Introduction:
Everyone uses there android device differently, and as a result not everyone will be looking for the same features from a ROM, and as a result developers simply do not know what to do to satisfy the many needs of the andoid users.
what I aim to do with this thread is to provide a review of 2 of the best ROMs out there for our device (based on my opinion), and include some tips, bugs and suggestions for the future.
What I have here is a review of 2 android 4.4.2 ROMs for the xperia arc/s. the ROMs are VANIR AOSP and C-rom.
let's start with a introduction to VANIR AOSP:
Vanir aosp is a ROM built with the user who likes a degree of customization to there phone in mind. the devs behind it have decided to build a ROM completely based on what is important and necessary for the users. they added only those features that passed certain criteria and only those features were allowed to be put into the ROM build. any unnecessary features were not added.
The result is a light, super stable and lagless ROM that would be more than enough to please the android user.
THE GOOD:
-lots of customization options in settings
-very very stable
-very fast and all the time around 200mb free ram
-nice 'on the go mode' feature
-nice option for choosing boot animations
-dual panel mode for settings
THE BAD:
-only features the devs have picked are added to the rom, so if you have a feature you want but the dev thinks its not important it won't be added
-floating windows for apps cannot be moved
THE BUGS:
-sound manager forces close message every time I try to open it
-adding a new user causes a force close message to appear whenever trienf to open gallery
-swiping on the keyboard causes the aosp keyboard to force close
-screen recorder doesn't work (should just be removed from our devices completely, the arc will never be fat enough to screen record)
-camera video doesnt work (although ion kernel would be the problem)
C-ROM:
c-rom is a ROM that is simply mind blowing, the ROM just has every feature I can simply think off, and in some instances it had features I have never even heard off.
the dev behind it added every feature from android I can think off, all into one amazing rom, for those people who like to change every single thing on there phone.
THE GOOD:
-tons of customizations
-lots of free ram, around 200mb all the time
-super smooth
-good turn on and off speeds (experienced this with v5.9 not v5.6)
-movable floating windows
-on the go mode
THE BAD:
-opening apps in floating mode is a little tedious
-slightly high battery consumption
THR BUGS:
there are bugs in both versions of c-rom so here goes:
v5.6:
-multi user support doesn't work, causes tons of force close messages when switching to the new user
-no option for enabling widget support on the lockscreen (only way to get the option is by editing build.prop file, but that causes the high end graphics option to dissapear from the performance menu)
-sound recorder doesn't have a ui, so users can't launch it from drawer (vanir aosp has this)
-no dowbloads app from drawer, and hence I can't make shortcuts to the download manager because there sinply isn't icon for it.
-no option to opt out of c-rom stats, it came up once then disappeared, but I know the menu for it exists
-can't put apps into floating window mode with halo switched off (in vanir aosp you can do this)
v5.9 bugs:
-no camera (video) although could be due to ion kernel?
-kernel logo sometimes comes up while I am using the phone
-the button in the status bar that switches between the tiles and the notification view move out of alignment when pressed
-no save page option in the browser but the option is there?
-swiping on aosp keyboard causes it to force close
-no force high end graphics option in settings
-no sound recorder icon in drawer
-opening the advanced settings option in the performance control app causes a force close
-exposed module causes a bootloop (stuck on kernel logo)
-no option to opt out of c-rom stats
-multi user support works fine, but causes a force lose on all media apps, I.e. try opening gallery and it force closes
so as you can see both ROMs are each unique but they are considered (by me) the best ROMs for xperia arc.
some tips for everyone:
-downloads in kitkat are found under an app called 'documents'
-to enable widget support on lockscreen in c-rom v5.6 you need to modify build.prop file changing the low ram config option to false
-there is no sound recorder icon in the drawer, although the app is installed, if you want to record using it, create a new message and add an attachment, when picking the attachment pick sound recorder and that's it.
some suggestions for c-rom in the future:
-would be great if you could add a dual panel mode like in vanir
-a better way if opening apps in floating window
my final verdict though on both ROMs, is that they are both amazing ROMs, but I think the award has to go to c-rom, due to its vast number of customizations while being a stable and smooth ROM. Good job 3andala
I would like to also point out that, I am not disrespecting others developers who have made a kk ROM for xperia arc, I am simply giving my opinion on 2 ROMs that I really like and consider to be the best for my xperia arc.
my ultimate goal really from a thread like this is to maybe one day see all developers working on only one ROM, that would be the smoothest ROM, with the most features etc..... that everyone would use, and just simply have a ROM that takes the device to it's limits, a ROM that we can all say that its the most complete ROM ever made for the xperia arc, and there will never be a better rom for this device than this. anyone with me?
anyway that's it from me, I hope you liked what if provided and if I helped you let me know as it makes me happy.
