Inexperienced user needs help deciding on choosing ROM or stock android - Samsung Galaxy S7 Questions and Answers

Dear all,
May old HTC M7 died a very wet death last weekend.....
I need a new device and my budget are roughly 150-200 EUR.
I could buy the old S7 of my sister for 150 EUR. The Unit is very clean and has a little warranty left.
My first question is, should i buy it or should i buy a different unit. I would prefer not to spent more than 150 EUR.
If i get it i would need to be able to install an add blocker and have a privacy guard. I really want to controll the rights of certain apps tightly.
Is this possible with a stock rom ( it seems like samsung is going to roll out a 8.0 soon?)
If not, wich custom rom would you advice me to install if i dont´want to loose any features of the phone. The camera is particularly important for me!
I used slimrom on the HTC m7 and i liked itl. The closer to stock android the better, but never at the expense of any functionality.
All the best and thanks in advance

You can't find anything better at 150e than S7. Defintely worth it and camera is great. Stock is pretty good.

Thanks for your answer! Can i still control all apps with a privacy guard ?

The superman rom is pretty much stock in look (but you can customise it how you see fit) and debloated (Choices of apps in installer) and all the functionality of the original touchwiz.(I've been using it for about 2/3 weeks now and it works great.)
It's got the original camera quality and it is very stable in my opinion.
Some other choices that fit your description:
The Galaxy Project
Ultimate nougat
Helios
These roms are all based on the original touchwiz by samsung so will have the features that you want.

Related

Why we kill our Galaxy S4 !!!!

