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Best ROM for Nexus S? And how to flash it?

Hi guys!
I'm using standard Gingerbread Android ROM and I'm getting a little tired of it so wanted to ask if someone could suggest some ROMs to try. Also, I'm not sure how to flash them on Nexus S. I heard that there are many Androids that can be rooted by clicking one button in an app, but for Nexus I found a long tutorial here on XDA and I'm a little hesitant to try it.
Any tips will be appreciated!
Thanks much
Okis

I have tried out just about all of the roms out there now for the nexus s and now I have reverted back to stock. I have found something wrong with every rom I have tried. Custom roms are just too buggy for me even ones marked as "stable". If you're willing to deal with bugs things not working phone reboots and dropped calls by all means try some custom roms. Now I'm just waiting for Ice Cream Sandwich to come out.
oxygen rom is one of the better ones out there.
oh and btw nexus s is one of the easiest phones to root follow the guides carefully and you'll be done in minutes.

This has been discussed couple of times here, do a search.
For example: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1239365
If you don't really feel comfortable flashing a ROM, hang around in dev section where most ROM & guidelines are available and read the feedback from users on each ROM and see which one fits your needs.
And there are NO best ROM only most suitable to your needs, what is best for others doesn't necessarily fit your needs.
I'm with blowtorch, you have to try it to find out yourself...I myself did and at the end of the day I'm perfectly comfortable with stock rooted.

The longer and harder thing to root a Nexus is to installer drivers on computer. After it's fast and easy.
Oxygen is great after 2 or 3 days. I use adw launcher ex, or stock launcher.
Sms, mms, video gtalk, video skype and so on.
Everything is juste ok.
2 days of battery life with heavy use.
I try ns collab, superosr, it's great too. More cyanogen like.
I never use miui more than 5 minutes...but i read and heard that it's a good rom too.

I love Ice and Fire. Has an Ice Cream Sandwich style launcher. Lots of extras.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

okishead said:
Hi guys!
I'm using standard Gingerbread Android ROM and I'm getting a little tired of it so wanted to ask if someone could suggest some ROMs to try. Also, I'm not sure how to flash them on Nexus S. I heard that there are many Androids that can be rooted by clicking one button in an app, but for Nexus I found a long tutorial here on XDA and I'm a little hesitant to try it.
Any tips will be appreciated!
Thanks much
Okis
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please do us and yourself a favor and learn everything you need to know for rooting, recovery, roms, and kernels before attempting anything. You will save yourself a headache and the possibility of ****ting your pants. Thanks.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium

blowtorch said:
I have tried out just about all of the roms out there now for the nexus s and now I have reverted back to stock. I have found something wrong with every rom I have tried. Custom roms are just too buggy for me even ones marked as "stable".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This x100.
Stock Rom may not be flashy but its rock solid and fully functional.

I once searched for something like this and found that there's no clear cut answer for "best" ROM. Like others said try them all (one you figure out how to flash) or do watch videos showing off each rom to get a sense of what it's like. I don't have my NS yet but I'll be trying NSCollab and SuperOSR when I get it. Odd considering I'm not a CM7 fan...

Depends on the features you are looking for. For me at least, I got the Nexus S so I could have stock AOSP. I've been sticking with Oxygen for a while now as its close to stock with some useful added features. CM wasn't for me though I may give it another shot soon.

There's a lot of tutorials on youtube that show you how to flash a ROM. I suggest you watch a few of 'em to get an idea how to do it properly.
As for the best ROM, like others have said, it all depends on your needs. I use Oxygen because it's very stable and has extra features that I find pretty useful.
I also like minimal bloatware so I downloaded ES File Explorer and removed most Google apps since I never use 'em!