P.S. is there any way of increasing the brightness of the notification LED? there are patches for this on ICS and jb but no patches for this on kitkat, so could anyone advise me how its done?
http://en.miui.com/thread-330304-1-1.html
MIUI 8 Global Developer ROM 6.8.18 Features and Changelog
Highlights
New - Brand new MIUI Global Forum app (08-19)
* Under "India region", MIUI Global Forum app has not been pre-installed yet
* MIUI Global Forum app can be downloaded here:
MIUI Forum-1.0.2.apk (10.92 MB, Downloads: 10489)
New - Automatic font size adjustments for the numbers you enter (08-16)
New - Long press the numbers to convert them to the Chinese financial characters (08-16)
New - C button clears current calculation, AC clears all history (08-17)
New - View the list of devices connected to your personal hotspot (08-16)
New - Added permissions for Lock screen and background notifications (08-16)
Contacts
Optimization - Opening contacts in Messaging (08-15)
Home screen
Fix - FC issues in hidden notes (08-15)
Gallery
Optimization - A pop-up about downloading the original photo when setting the wallpaper (08-16)
Optimization - Photo editor performance (08-16)
Permissions Manager
New - Added permissions for Lock screen and background notifications (08-15)
Clock / Calculator
New - C button clears current calculation, AC clears all history (08-17)
New - Automatic font size adjustments for the numbers you enter (08-17)
New - Long press the numbers to convert them to the Chinese financial characters (08-17)
MIUI Forum
New - Brand new MIUI Global Forum app (08-19)
MIUI Forum app
MIUI Forum app is the first and only app to access MIUI Global Forum where you can come to discover latest news and updates of MIUI ROM, Mi products, apps, themes, reviews, root tools, kernels, tutorials and more. With millions of MIUI fans from all over the world, you can make some friends and just talk about ROMs, phones, technology and anything you're interested in. We're trying our best to make it a place where brilliant minds shall never be lonely!
What are the differences between Xiaomi Global ROM and Xiaomi.eu ROM?
[deleted]
Copied from xiaomi.eu
ROMs features (Whats not in Global):
Based on China Stable / Weekly builds (except HMNote3SE)
Enabled search gesture (swipe up) on the desktop
Enabled MiDrive in File Explorer
Added landscape mode for SMS app
Sunrise/Sunset in the weather app
Google apps support integrated
Importing theme from zhuti.xiaomi.com via ThemeManager
No useless Chinese bloatware apps
More free RAM due to less background processes
Unified flat style app icons for both system and 3rd party apps (eg. Play Store icon flat too, unlike official global MIUI)
Advanced menu with color icons (not just text like in official MIUI releases)
No any Chinese character under the full system
Mi Video, Mi Music, Mi Radio, Mi Browser: No any useless Chinese content
No possibility to re-lock bootloader accidentally with flash any xiaomi.eu release
Added real 27 languages translation made by Official MIUI Fansites and MIUI Fans
Added EU T9 dialer support
Added charging sound switch
Added Spell Checker switch
Added Screen-OFF animation
Optimized GPS settings for EU
Optimized Battery consumption
Optimized RAM consumption
Added OIS auto-calibration for MI5
Added 4k Video support for MI4C, MI4S, HMNote3Pro, HMNote3SE, HMNote4X
Added 3D Touch to MI5S 3GB RAM version
Added GSMalphabet into SMS app
Added more icons grid layout 4x5, 4x6, 5x5, 5x6
Added Toggles 5x3 layout
SafetyNet passed (Android Pay)
Play Store Certified
Deodexed
Added automated tasks
Added game speed booster
Added erase module (magic elimination) to Gallery photo edit options
Fixed low volume sound via headphone
Fixed Google assistant voice response issue
And more, and more made by our 5 years MIUI mods experience..