first , hello to all xda members even the guests
we know every android device has it's own senses and look , Nexus devices is google look only with the pure android version
HTC is HTC because it's UltraPixel Camera and the xenon flash , and it is HTC because the main launcher features and senses
Samsung is SAM because the TW and the especial smart features
but , why we always try to kill the device look by downgrading it's features (the words now about the Galaxy S4)
S4 will not be S4 without the Camera app and the Smart Features smart scroll , pause , stay , AirView , gestures ...... etc ...
but when we use any pure android version on our S4 , then , we are killing the device , whatever what I gain from the update as long as it's pure
without the smart features S4 will not be even S3 because some S3 TW roms contains the Smart Scroll , and Pause
as I said whatever I will get from the update , even if it's Android 5 Lollipop , because the update will not make my S4 camera be 16 mp , or my CPU be
2.5 instead of our 1.9 or my RAM be 3gb like the N9005 , etc ... so I will get more performance more stability as the developers say (I guess it's wrong) because whatever the developers
tried will never ever make an stable rom without any bugs like the official release , so all is useless
the developers are in war , one makes CM12 as 4.0 , and other makes 5.0.1 etc why that ??? they must focus on the TW roms because it will upgrade really the S4 to be like S5 or N4 , but any pure version only will kill the S4 and makes it like an only Nexus 1 , etc ......
I really like the TW developers , especially (Tamirda and Slim08) because they are very professional and gave us super features that make the S5 users say how come , it was bad idea when I bought S5 or upgraded my S4 to S5 especially when I let him see my PhoeniX or Imperium's Notification panel , etc ... so thanks alot for the two stars
so getting the latest android version unofficially is very bad especially when the device officially doesn't get the last android version , example : i9300 it's final android version
is 4.3 so if I use any custom rom based on 4.3 , about 90% stable , but if I get custom rom based on 4.4.2 the rom be very unstable with buge especially the bug which made the s3 users forgot all the 4.4.2 base roms and the bug is (when the phone is turned off and I connect the charger the phone always powered on) this bug is terrible and that bug is in all 4.4.2 based rom
I repeat in all the 4.4.2 roms ex:Glamour s5 v 7 , s5 sensation 7 , etc ... and S3 can use CM roms because it hase no smart features , but S4 with pure roms will be ****
S4 with TW 4.4.2 or 4.4.4 is very well because the two versions is out for S4 officially with it's official kernel , and anyway android 5 for S4 is on the way and anyway it will be very nice as we sow the Sammobile video review , and the TW developers will upgrade their roms to be as android 5 after the official release the source code
if I was wrong , somebody correct me , anyway thank you and sorry for the long
In the long run there will be no touchwiz for further development, especially considering how 5.0 is likely the final update the S4 will receive officially. After then perhaps only the Google play edition S4 will receive updates (one more than the original possibly), and by that point there will not be a touchwiz rom beyond 5.0 unless it is a port.
That made no sense and gave me a headache trying to read it
I will tell you why.
Becasuse of speed and most important - STABILITY.
I only tried stock rom for 4 hours.
Then I tried omega rom, many versions, but there always appeared some bugs. In the beggingng after installing for like one month everything okay, then lags appeared, FCs, etc.
Then tried S5port Echoe. Again, after installing, felt like new pgone - everything great. One month passed and again random reboots when rotating or just using phone - but no lags.
GPE 5.0 finally stable and no REBOOTS !!!
Also, nearly all smart functions except air view and smart notification (vibrate after picking up phone with notification) are unusable, or not needed at all.
Maybe I'am transforming into apple user, but yeah, i would never say that but for now, with AOSP 5.0 Im the happiest during my android usage.
@didoop: It's funny you mention stability. I've only had one instance (so far) where my S4 became unstable, and that's when the NV memory became corrupted at the same time the SIM card tray failed. The former was caused by my attempting to add extra LTE bands to the phone, while the latter was just dumb luck.