Rem3Dy said:
Please do us and yourself a favor and learn everything you need to know for rooting, recovery, roms, and kernels before attempting anything. You will save yourself a headache and the possibility of ****ting your pants. Thanks.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read about it already, and the question is - is there a simpler way to root Nexus S than installing all of these SDKs etc on the computer? I guess, not from what I see here.
Don't worry, I won't **** my pants)

there is one...give it to someone who knows how to do it.
You are asking for best ROM, how to flash it, finding simpler way to root it without installing SDK, etc. on computer....and that's the only way I can think of.

vennstrom said:
there is one...give it to someone who knows how to do it.
You are asking for best ROM, how to flash it, finding simpler way to root it without installing SDK, etc. on computer....and that's the only way I can think of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you have a mac...
Sent from my Nexus S MV from the XDA Premium app.

This guide should be simple enough to follow.
1-CLICK-ROOT (Windows)
Download link {Updated with CWM 5.0.2.3 (cyan) and su-3.0.4-efgh}
Note: Don't forget to install the corresponding x86 or x64 drivers through the PdaNet setups.

Pyrolyser said:
This guide should be simple enough to follow.
1-CLICK-ROOT (Windows)
Download link {Updated with CWM 5.0.2.3 (cyan) and su-3.0.4-efgh}
Note: Don't forget to install the corresponding x32 or x64 drivers through the PdaNet setups.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks will definitely look into it!!

cm7.1.0 RC ns-kang. its in rom manager. there is a 7.1.0 stable release but causes random reboots.

[Q] Newcomer to all of this (Nexus S 2.3.4 to 4.1.1 issue)

Howdy all - I've just gotten a Nexus S to replace my old Xperia Play that was having many issues. I'm still a bit of a noob to the whole rooting/rom scene, and a lot of it is a bit over my head (which is frustrating for me as I'm good with technology in general).
Currently, I'm running Android 2.3.4, my build number is GTJ61, baseband version I9020AUCKE1 (don't know what all of that is important to know, but there it is).
I've tried most of the "simple" things I've found to try to force the phone to update, including the whole killing the google service, clearing the cache, etc, and the Sim Card removal trick. No dice, which is frustrating to me as I hear that the 4.1.1 update is very nice.
I'm in the middle of searching through the forums to see what I can find on this issue, but Comcast is being utterly craptastic right now and my web is simply crawling along. If anyone could give me a push in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it - I just want a nice, clean interface with good battery life and as little slowdown as possible. I know very little about flashing new roms and such but it seems like that might be my only option at this point.
I do play a few basic games (Robo Defense, Star Trader) and I use my phone heavily for texting and nutritional information (My Fitness Pal and a few other apps). Nothing too heavy, but again, i dont' know what all information is important for this
I appreciate any and all help or advice provided!
-Brian
EDIT - one thing thats had me a bit confused is the i9020a thing - does the UCKE1 at the end of mine mean I have a different version, or is all i9020a the same?
EDIT 2 - Okay, net is working a little better - found this linked from the here:
http://tech-tips-solution.blogspot.com/2012/04/samsung-nexus-s-i9020a-update-to-ics.html
Giving this a shot, hoping for the best! Still need to figure out how to go from 4.0.4 to 4.1.1

You should go in about phone settings and check for updates. On Wi-Fi. And it should ask you to updgrade. Strange thing that it didnt. There are few tutorials in general section, also in q&a you can find something usefull.
I would recommend flashing custom recovery with fastboot, than flash new bootloader in recovery and than you can put any 4.1.2 rom with no problems. also you could flash new radio if you want.
Sent from SpeedMachine i9100

alen1901 said:
You should go in about phone settings and check for updates. On Wi-Fi. And it should ask you to updgrade. Strange thing that it didnt. There are few tutorials in general section, also in q&a you can find something usefull.
I would recommend flashing custom recovery with fastboot, than flash new bootloader in recovery and than you can put any 4.1.2 rom with no problems. also you could flash new radio if you want.
Sent from SpeedMachine i9100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, kept telling me my phone was up to date (I blame AT&T myself). I've been reading through the tutorials - I have a LOT to learn heh...