Description of Masik ™ Premium
The firmware is assembled on the basis of China Stable 9.5.5.0, the current stable Firmware, Aroma Installer with an easy firmware setup system during its installation, the language of Aroma Installer: RU / EN
Integrated audio door Harman | Beats (hybrid) to replace the standard set Dirac, sound processing from Harman - global SW audio preprocessor (common system for all applications), sound processing from Beats - local SW preprocessor (when Mi-amp presets are enabled in settings)
Modification of the run-in kernel with the add-ons of Masik Izotop, the mode of the Impulse processor (based on Interactive profiles), the Maple I / O scheduler (based on the CFQ algorithm), the NVidia energy-saving profile
System optimization was performed, system parameters were adjusted for better system performance and responsiveness of the interface, the scenarios were modified and cleared of intermediate values
The application interface has been modified: Settings, Status bar, Lock screen, Security, Themes, Browser, Phone, Contacts, Messages, Downloads, Desktop, Music, Calendar
Ads sources and recommended pages for applications have been removed: Security, Themes, Browser, Messages, Downloads, Desktop, Videos, Music, MI account, Mi Cloud, Calculator
Expanded the functionality of the drain camera, MIUI camera port from Oreo (JPEG compression is disabled, new shooting modes are added, shooting with the screen off, a new noise reduction algorithm, object tracking mode)
Removed Chinese applications, anonymous statistics collection and sending services, analytics and logging services, system update agents, Analitics Core and their dependencies
Added the ability to install firmware with Root access, integration of Magisk 16.0 Stable + BusyBox (optional option in Aroma Installer during firmware installation)
Built-in minimal set of Google services with the ability to completely remove from the system (optional option in Aroma Installer during the installation of the firmware)
Added the ability to set the ad blocking file (optional option in Aroma Installer during firmware installation)
Added the ability to adjust the volume keys by default (Ring, Multimedia, Notifications)
Added the ability to enable / disable the switching of tracks by volume buttons when the device is locked
There are 3 styles of registration of the statusbar and the notification panel in the "Themes" application (the preview of the styles is present)
Original media content is replaced by author's (sounds of notifications, ringtones, wallpaper, butanimation, bootlovo)
Updated APN, SPN and operator settings to the latest versions at the time of firmware release
Built-in background blur (blur) in the notification panel, reboot menu and in the panel of running tasks
Added the ability to enable / disable alerts on connecting / disconnecting the charger
Added ability to enable / disable network speed display (update rate 1 sec)
Preinstalled regional applications, components and regional system add-ins were removed
Added the ability to turn on / off the screen when connecting / disconnecting the charger
Built-in 3 styles of design lock screen in the application "Themes" (preview of the styles present)
Added the ability to enable / disable vibration when the screen is unlocked with a fingerprint
Added the ability to use Face ID (unlock the device using face data)
Built-in 3 styles of desktop design in the "Themes" application (the preview of the styles is present)
Embedded in 3 styles of icon mask design in the "Themes" application (the preview of the styles is present)
Increased the maximum threshold of the volume of the speaker and the volume of audio in the headphones
Added automatic closing of desktop folders (without an option in the settings)
Embedded 9 styles of system font in the "Themes" application (the preview of the styles is present)
Added the ability to activate the maximum screen backlight in a phone call
Added setting of the display time of the extended and single sound panels
Added the ability to enable / disable the "Smart Assistant" on the desktop
Added the ability to set one of the five styles of battery charge indicator
Built-in 3 styles of positioning the statusbar elements, styles: MIUI, iOS, AOSP
Added separate ring volume and notifications in a pop-up window
Design of the system with the adjustment of graphic layers in the style of Super AMOLED
Added the ability to disable notifications from running applications
Rounded corners in preview of running applications in Task Manager
Added the ability to disable (freeze) system applications
Built-in extended geolocation of phone numbers
A pop-up message is disabled when selecting the "3G only"
Added the ability to assign an action upon termination of a call
Fixed notification counter on desktop icons
Improved quality of telephone conversations from the line
The ability to rotate the screen 360 degrees is added
Built-in patch for Google Photos unlimited storage
Added ability to use all Wi-Fi channels
Signature and application integrity checking disabled
Added advanced settings for network type selection
Rounded corners of buttons and pop-up menus
Added option to configure A-GPS in the settings menu
Setting up a grid of desktop icons has been added
Added icons to the advanced settings menu
Reduced the threshold for issuing a message about the battery discharge
Enhanced Ipack (support for 5500+ applications)
Fixed blocking of international numbers
Reduced the minimum screen brightness threshold
Built-in IOS Emoji to replace the standard
Removed the "My profile" item in contacts
The algorithm of energy saving is improved
Added support for Camera2API
Patched the theme manager
And much more ...
https://yadi.sk/d/LnJ2Bh4M3JvJuG/Xiaomi Redmi 5+ (Vince)
https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1207A0Qw9F8Gpdxjhl6WZIJDbc1VvrUwr&export=download
new update
Is this a MIUI based ROM? Am I wrong? Not sure is this for TWRP Flashing or any special directions?
thanks , i saw on first boot page miui 10? what was that ?
