happy with my current ROM, not trying anything. Just had too much time on the train to wonder
I take it you are speaking of approach. I prefer the first. Sure you can get more out of a custom rom, but it comes all at one time in a single flash and you might get things you don't want. I like customizing by installing apks, flashing mods, and applying themes. It is more enjoyable this way and I like the learning involved. Of course, this doesn't mean that I don't flash a custom rom now and then.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
fernandezhjr said:
I take it you are speaking of approach. I prefer the first. Sure you can get more out of a custom rom, but it comes all at one time in a single flash and you might get things you don't want. I like customizing by installing apks, flashing mods, and applying themes. It is more enjoyable this way and I like the learning involved. Of course, this doesn't mean that I don't flash a custom rom now and then.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is true that custom ROM's bring things that maybe you don't want, but that's why we should search for the correct ROM. In my case, I hate all the Hybrid stuff, so I keep myself far away from ROM's with this, but on the other hand I like Halo and Expanded Desktop. These 3 features are from PA, but I know I don't want this. What should I do?. Look for ROM with these 2. In my case, was Carbon, also because it has AOKP Ribbons which I find pretty interesting.
I think there are not many options about mods and customizations in stock. There is a whole world of possibilities about apps, but certain things cannot be done with stock, so I prefer most of the time custom ROM. Right now I'm on pure AOSP 4.3 and I'm really enjoying the pure Android experience, although I miss some of the modifications of custom ROM's.
@Pipusz
I think myself: why bother to get like 10 apps to make something, when you can have them as part of system?.
Is it really true that the custom roms are better than stock roms?
And what make the difference
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Free mobile app
Depends on what yoyr comparing. As far as your likes on either aosp or stock roms. I find its a mood thing for me. Some days i prefer the stability (in most cases) of stock roms. Better use of the actual features you paid the money for on the device. Then some days the total customization of aosp. Depending on the build release. Stable and all running great on a stock oem carrier branded flagship could be the fastest most fun. But your camera may not work as well etc. Etc. ...Its really personal choice. That is the answer most will give you.
However in my experiences, id have to say most flagships today or released in past year are just great out of box. Most should be. Maybe debloat a bit. But really. Its all choice. Well id better crash. Been on a 36 hour build here. Pooped. You can always build yourself an environment and learn a few things about building your own rom from source. But though i dont share mine anymore here you could. Many would like anything to just flash. And really that about what this becomes after a few years if your not building your own. Lol. But like most of us die hards around here if nothing else its quite fun. So go flash and test. Enjoy.
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Free mobile app
sten123 said:
Is it really true that the custom roms are better than stock roms?
And what make the difference
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it really does depend on what you're comparing.
There are many pros to flashing custom ROM, but you don't get the official updates anymore - which you have to wait for your ROM cook to cook up a new version.
Custom ROMs also give you more possibilities in customization, on stock ROM you are limited to many things. You have more control over your apps and have the capability of using superuser permissions on apps.
There are more pros for custom ROMs than pros for stock ROMs.
Some ROM's remove a lot of bloat, that combined with custom kernels may allow for faster speed, better battery life and a greater degree of customization of the UI. If you use a touchwiz rom you can keep the spen functions, but ROM's like Cyanagynmod may limit the pen functionality and lack the Samsung features supporting the spen.
I'm running hyperdrive ROM ATM. Battery life is far better, all the s-pen features work and it's significantly faster. I've also changed many of the stock colors in the UI and flashed a theme I like. The rom bakes in some other helpful apps, for example one that switches an alternate keyboard (Swiftkey for example) with the stock keyboard (for writing) when the spen is out. You could add these separately, but can be accessed via the ROM's tweaks utility.
I have unlocked my bootloader, rooted with Magisk and flashed AsopExtended Rom. Very happy with the performance of my A2017U as it is right now. My question to ya'll is, What would be the pros and cons of returning to complete stock (for OTA updates) or sticking with rooted and custom rom and not being able to receive OTA updates?
whats the question here? Its on you... what you prefer
Lol that depends of your needs - I stick to stock because of audio (mostly) and somehow bcz of camera (as far as I know you can install stock camera app).
That's question is a little bit irrevelant when you was stock and now you are testing custom rom.