Unlock it, flash custom recovery and flash Jelly Bean.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

dEris said:
Unlock it, flash custom recovery and flash Jelly Bean.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this, sadly google does not have an update program you can install on your computer like samsung or sony have, so you can't really just plug in and update, What you can do is flash a stock 4.1.1 update to it, using the os images they release, please consult the forum guides on how to do this.
Also, I don't think your carrier will update the phone simply because they suck at these things and most likely an OTA to jb was never released.
Alternatively, just flash a custom ROM after you root, but for first timers I'd say just root and then flash a stock image.
Hope this helps.

I would also suggest flashing a custom ROM. It can be a little daunting the first time, but there are many step by step guides in here to help you along the way. Choose one of the more stable ROMs as they will have have most of the bugs all ironed out. Once you go the custom rom path, you will love it.
Just a warning, flashing is very addictive
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app

I found myself in the exact same situation a year or so ago when i got my nexus s. My best advice to you would be to follow the guides on the sticky threads and go with the incremental updates, just so you get the hang of all the rooting and flashing first.
2.3.4 > 2.3.6 > 4.0.4 > 4.1.1 > 4.1.2
Since you say you generally don't have issues with technology, just read 2-3 general rooting/flashing threads first and then do everything by hand. It helps.
Also, share your experience here, it might help someone else in the future
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app

The only thing i didn't like about flashing a custom recovery is you'd be tempted to flash ROMs and/or kernels from time to time.
We got great developers here so you cannot be satisfied with what you currently have

Hm... any recommendations for custom roms that you guys have used and found particularly good? Like I said, speed and a decent looking interface are my two main concerns

Kittamaru said:
Hm... any recommendations for custom roms that you guys have used and found particularly good? Like I said, speed and a decent looking interface are my two main concerns
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, one of the most popular is cyanogenmod. Which version 10 is built on 4.1.2. It's, for me, disgustingly fast, stable, lock up free and has great additions to the codebase. In fact, it's looking like I'll keep this rom for the longest I have ever done. You can also use slimbean, which I used for a time and really liked.

Kittamaru said:
Hm... any recommendations for custom roms that you guys have used and found particularly good? Like I said, speed and a decent looking interface are my two main concerns
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also recommend CM 10.0 (stable) is good rom to start. It is stable, fast and pretty decent battery life. I have been using it for weeks without any issues.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app

Kittamaru said:
Hm... any recommendations for custom roms that you guys have used and found particularly good? Like I said, speed and a decent looking interface are my two main concerns
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate check out Slim ROM website - this link leads directly to the Slim Android 4.1.2 for our phone (called Crespo). In addition to this file you'll need to poke around the Slim site to also download GAPPS and the AIO (all in one) file. This ROM is fast, feature packed and absolutely bug-free. Your battery will thank you
http://www.slimroms.net/index.php/downloads/all/viewdownload/139-crespo/841-slim-ns-3-1-0-official

[Q] New N5, switch to custom ROM rightaway or wait?

I just bought a new Nexus 5. I love all the extra features custom ROMs come with, and I bought this phone because it has the best ROMs
How good are the various custom ROMs in terms of stability and battery life at present? Should I switch to a ROM rightaway or is it better to wait for better/more stable builds (the ROMs I'm considering are still in beta)?

Imho the best rom is purity for n5, stable and rock solid. For kernels there are a lot but i personally use faux
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Hello,
Please read the stickies before creating a new topic. ROM Comparison threads are not allowed here. You can head over to the development section and try the various AWESOME roms which have been developed and settle on the one which suits you the best!
I would reccomend you to stay stock for at least a few weeks so that you feel the stock experience for a while and then jump on to a custom rom as you will now have something to compare the custom rom with and the awesome feeling when you jump from stock to custom!
Almost all the custom roms which are there in the development section are stable enough to be used as a daily driver...