ErnestoSV said:
Is this a MIUI based ROM? Am I wrong? Not sure is this for TWRP Flashing or any special directions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Miui rom, for twrp
its excellent rom with many future tweaks
[/COLOR]
asad_asad said:
its excellent rom with many future tweaks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brother can you please share screen shots of the rom and tell me about its battery life and performance. Rom description is really really awsom, is it AR core support added in this rom? Hope you will not mind on many questions dear Asad
irfan.shikarpuri said:
[/COLOR]
Brother can you please share screen shots of the rom and tell me about its battery life and performance. Rom description is really really awsom, is it AR core support added in this rom? Hope you will not mind on many questions dear Asad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
battery excellent ar support
Does it support full gestures miui? What based its on? China dev or global?
full details please. incomplete sharing and information. how you convince us?
but downloading..
Manage to install it, but greets with russian in the welcome screen. Seems like asking for password for something? Anyway to change to english during this step?
PS: nevermind, it's asking for Mi account password
ksigit said:
Manage to install it, but greets with russian in the welcome screen. Seems like asking for password for something? Anyway to change to english during this step?
PS: nevermind, it's asking for Mi account password
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is the performance of rom? And is it worth trying?
Description seems pretty awsom
---------- Post added at 04:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:26 AM ----------
asad_asad said:
battery excellent ar support
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks great brother Masha-Allah
I Will test it because i like the rom name hehe
It's originated from 4pda.
If you didn't contribute to the actual development of this rom, you have to state the developer.
Additionally all the rest on information regarding this rom and it's development.
Nevertheless an interesting project; besides the aroma installer at the beginning
Hi friends, I was trying this ROM, looks fast, but it hasn't quick reply, and that's important for me, so the test finished at this point. There is something that I need your help, do you know how to remove the boot logo for this ROM? it's says INNOVATION before the boot animation? I made a clean flash to another ROM but the INNOVATION logo is still appearing before the new ROM logo. Any help will be appreciated.
ErnestoSV said:
Hi friends, I was trying this ROM, looks fast, but it hasn't quick reply, and that's important for me, so the test finished at this point. There is something that I need your help, do you know how to remove the boot logo for this ROM? it's says INNOVATION before the boot animation? I made a clean flash to another ROM but the INNOVATION logo is still appearing before the new ROM logo. Any help will be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm..Did you wipe your internal storage, before you flashed the new rom?
When you look in the theme editor there is a section where you can select your bootanimation after choice.
Themes -> My Account
I've uploaded the original miui stock bootanimation, in case you no luck with the theme editor.
Best regards
Acctually this is really good rom. Best custom miui.
The only downside is it doesnt have quick reply from notification
How is this Vs the latest global stable?
LiviiYS said:
How is this Vs the latest global stable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend you to read the opening post.
To all who are writing about potential bugs:
It's utterly useless..
Look it up on 4pda and tell the dev(s) there..
:/
Did u guys find a way to set the default miui theme?
Hey there,
there are a few threads concerning specific versions, but I can't find explicit differences, only rumours about speed, battery and bloatware. Also the versioning seems not clear because lower versions (e.g global 10.3.9) can have more features and most recent security patches than higher ones (e.g. cn 10.3.12).
I kow these versions so far:
China stable: V10.3.12.0.PFJCNXM MD5: 54a3ff575a9f4789001ca0d4516ae335
Global stable: V10.3.9.0.PFJMIXM MD5: 1b6f5bc7ca756ef9e0af6e04da05f5bb
EU stable: V10.3.12.0.PFJCNXM MD5: 4d6cdb6460a3e85f0523baab9127c72b (I don't know if EU is official because no licenses and no widevine L1)
EEA stable: V10.3.10.0.PFJEUXM MD5: 01dbcd66d8d53ab8e2a98b2474d38153 (for davinci_eea devices)
So what are the exact differences? In Detail:
- Bloatware
- Features
- Updates (which one gets the latest updates earlier?)
- Widevine L1 (Google if you don't know what it is, e.g EU is allways widevine L3 so you can't watch Netflix in HD/UHD)
- Adds and chinese characters
- Limitations (e.g you will brick your device if you flash EEA on chinese device and lock bootloader afterwards. I also saw differences in playstore app availability, e.g I don't get Netflix and Galaxy Wear app for my smartwatch the official way)
Thanks
Still can't decide because of many pros/cons. But I recognized a strange LTE/wifi-signal behavior.
short: I get 45-50Mbit 4g and 30Mbit wifi on global while getting only max 10Mbit 4g and 20Mbit wifi on cn/xiaomi-eu/mi-globe
long: I have basically 3 testing spots (pc chair, bed, work chair) and was amazed by the 4g speed on the first day. Then I was playing with settings and roms and tested the speed again (just for the lulz) and it was bad. I thought it was the carrier or me messing up something so I did a clean flash. Same results. Then I reflashed global and boom, nice speeds. I did this 3 days in a row now at the same times and only 15min between tests. I also have to force the cn based roms to 4g at exact these spots because they stay on HSDPA otherwise.