So the answer is simply - replay to your question by yourself and with margin to your needs.
Had to test the waters with custom roms on this phone, but was just wanting to hear other peoples thoughts on the subject. I've always tinkered with customizing my phones and enjoy doing so. Would like to hear different points of view and then see if it would make me change my mind. Sometimes custom roms have little bugs that people can or can't live with, and in some cases stock is best for total functionality. Just curious of others opinions.....
amaury48 said:
Had to test the waters with custom roms on this phone, but was just wanting to hear other peoples thoughts on the subject. I've always tinkered with customizing my phones and enjoy doing so. Would like to hear different points of view and then see if it would make me change my mind. Sometimes custom roms have little bugs that people can or can't live with, and in some cases stock is best for total functionality. Just curious of others opinions.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMHO custom ROMs are littered with bugs, but mostly overlookable. Take the phone bug or storage with SD card bug for example.
Stock works better in every regard (except substratum, damn you mifavor) and with MiFavor 5 this is even truer. But if you like your current ROM there's no reason to go back...
Choose an username... said:
IMHO custom ROMs are littered with bugs, but mostly overlookable. Take the phone bug or storage with SD card bug for example.
Stock works better in every regard (except substratum, damn you mifavor) and with MiFavor 5 this is even truer. But if you like your current ROM there's no reason to go back...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I finally went back to stock B25 via the DrakenFx method to retain root and custom recovery. I came across the phone bug on my custom rom and that helped me make my decision to go back to a stock rom.....
Yep, used custom ROMs from the first week of owning the phone until about a month ago when I went back to B25 with Magisk. Couldn't be happier.
I was about to make a similar thread myself but saw this one. I have been running custom roms since day one but have been considering returning to stock.
A brief summary of the benefits:
Reasons to go with stock:
Fully functional ZTE camera app with no bugs - This is perhaps more important than you might think, ZTE haven't enabled the Camera 2 API which means its very possible we are going to get the best quality and feature-set by sticking with the stock app. If ZTE haven't released their blobs there could very well be reasons to stick with the default camera app...not only that but I like it. You can install the mod, but there are aspects that will never work and some roms and kernels play more nicely with the mod than others.
Dolby Atmos app. Similar to the camera on stock this would just mean less messing about, you can of course get atmos mods in magisk but whether they work as well as the stock ZTE app I am not sure. The strange thing is I have never had the stock ZTE Axon atmos magisk mod to work on a custom rom, even though I have an Axon!
Reliability, no need to worry about force closes or apps not working, everything pretty much just works. So much less stress if you use your phone as a daily driver.
Ease of use, less features makes the phone easier to use. In some cases even when you are a tinkerer like me its sometimes good to be able to forget about continuously tweaking stuff and digging yourself in to a never ending upgrade cycle.
Oreo, it looks like if you stay stock we will see Oreo sooner than custom roms.
Reasons to go custom:
Substratum, oh boy would I miss this going back to stock. The ZTE theme engine is pants compared and I love the work that goes in to my current premium theme.
Battery life, perhaps with the aid of also a custom kernel there are some very nice roms and kernels being worked on which allow you to fully customise and save battery life.
Features, you can set the phone up exactly as you want too, every small detail can be customised. You can choose exactly which rom you like based on the features you use.
Performance, you can get more performance out of a custom rom with custom kernel and find a nicer balance between battery and performance, whichever suits you.
Fun, its fun to flash different roms and get the flashing bug. You learn a lot and get to join in with a fantastic community where people help each other.
Third option, run a debloated custom rom.
Seems to be more and more popular, as an ex Nexus 5 user I loved Cataclysm rom for this very reason. You keep all the features associated with stock with added performance benefits, fixes and less bloat. There is a downside if you plan on keeping atmos as some stock roms seem to strip it away, but it is a nice compromise between the options above. Usually these roms are more reliable as they are based on stock too. If you want a lean rom that just works, this may suit you!
Its such a hard choice and one I still havent decided on, if I have missed anything please let me know!
Background info and summary:
My first smartphone was a ZTE blade 2 and it was a beast for the money, this phone is tremendous too. My GF owns a pixel and apart from the camera this phone trumps it for value no question...for less than half the price.