As for Touchwiz itself, I'm running a stock ROM where the only modifications made to it were to debloat it. It's been rock solid, though I found the Touchwiz launcher to be a pain and quickly replaced it with Google Now. Realistically, the only feature I likely would miss switching to an AOSP/AOKP/CyanogenMod ROM would be the camera software. The Google version, while it includes Photosphere, just doesn't appear to be laid out as well as the Touchwiz camera.
What I will do after the S4 stops receiving official updates I haven't decided on. There are many choices available in the development section, and it'd be pointless to make a decision now, especially with 5.0 or 5.1 coming down the pike.
What's the point of this topic? If you don't like custom roms based on AOSP, don't use them... it's a matter of choice, for me and for many other people the S4's "Smart Features" are a complete useless trashy gimmick that samsung added only cause they had nothing else that was actually useful...
As i said, it's a matter of personal preference. Don't like it, don't use it, it's that simple. Now, bashing devs that try their best to bring the latest versions of Android and add their own features to improve users experience by saying their software turns our phone into crap... That's just plain ignorant and offensive.
DSA said:
That made no sense and gave me a headache trying to read it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed
-Ric- said:
What's the point of this topic? If you don't like custom roms based on AOSP, don't use them... it's a matter of choice, for me and for many other people the S4's "Smart Features" are a complete useless trashy gimmick that samsung added only cause they had nothing else that was actually useful...
As i said, it's a matter of personal preference. Don't like it, don't use it, it's that simple. Now, bashing devs that try their best to bring the latest versions of Android and add their own features to improve users experience by saying their software turns our phone into crap... That's just plain ignorant and offensive.
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Click to collapse
This was directed at the OP, right? I know I mentioned using a stock ROM, but I didn't mention it with the purpose of bashing anyone. It was hard to tell since you posted after me and didn't mention who you were talking to. In any case, this was a rant. It was done in a hurry, and the OP was either clearly frustrated or a Touchwiz fanboy. Regardless, his wall of text was difficult to read, which makes it difficult for me to take him seriously.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
This was directed at the OP, right? I know I mentioned using a stock ROM, but I didn't mention it with the purpose of bashing anyone. It was hard to tell since you posted after me and didn't mention who you were talking to. In any case, this was a rant. It was done in a hurry, and the OP was either clearly frustrated or a Touchwiz fanboy. Regardless, his wall of text was difficult to read, which makes it difficult for me to take him seriously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it was directed at the OP, i honestly still cant figure the point of this topic at all lol, if he likes touchwiz, sure, why not, but why bash AOSP devs? Nonsense lol
Well, the point was to troll for responses really. We're giving them too.
thanx really for everyone who participated in this thread
may I was wrong , because from 4 months a go I used dual roms on my i9505 using dual boot switcher , primary as TW , secondary as AOSP base
so that was very nice , and I think hat solves my problem , and if android 5 supports the dual boot . it will be very great and sorry again for my first long post
forgive me
Sorry OP, but its gotta be said, you talk a lot of ****. No offence.
According to you, if I have an s4 without those rubbish gimmicky features like smart pause, then its not as good as an s3 with touchwiz.
I don't need those gimmick features. I have an s4 instead of an s3 because it has a more powerful processor, a more powerful gfx processor, more RAM, an infinitely better screen, a better camera, 4G, and it looks nicer.
Touchwiz is the biggest lot of crap. I'll stick with stock android, or a custom ROM close to it. There's lots of good features in custom ROMs that are actually useful, instead of just 'something cool to show to your friends' (but you don't actually ever use it, or you try to but it doesn't work half the time and you could have just done it yourself faster anyway).
Oh, and I'm using a beta ROM right now that is fast as hell and has been absolutely rock stable since I flashed it.
I used to own an S4, so let me say this...
Touchwiz, aka sh*twiz, is the most bulky, counterintuitive Android UX to date. Case in point, people with NOTE 4s report lag. Have you seen the spec sheet of the note 4? It should eat anything it throws at it. My cousin owns one and it jitters from time to time.