Just a friendly reminder that this thread is about the stability about custom ROMs, not which ROM's the best/better than...
Discussions about stability are ok, but please don't slide into "best ROM" discussions, or else I have to close this thread

Stock works very well. I would recommend you unlock the bootloader right away, then run stock for awhile. Rooted stock with xposed+ gravity box will get you just about anything a custom Rom will have.
Sent from my Nexus 5

jd1639 said:
Stock works very well. I would recommend you unlock the bootloader right away, then run stock for awhile. Rooted stock with xposed+ gravity box will get you just about anything a custom Rom will have.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is already unlocked/rooted/running CWM. That's the first thing I did when I unboxed it. And I'm already looking into the xposed modules that would fit my requirements.
vin4yak said:
Hello,
Almost all the custom roms which are there in the development section are stable enough to be used as a daily driver...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say "stable enough", does that mean there are still some minor issues I might encounter? Also, how would the battery life be compared to stock?

crimsonedge03 said:
When you say "stable enough", does that mean there are still some minor issues I might encounter? Also, how would the battery life be compared to stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes there are... I'm on AICP and I get SODs once every 2-3 days... Because of the various CM patches and other stuffs, it sometimes breaks Tethering (although it is fixed by the dev the very next day)... Some other patch broke the lockscreen wallpaper on other rom...
I hope you know what I'm trying to say... These are just minor issues which occur when you flash custom roms and are ironed out by the dev within days... but they seem negligible when you get the awesome experience in using a custom rom...

What seems stable to one person may not to the next. And vice versa. We all use our phones different ways for different things. The only real way to know is read through the rom threads, starting from the last page and going backwards for latest comments and/or flash them and find out for yourself.
Thanks to nandroid backups and restores....going back to our good setup is easy if you don't like something.
Sent from my N5, N7, Moto X, G Tab 3 or S2.....

I would stay stock for now and test out all of the custom kernels and see which has the greatest impact on impoving your current battery life. As said before in other threads what works for one Nexus 5 may not be the same on another one. As for the rom I prefer using stock+xposed. The modules I use are: gravitybox, xHaloFloatingWindow (with Floatifications from the play store) and greenify.

The custom dishes by our chefs are all great! Those who have to ask should stay stock for a while!

Stay stock . There has been no need for custom roms for a while. Kk is great. Kernels are another matter. I'd concentrate on finding a good kernel. All the features you want on a rom can be got with Xposed framework and modules, ie gravity box
Sent by mobile telephone.

The N5 has been out for a while, alot of awesome dev's has made roms. At this point, a custom rom is a must for the N5!
I would recommend PA for a stock experience or PAC for a all in one rom.

Thank you for the suggestions everyone.
I've had this phone for just a couple of days, so I won't rush into a custom ROM. Gravitybox and other xposed modules have most of the features and customisations I wanted, so I'll stick to stock for a while, and explore stock KK thoroughly. I might try out a few custom kernels though.

Final Rooting Suggestion/Help Needed [REGARDING OTA AND GAPPS]

So I've downloaded all the stuff and made my mind to root the device.
Just some final questions..
1) I would be installing Xposed Framework on the device, will it hinder any OTA updates to the stock ROM?
2) If I install a custom ROM like CM, and then let's say Android 4.4.3 comes out... What should I do to update to the Android 4.4.3?
3) What is the need of getting Gapps when flashing a custom ROM? Aren't Gapps already present in Android?
4) Any other drawback of installing a Custom ROM?