I have to say though, I do miss the days of my Nexus 5 and the larger mod community, I realise these days have gone now with google devices but perhaps next time I will opt to go to Oneplus just so I can trust a bit more that there will be less caveats going custom as if there is one complaint I have with ZTE it is their unwillingness to release their source code for the little tiny things like the camera api and atmos.
Dodgexander said:
I was about to make a similar thread myself but saw this one. I have been running custom roms since day one but have been considering returning to stock.
A brief summary of the benefits:
Reasons to go with stock:
Fully functional ZTE camera app with no bugs - This is perhaps more important than you might think, ZTE haven't enabled the Camera 2 API which means its very possible we are going to get the best quality and feature-set by sticking with the stock app. If ZTE haven't released their blobs there could very well be reasons to stick with the default camera app...not only that but I like it. You can install the mod, but there are aspects that will never work and some roms and kernels play more nicely with the mod than others.
Dolby Atmos app. Similar to the camera on stock this would just mean less messing about, you can of course get atmos mods in magisk but whether they work as well as the stock ZTE app I am not sure. The strange thing is I have never had the stock ZTE Axon atmos magisk mod to work on a custom rom, even though I have an Axon!
Reliability, no need to worry about force closes or apps not working, everything pretty much just works. So much less stress if you use your phone as a daily driver.
Ease of use, less features makes the phone easier to use. In some cases even when you are a tinkerer like me its sometimes good to be able to forget about continuously tweaking stuff and digging yourself in to a never ending upgrade cycle.
Oreo, it looks like if you stay stock we will see Oreo sooner than custom roms.
Reasons to go custom:
Substratum, oh boy would I miss this going back to stock. The ZTE theme engine is pants compared and I love the work that goes in to my current premium theme.
Battery life, perhaps with the aid of also a custom kernel there are some very nice roms and kernels being worked on which allow you to fully customise and save battery life.
Features, you can set the phone up exactly as you want too, every small detail can be customised. You can choose exactly which rom you like based on the features you use.
Performance, you can get more performance out of a custom rom with custom kernel and find a nicer balance between battery and performance, whichever suits you.
Fun, its fun to flash different roms and get the flashing bug. You learn a lot and get to join in with a fantastic community where people help each other.
Third option, run a debloated custom rom.
Seems to be more and more popular, as an ex Nexus 5 user I loved Cataclysm rom for this very reason. You keep all the features associated with stock with added performance benefits, fixes and less bloat. There is a downside if you plan on keeping atmos as some stock roms seem to strip it away, but it is a nice compromise between the options above. Usually these roms are more reliable as they are based on stock too. If you want a lean rom that just works, this may suit you!
Its such a hard choice and one I still havent decided on, if I have missed anything please let me know!
Background info and summary:
My first smartphone was a ZTE blade 2 and it was a beast for the money, this phone is tremendous too. My GF owns a pixel and apart from the camera this phone trumps it for value no question...for less than half the price.
I have to say though, I do miss the days of my Nexus 5 and the larger mod community, I realise these days have gone now with google devices but perhaps next time I will opt to go to Oneplus just so I can trust a bit more that there will be less caveats going custom as if there is one complaint I have with ZTE it is their unwillingness to release their source code for the little tiny things like the camera api and atmos.
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Click to collapse
Some comments about this:
-Stock still has RRO support, so while it is kinda craptastic to use substratum this way, it is doable. I have most of my apps with Swift Dark (the ones that don't force close anyways) and Lawnchair with black theme, on MiFavor 5 which already has a rather black quick settings screen. The result is awesome
While you might be getting more battery life from a custom ROM, I totally disagree on the performance part. Everything works just slower. But yeah, battery-wise I got 7h SOT once which is absolutely bonkers :silly:
If you want a nice modded stock try any MiFavor 5 modded ROM like RDX or ADM Team. Those keep Atmos and use MiFavor 5 B13, which seemingly have a new camera app?