Removing touchwiz is actually, if you want to be technical, MORE beneficial. Constantly beating on the processor, memory and ram with features that require the specs of a small computer decreases device life. Also, constantly having to charge the battery decreases the life of the battery as well (one of the causes of battery swelling). TW is only accepted because the MAJORITY of Android users are oblivious to rooting. So, you, among others, can say that a Samsung isn't a Sammy w/o touchwiz, but a true Android enthusiast is going to equally support the opposition with facts that stand behind them.
P.S. - you can get TW features without the TW ROM. Sammy could easily detouchwiz their software, much like HTC did with Sense, but they do it to be rebellious in my opinion, and the same features can be implemented without the skin in a stock ROM. Remember, touchwiz is a FORK of AOSP. The look of TW is purely by choice, and its a bad one
mingolianbeef said:
I used to own an S4, so let me say this...
Touchwiz, aka sh*twiz, is the most bulky, counterintuitive Android UX to date. Case in point, people with NOTE 4s report lag. Have you seen the spec sheet of the note 4? It should eat anything it throws at it. My cousin owns one and it jitters from time to time.
Removing touchwiz is actually, if you want to be technical, MORE beneficial. Constantly beating on the processor, memory and ram with features that require the specs of a small computer decreases device life. Also, constantly having to charge the battery decreases the life of the battery as well (one of the causes of battery swelling). TW is only accepted because the MAJORITY of Android users are oblivious to rooting. So, you, among others, can say that a Samsung isn't a Sammy w/o touchwiz, but a true Android enthusiast is going to equally support the opposition with facts that stand behind them.
P.S. - you can get TW features without the TW ROM. Sammy could easily detouchwiz their software, much like HTC did with Sense, but they do it to be rebellious in my opinion, and the same features can be implemented without the skin in a stock ROM. Remember, touchwiz is a FORK of AOSP. The look of TW is purely by choice, and its a bad one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think between you and me, we've covered the main points.
Would debloating the stock ROM and replacing the Touchwiz launcher improve the situation? Obviously it wouldn't be as good as going with AOSP but it should make a difference, shouldn't it?
You could make a difference yes, but you'd be far better just getting rid completely of that TW crap.
knuckles1978 said:
I think between you and me, we've covered the main points.
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Lol I believe so [emoji2] [emoji2]
---------- Post added at 07:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:51 AM ----------
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Would debloating the stock ROM and replacing the Touchwiz launcher improve the situation? Obviously it wouldn't be as good as going with AOSP but it should make a difference, shouldn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the flip side (playing devils advocate) I did use stock TW ROMs where the dev did a superb job with minimizing the TW footprint to the best of their ability. However, it was never enough. TW is just too ram hungry at its core to be considered a smooth Android experience.
Does TW Lollipop use ART by default like its supposed to??
We won't know that until ROMs start appearing, which won't be for a little while yet. The S5 owners will get Lollipop first.
In regards to lag, I haven't noticed any. But my experience is probably unusual.
What's the point? If you are so allergic to custom ROMs, I doubt you are at the right place....
The point is, am TOTALLY BORED by Samsungs UI & want something more "customizable". As for your mention of the hardware, if I DO change the ROM, on the flipside, the Camera won't be downgraded to 5 Mpx, isn't it? besides it's always good to have choices
regards,
Achyut.
P.S. --> A complete "no-point-to-be-made-random-chit-chat-going-nowhere" thread.
No hard feelings.
The only thing I hate is the camera and the sound....everybody else is ok, i love this phone.
--
Believes in Christ and you and your family will be safe of the Great day of Jehovah's wrath
I9505 Powered with Phoenix Rom v9.4 - Tamirda
GoogyMax Kernel v1.1.5 - Googy_anas
Philz touch Recovery - Philz
S5's S-view Cover service - Karkasss
Jehovah's Thunder Bootanimation - Pas2001
Bootanimation sound - Me
A lot of mods and stuff - Xda community
Thanks to all of you...