Don't forget to search. Every thing you need to know is here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=47369234
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

Not all the questions got answered. Please help me

deepak2001 said:
So I've downloaded all the stuff and made my mind to root the device.
Just some final questions..
1) I would be installing Xposed Framework on the device, will it hinder any OTA updates to the stock ROM?
2) If I install a custom ROM like CM, and then let's say Android 4.4.3 comes out... What should I do to update to the Android 4.4.3?
3) What is the need of getting Gapps when flashing a custom ROM? Aren't Gapps already present in Android?
4) Any other drawback of installing a Custom ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay searching XDA is the best way to find out these answers, but I'll help you
1.) Using Xposed framework will stop you from receiving otas
2.) If you're running a custom ROM when 4.4.3 drops, all you will need to do is flash any 4.4.3 ROM that drops to update. Believe me, when it drops it won't be long before some 4.4.3 custom ROMs surface.
3.) Most custom ROMs do not include gapps. You'll need to flash those separately. Read the ops of each ROM you're interested in to find out if they're included.
4.) You have a Nexus, they're made to be rooted. Lol
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

If you're using a custom ROM though like CM, 4.4.3 doesn't really matter. Since it's a custom ROM it won't be releasing an update at the same time as google. It would be whenever CM releases their update that's based on 4.4.3. Anyone should feel free to correct me if I'm wrong though. I'm fairly new to everything as well.

I have not unlocked my bootloader.. And have many things on my device [Been Using It For Over A Month]
I have many apps, contacts, app save files [games], etc.
Will I need to re-download all the apps again? Is there any way i could preserve this data? What all can I preserve.
Also, any Custom ROM suggestion. I liked Paranoid Android, but it releases a new beta like every week... This means that I'll have to flash it again? Leading to data loss every time?
I use this device as my primary device

Use helium to backup. We will not suggest you a rom.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Why no suggestion?

deepak2001 said:
I liked Paranoid Android, but it releases a new beta like every week... This means that I'll have to flash it again? Leading to data loss every time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
No need to flash obviously all the new update if you don't want unless there is an important bug fixed or a new feature you want. You can dirty flash (wipe only Dalvik cache and cache partition) so you won't loose your data.
deepak2001 said:
Why no suggestion?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it turns into something like "best" rom: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/best-rom-kernel-threads-t2477889... And you will have 20 different suggestions depending of each users needs, it will not help you more.
You need to test by yourself, read the OP of the rom threads to see the features, issue, videos, etc... read the last pages of the rom thread for feedbacks.

So.. I just want customizations to make android fun.. Paranoid would be fine?

deepak2001 said:
So.. I just want customizations to make android fun.. Paranoid would be fine?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ALL of the ROMs are fun. Try them and see.

List of Roms
deepak2001 said:
I have not unlocked my bootloader.. And have many things on my device [Been Using It For Over A Month]
I have many apps, contacts, app save files [games], etc.
Will I need to re-download all the apps again? Is there any way i could preserve this data? What all can I preserve.
Also, any Custom ROM suggestion. I liked Paranoid Android, but it releases a new beta like every week... This means that I'll have to flash it again? Leading to data loss every time?
I use this device as my primary device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the list of ROMS for Nexus 5, http://forum.xda-developers.com/goo...dex-google-nexus-5-roms-kernels-mods-t2475401

Should I update?

Hey guys!
I'm running the Cataclysm 4.4.2. As you may know, this ROM is no longer being updated.
I wish to know if it's worth the hassle finding a new ROM etc. just to update to 4.4.4, or should I just stick with 4.4.2?
Thanks a bunch!

well, considering there were a countless number of bugs squashed in 443/444, i dont see why you havent updated already. and why a hasstle? it takes minutes to download and flash a different rom, especially since there are many roms better than what you are currently running. check the android/original dev sections, find a few, try a few, pick your favorite.

Take a nandroid backup of cataclysm...
Flash a 4.4.4 rom and use for a week...
If you dont like it just restore the previous backup
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

What are you waiting for... Get the latest and greatest!

It's not really a hassle finding a new rom. It's pretty exciting I must say. Definitely get the latest version. Purity and Mahdi are good roms, depends what you're looking for.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk

Yeah, if you want something Stable and Smooth that's nearly alike with Cataclysm, go with Purity.