Choose an username... said:
Some comments about this:
-Stock still has RRO support, so while it is kinda craptastic to use substratum this way, it is doable. I have most of my apps with Swift Dark (the ones that don't force close anyways) and Lawnchair with black theme, on MiFavor 5 which already has a rather black quick settings screen. The result is awesome
While you might be getting more battery life from a custom ROM, I totally disagree on the performance part. Everything works just slower. But yeah, battery-wise I got 7h SOT once which is absolutely bonkers :silly:
If you want a nice modded stock try any MiFavor 5 modded ROM like RDX or ADM Team. Those keep Atmos and use MiFavor 5 B13, which seemingly have a new camera app?
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Click to collapse
Thanks I will give ADM a try first since RDX seems to exclusively for the A2017 and I own the A2017U.
Frankly when I saw substratum without OMS support before I wasn't impressed but it sounds like it's worth a look.
Performance wise I loved running AOKP. It runs so much faster than resurrection remix and faster than my brief time on stock also.
It's a pain sacrifices have to made somewhere, but I guess you can't argue for the money!
Dodgexander said:
Thanks I will give ADM a try first since RDX seems to exclusively for the A2017 and I own the A2017U.
Frankly when I saw substratum without OMS support before I wasn't impressed but it sounds like it's worth a look.
Performance wise I loved running AOKP. It runs so much faster than resurrection remix and faster than my brief time on stock also.
It's a pain sacrifices have to made somewhere, but I guess you can't argue for the money!
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I think you simply have to flash the univ bootstack and your modem file to install RDX, it just wasn't tested on other phones but the A2017. but yeah, just use ADM Team
If we don't get Oreo, I will root mine, debloat etc and unroot just to keep it stock but lean. Stock camera in Nougat is quite good IMO. Atmos is pants but I will leave it alone.
RobboW said:
If we don't get Oreo, I will root mine, debloat etc and unroot just to keep it stock but lean. Stock camera in Nougat is quite good IMO. Atmos is pants but I will leave it alone.
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what's the downside of having it rooted?
Some apps don't work and it has to be secure for work use.
RobboW said:
Some apps don't work and it has to be secure for work use.
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Magisk then...
Choose an username... said:
Some comments about this:
-Stock still has RRO support, so while it is kinda craptastic to use substratum this way, it is doable. I have most of my apps with Swift Dark (the ones that don't force close anyways) and Lawnchair with black theme, on MiFavor 5 which already has a rather black quick settings screen. The result is awesome
While you might be getting more battery life from a custom ROM, I totally disagree on the performance part. Everything works just slower. But yeah, battery-wise I got 7h SOT once which is absolutely bonkers :silly:
If you want a nice modded stock try any MiFavor 5 modded ROM like RDX or ADM Team. Those keep Atmos and use MiFavor 5 B13, which seemingly have a new camera app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just installed adm rom and substratum but can't get any themes to work at all. Substratum appears to work and let's me install them but after a reboot they don't work.
I tested with the Google app, gmail and chrome amongst others. I am using swift black.
I guess it's just a bug with the adm Rom? Magisk is working fine I think.
Dodgexander said:
Just installed adm rom and substratum but can't get any themes to work at all. Substratum appears to work and let's me install them but after a reboot they don't work.
I tested with the Google app, gmail and chrome amongst others. I am using swift black.
I guess it's just a bug with the adm Rom? Magisk is working fine I think.
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It can't be because I had everything themed on ADM ROM too. Except system ui and that stuff since it can't be themed. no idea why that happens.
Choose an username... said:
It can't be because I had everything themed on ADM ROM too. Except system ui and that stuff since it can't be themed. no idea why that happens.
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Were you using the new release with version 5 of mifavor?
What about systemless host list in magisk enabled to get adaway to work?
Only two things I have changed. I am using A2017U with the b13 bootstack.
Haven't changed anything else so no idea why it isn't working.
Dodgexander said:
Were you using the new release with version 5 of mifavor?
What about systemless host list in magisk enabled to get adaway to work?
Only two things I have changed. I am using A2017U with the b13 bootstack.
Haven't changed anything else so no idea why it isn't working.
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i was using the old release with version 5 (ADM Team V3)
I would stick with stock unless you are an extreme power user. ZTE fixed 99% of the issues with MiFavor with 7.1.1 and custom ROMs are littered with SO MANY little bugs. MiFavor is extremely stable now. Audio and camera is also much worse on custom.
But hey whatever you prefer.