What are pros and cons of flashing a stock Android on the S7?

so i haven't had a samsung phone since 2003 until the S7. the last few phones i had were running stock android, without all the crap and i loved it. now, i know that samsung ui brings with it some benefits. what would i lose (and gain) if i flashed a stock android rom on my S7? thanks
1) not sure there already is a stock rom for S7 ...
Pros:
+ Getting stock android
Cons:
- Loss of some/most/all "samsung" features (possibly also some fingerprint support and so ... )
im not sure if you know the home screen launcher (called samsung touchwiz) can be replaced with better ones like nova launcher and such... is that what you mean by Samsung UI?
changing roms actually change the functionality of the Android system wide functions/features, its different to the home screen UI.
the rom that came with your s7 is stock samsung you could say. Samsung made it, so everything, all the hardware works with the rom... some people want more software features or less features and so flash other roms, like vanilla stock roms or asop/cm roms, even though it may mean some software features wont work and even some hardware functions.
Every rom dev will tell you what's on offer and what the issues are.
the s7 is quite fast now, so you could just root the current rom (once root is available for your model) and remove/freeze apps known not to be required to clean the rom of Samsung junk. also install xposed to add new system wide changing features and such, but the more you mod the more risk of having issues.
"Stock" android is called AOSP okay? It's a little confusing when you say it like that.
Anyhoo, AOSP is faster than TW, and you will have constant update even when S7 is not supported by samsung anymore. However, Samsung made sure that TW is best compatible with their devices so you wouldn't notice any difference at all when it comes to speed. Also when flashing AOSP, you will lose almost all features TW has.
I wouldn't recommend flashing a stock android. Reasons:
1. you'll have to void your warranty and trip the Knox counter. This is a one way street, there is no known method to "untrip" this counter, so Knox will be disabled on your phone (even some samsung services like samsung pay MIGHT be disabled)
2. the s7 hase plenty of power and enough ram, so "having more free ram" or "faster app opening speeds" isn't hardly an argument nowadays anymore.
3. Bloatware removal? Well, at least my s7 (exynos version with dtm german telekom image) came surprisingly clean. Microsoft Office, the usual google apps and the usual samsung apps. No Bild.de, hrs hotels or such crap anymore. And you can disable the apps you don't want easily via the app manager or via another android app called psp (or similar, just search the s7 subforum a bit, you'll find it).
4. optimization: as the posters stated above: the s7 rom is designed for the s7, and just the s7. so all the hardware is probably supported the best under this rom. in the early days of android one just had to cope with the 2g/3g modem, acceleration/light sensor, wifi and perhaps gps. nowadays there is tons of stuff more: fingerprint, special bluetooth low energy functionality, special camera sdks (mostly not public), magnetometer, some people also believe there is a fm radio chip in the s7... and so on and so on... this is making things difficult to implement for the developers of rom bundles as cyanogenmod or aosp.
---> if your only concern is the newest android in case of security: the s7 has android 6.0.1 now, this version has a decent capability to get SECURITY updates from google directly. Meaning the most crucial android wide security loopholes will be fixed. no more "stagefreight will never be patched for my 2,5 year old phone" anymore.
---> if you always want the newest roms for the newest pure android features: I assure you, samsung is sometimes ahead of those. the 5.x rom I am currently using on my xperia mini pro is actually pretty similar in case of functionality/usability with the 4.x rom of my s5. many of the features I missed in the pure 4.x which samsung implemented are now standard in the 5.x "clean android".
I guess you should just lay low and wait for your guarantee to be over OR reconsider once a good rom is available which has features that you urgently want.
I'm also currently waiting for a rooting method which doesn't trip knox to appear so that I can root my s7 and start using it. It's just in the original packaging right now waiting...
-acid