Other things fyi:
1. Widevine L1 on global and eea. L3 on all cn based.
2. The reason why some of my apps (e.g galaxy wearable and netflix) weren't available anymore was the unlocked bootloader. As soon as it is unlocked you can't download these apps the official way anymore.
3. Google Pay works on every one of them. Maybe you need to hide root on google services.
You have two mainly stock ROMs:
- Global/Global EEA - global ROMs, EEA is for EU (you can disable all ads in configuration menu), global is for others. You can get only Stable versions. It has L1 Widevine.
- China - Stable (updates every 1-2 months) and Beta (weekly in Fridays). More features (MI AI etc.), but only Chinese and English.
In addition there are so-called Custom ROMs based on MIUI:
- Xiaomi.eu (in short called EU). Based on China but with multi-languages. In general, more features, deleted ads and junk from the system. Allowed by the official European distributor (ABC Data). You do not lose the guarantee of having it installed. You can install stable version or weekly version (it can be more unstable, but it has more features and security patches are constantly updated).
Description from xiaomi.eu site:
Our ROMs features (Whats not in Global):
Based on China Stable / Weekly builds (except POCOF1, HMNote6Pro)
Enabled search gesture (swipe up) on the desktop
3way reboot menu (in dev settings)
Dark Mode (Night Mode) for 7.x/8.x/9.x devices (In the dev settings except 9.x)
Removed ads in MIUI system apps
Face Unlock for all 7.x/8.x/9.x devices
Vertical clock widget on lockscreen
Steps counter in Assistant screen
More shortcuts on left lockscreen
Wake up gestures for 7.x/8.x/9.x devices
AI preloading option in MIUI Lab for 8.x/9.x devices
Fullscreen gestures for 8.x/9.x devices
Option to auto-expand first notification
Notifications priority settings
More edit options in Gallery app
Enabled MiDrive in File Explorer
Added landscape mode for SMS app
Sunrise/Sunset in the weather app
Google apps support integrated
Removed 5GHz region restrictions
Confirm dials from call logs
Morning report on alarm at morning
More apps supported for AOD notifications
More styles for AOD screen
Raise to wake gesture
AOD notification received animation
Default volume control stream toggle
Tap fingerprint sensor to wake toggle
More Camera features
Double tap to lock screen
Battery AI scenes
Allowed disabling specific system apps
Importing theme .mtz from zhuti.xiaomi.com via ThemeManager
No useless Chinese bloatware apps
More free RAM due to less background processes
Unified flat style app icons for both system and 3rd party apps
Advanced menu with color icons
No any Chinese character under the full system
Mi Video, Mi Music, Mi Browser: No any useless Chinese content
No possibility to re-lock bootloader accidentally with flash any xiaomi.eu release
Added real 27 languages translation made by Official MIUI Fansites and MIUI Fans
Added EU T9 dialer support
Added charging sound switch
Added Spell Checker switch for 7.x devices
Added Screen-OFF animation
Optimized GPS settings for EU
Optimized Battery consumption
Optimized RAM consumption
Added 3D Touch to MI5S 3GB RAM version
Added GSMalphabet into SMS app options
Added more icons grid layout 4x5, 4x6, 4x7, 5x5, 5x6, 5x7 (depends on device)
SafetyNet passed (Google Pay)
Play Store Certified
Deodexed
Added automated tasks in Security app
Added game speed booster
Added erase module (magic elimination) to Gallery photo edit options
Fixed low volume sound via headphone
Charging screen for all Android 7.x/8.x/9.x devices
And more, and more made by our 8 years MIUI mods experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Mi-globe - similar to xiaomi.eu
- And other less known
A lot of people mistake EU stable with EEA Stable. They think it is the same. Unfortunately, no, what causes a lot of problems.
EEA is for EU (you can disable all ads in configuration menu), global is for other
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't notice a configuration menu for disabling ads. Can you give me a hint? I was debloating with adbtools.
I also didnt compare eea to global concerning my 4g problems.
fabsen said:
Didn't notice a configuration menu for disabling ads. Can you give me a hint? I was debloating with adbtools.
I also didnt compare eea to global concerning my 4g problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember when setting up the phone for the first time, there was a toggle for showing ads - global rom, anyway use the search function in your settings for that.