AcidBurns said:
I wouldn't recommend flashing a stock android. Reasons:
1. you'll have to void your warranty and trip the Knox counter. This is a one way street, there is no known method to "untrip" this counter, so Knox will be disabled on your phone (even some samsung services like samsung pay MIGHT be disabled)
2. the s7 hase plenty of power and enough ram, so "having more free ram" or "faster app opening speeds" isn't hardly an argument nowadays anymore.
3. Bloatware removal? Well, at least my s7 (exynos version with dtm german telekom image) came surprisingly clean. Microsoft Office, the usual google apps and the usual samsung apps. No Bild.de, hrs hotels or such crap anymore. And you can disable the apps you don't want easily via the app manager or via another android app called psp (or similar, just search the s7 subforum a bit, you'll find it).
4. optimization: as the posters stated above: the s7 rom is designed for the s7, and just the s7. so all the hardware is probably supported the best under this rom. in the early days of android one just had to cope with the 2g/3g modem, acceleration/light sensor, wifi and perhaps gps. nowadays there is tons of stuff more: fingerprint, special bluetooth low energy functionality, special camera sdks (mostly not public), magnetometer, some people also believe there is a fm radio chip in the s7... and so on and so on... this is making things difficult to implement for the developers of rom bundles as cyanogenmod or aosp.
---> if your only concern is the newest android in case of security: the s7 has android 6.0.1 now, this version has a decent capability to get SECURITY updates from google directly. Meaning the most crucial android wide security loopholes will be fixed. no more "stagefreight will never be patched for my 2,5 year old phone" anymore.
---> if you always want the newest roms for the newest pure android features: I assure you, samsung is sometimes ahead of those. the 5.x rom I am currently using on my xperia mini pro is actually pretty similar in case of functionality/usability with the 4.x rom of my s5. many of the features I missed in the pure 4.x which samsung implemented are now standard in the 5.x "clean android".
I guess you should just lay low and wait for your guarantee to be over OR reconsider once a good rom is available which has features that you urgently want.
I'm also currently waiting for a rooting method which doesn't trip knox to appear so that I can root my s7 and start using it. It's just in the original packaging right now waiting...
-acid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the post. i'm not worried about the warranty. i've rooted the last 3 phones i had and never needed warranty claim. i just like running aosp as its very clean and when rooted gives me more customization options. i could care less about samsung pay or fingerprint scanner and such. so i'm ok with losing it. buying the s7 i was really looking for great hardware which it has and flashing aosp on it. the only reason i didn't go with nexus 6 is because there's no sd card.
You will not see any AOSP roms available for Exynos variants. Snapdragon variants have locked bootloader so unless Samsung unlock it (which I think may be a possibility) you will not see any roms for Snapdragon variants.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
If you want custom roms, the S7 isn't the phone for you.
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Was never a fan of flashing aosp over touchwiz unless the S7 had a gpe counter part and a port was made or something. I hade the m8 on verizon but there was also a m8 gpe as well so that was a great experience because that was just ported over and all the features were still there the boomsound, HTC camera app ect. Usually you lose on a lot of factory features that were made for that phone and what I realized when flashing aosp Roms was the drastic downgrade in camera quality, that was during the s3 and note 3 for me.
I mean I'll definitely give a aosp rom a shot no doubt about that. if we even make it that far with the s7. We still need root and unlocked BL first to even be thinking about all that. Unless you got the exynos version.
One big thing for me usually is the camera...
Somehow the stock camera is always easiest, best, flexible and most comfortable. Never really found a camera which could replace it (either not all functionality available, or just not working as smooth). But yeah, it's not as if there is (or likely will be) an AOSP rom for the S7...

Will S8 Plus ever get Stock Android and are you bothered?

I absolutely think it is the best phone currently in the market and all it needs is stock rom, to make it smoother faster and simpler.
Will it ever get stock android and how many are looking forward to it?
I wonder how many people are happy with TW and not bothered about custom roms or stock android?
I use Nova Launcher and very happy. Stock Android is dull as dishwater. I enjoy some of the Samsung apps. If you don't like them, disable them. Samsung won't ever provide stock. They'll have nothing to sell! Its not in their interest.
A S8+ with stock android would lose all of the features that make it a great phone. (ie. Edge apps, themes, bluetooth sound on 2 devices, IRIS Scanner, Gear VR, Samsung Pay)
Exactly. Giving the Galaxy S8 phones stock Android from Samsung itself would ruin the whole point of the Galaxy S8 phones. You would lose so many features that way that the Galaxy S8 / S8+ would just be a blinged out Pixel phone.
Ofc, having the ability to install a custom Stock Android version is always a nice idea to have for those who really want it. But having that as an option from Samsung directly is NOT a good idea.
EDIT: riz157, the UX / UI is not called TouchWiz anylonger. It's called Samsung Experience now on the Galaxy S8 phones. When Galaxy S6 and S7 phones got Android 7.0, they got the earlier Grace UX that was before Samsung Experience.
Just and FYI.......Bluetooth on two devices at the same time is a product of Bluetooth 5.0 not Samsung.
Used custom rom on my S7E, (AOSP - which sucked ass, no features, then I used SupermanROM and I sticked to that.
Now I got my S8+ and I'm pretty happy with Samsung experience, so I won't be doing anything at all, I'll keep my Knox: 0x0 for now.
Interesting looks like most people are quite happy with Samsung experience. Admittedly it's vastly improved from previous versions but still shows signs of delay lag etc.
Not as buttery smooth as stock android.
I personally don't use Samsung stock apps other then email app.
Bump up
I would love of the old GPE program came back. Then I'd be happy to spend $850 on a S8+ GPE. It's just WAY SMOOTHER and cleaner UI and always up to date. But Samsung makes the best hardware.
I love the S8+ and feel the Samsung features built into it help make it special. I always flash custom roms, but they keep many of the Samsung tools/TW tools I like. Having said that, I also like AOSP based roms and if the S7 Edge is any example, it won't be too long until we get some to play with on our S8+ phones sometime in the future. (it took about 8 months or close to a year before AOSP Roms were available on the S7 edge) - but considering how close the S7 is to the S8 - it may not take that long. Time will tell.
And NO I am not bothered - what is there to be bothered about?
I'm looking forward to more custom roms because it gives s8 more freedom and change the themes fonts etc easily without having to purchase from Samsung and be limited to their poor options.
Samsung are trying to be apple of android, want you to purchase from there store themes etc. So glad there's competition in android world otherwise we would be locked down to samsung and apple!!
Doubt it, and I am not bothered.
Personally I find the S8+ faster and mostly smoother than the Pixel I had before. Mainly because the Pixel lags to hell and back in apps like Instagram and Facebook whereas the Exynos S8+ doesn't.
Over time I am sure the S8+ will slow down but like PC's I will just "Format it" and it will back to being much faster and generally smoother than the Pixel (and less buggy than the pixel)
riz157 said:
I absolutely think it is the best phone currently in the market and all it needs is stock rom, to make it smoother faster and simpler.
Will it ever get stock android and how many are looking forward to it?
I wonder how many people are happy with TW and not bothered about custom roms or stock android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, and no.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Most people prefer TW, after using it for several weeks on my S8 plus I'm still not convinced.
I still would like stock and more custom Roma, at the moment there's not much choice which is a shame.
I certainly hope that changes in the coming weeks.
Not bothered at all. My personal opinion:
Want stock Android? Get a Pixel (or Nexus)
Want bleeding edge hardware? Get any flagship Android phone
The nice thing about Android is the individuality of each company brings. Samsung with its own Samsung UX for the S8 (not TouchWiz, not Grace UX), LG with their Full-Screen UX for the G6, Huawei with EMUI for their Mate 9 and P10, and so on.. They all put in their own features that would make their phones stand out. They all work quite well and I never had to install a launcher since my S6 Edge Plus. But still the option is there if you want/need to.
Has everybody forgotten that this happened once?
https://www.engadget.com/2013/07/06/samsung-galaxy-s-4-google-play-edition-review/
I would love to see a developer edition of this phone (aka stock android). I do like that TouchWiz isn't so smothering lately, but there are many aosp-isms that I miss.
My perfect phone would be a pixel that looked like an S8+ running stock Android. That would be one sexy piece of kit. I hope we can at least root and rom this puppy one day. I'm a dreamer...
samsung ui got better, but I'm using a moto z2 play now for half the price and......they understood perfectly what a manufacturer has to do. Moto has pretty much vanilla experience except of some apps, some add on funcionality, it's far more sexy than samsung. It's extremely speedier with half the price, it's a pain that samsung always bloat their software for no new functionalities (irid scanner? ahahahahah, samsung pay? ==> android pay, side apps? always the first thing I disable in samsung edges). It got better then natural ui on s4, yes, but that was a big ****, this is only a little and less smelly **** compared to stock experience....to me, obviously
This is dumb. If I wanted stock Android I wouldn't buy a Samsung.
You needing to take the time out of the day to write this is dumb lol

Custom Rom Questions

I have been using a FRD-L14 running EMUI 4.1 (B150) for a few months and while I love having such a long battery life, I am starting to get frustrated with how much of my apps the system automatically kills in the background (alarm apps, text delay send, etc). I am considering trying out a custom ROM but have a few questions before proceeding.
1. If I make a TWRP nandroid backup, can I just reflash that at any time and revert back to my current rom without any hiccups if I have regrets?
2. I remember reading somewhere that I have to first upgrade to EMUI 5.0 before using a custom rom, this will not cause any issue with potential rollback?
3. What is the best currently available custom rom to try if I am looking for longest battery life and fewest bugs? Will the battery life come anywhere close to EMUI 4.1?
Thank you in advance!
Aren't there any official updates for the premium H8s?
Also that's quite the lengthy question and I know it's been asked before somewhere, please use the search function.
(Plus i can't remember the exact details as well)
Also battery life is **** with custom,(won't last me a day so i went back to stock) especially compared to MM (Even stock nougat is a worse) and all of them are somewhat buggy, but it depends on what you use.
Sent from my HUAWEI FRD-L09 using XDA Labs
I'm a new user of the Honor 8 with the exact same problem...
Also have the FRD-L14... wondering if any improvements/insights?
Would love to root, remove bloat, and even install a custom ROM, but all I've seen is that it can be a complete clusterf*#@ to do so. I'm just about to return this phone, its quirks are really ruining it for me.
anoukaimee said:
...... Would love to root, remove bloat, and even install a custom ROM, but all I've seen is that it can be a complete clusterf*#@ to do so. I'm just about to return this phone, its quirks are really ruining it for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i recommend that you return it asap! there are other phones that are way better. the good thing is that most new phones will have oreo and treble by default which is going to be mandatory in android from now on.
at worst, users will get AOSP. at best, custom ROMs that have much better functionality. i recommend saving for either a oneplus, or maybe a nokia.
thanks, I think you're right, just such a headache shopping for a bargain again. do you have any recs for phones that are similarly fast but without the intrusive bloat and which hopefully are easily rooted/support magisk mods etc? I wish the xiomi 5 series worked in the US, they sound great for the money. maybe another Chinese brand (Oppo, Meizu) that has better specs than the going rate here but can also be modded? I don't need to get it back to Amazon until the end of February (thank you, extended holiday returns), so I can wait for shipment from China. Or else a Motorola or even Nokia? need to keep under $350; significantly less would be much better.
appreciate it if you have any ideas.
---------- Post added at 03:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 AM ----------
droidbot1337 said:
i recommend that you return it asap! there are other phones that are way better. the good thing is that most new phones will have oreo and treble by default which is going to be mandatory in android from now on.
at worst, users will get AOSP. at best, custom ROMs that have much better functionality. i recommend saving for either a oneplus, or maybe a nokia.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry, just saw that you HAD recs. kind of intrigued by Nokia because I think they're selling at a discount to get their name out there. is there a specific model?
and is there anywhere you can still buy a OP3?
anoukaimee said:
............. do you have any recs for phones that are similarly fast but without the intrusive bloat and which hopefully are easily rooted/support magisk mods etc? I wish the xiomi 5 series worked in the US, they sound great for the money. maybe another Chinese brand (Oppo, Meizu) that has better specs than the going rate here but can also be modded?.......... and is there anywhere you can still buy a OP3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
okay, so now that you informed me about your location (US) it seems that you and i are in the same situation. i was waiting to get a 1+5t after buying a few 1+5s for various family members. they all needed updates. after thinking about it i decided to wait because 1+ lacks the one thing i desperately rely on.... EXPANDABLE STORAGE!
sadly, this is the one area where huawei really excels at. they include expandable storage on most of their phones. after htc decided to skip a US release of the U11+ it seemed that i would be forced to settle for the 1+ but thankfully there have been leaks of many new devices.
the one im looking forward to is the new redesigned sony line. from what i have read they will keep the 16:9 which i love and adopt a rear fingerprint scanner plus small bezels. the huge bezels are the only thing keeping me from buying a sony as they keep their android ROM clean with no horrible UI.
aside from sony, xiaomi is said to be releasing a few phones in the us as well. these combined with a redesign of the LG flagships. that makes for many options but, you will need to set aside a bit of money. imho, it will be worth it because all of these phones will come with oreo and treble.
for those devices that have a horrible stock rom, you can just install AOSP or any of the treble based custom ROMs. it will be great since all the latest phones have more longevity thanks to their hardware. the only limitation is software but treble will take care of that.
as far as a 1+3/t, you can find them on swappa. if bought 2 a few weeks back for $215 shipped. both were 64GB models that only needed the screen repaired. the total ended costing me about $170 each. if you have any kind of experience with repair, i recommend taking that route. i hope this helped, if you have any questions, dont hesitate to pm me. we gotta help each other out some way or another. cheers!

Is the S7 flat still worth it? 2019

As the title says, is the sS7 flat still worth buying as of today? I recently sold my phone and wanted to buy a new one, and found an s7 for $170, but I don't know if it's a good deal. What do you say?
Thanks.
I've not long had mine, maybe a month?
I came from an S4, had a moto x style (play in US) for about 6 months then I got a second hand S7 for £100. I think the camera was better on the moto but the development has all but stopped now
Getting an S7 though? I absolutely love it once you get it on a custom rom (or debloated stock) and get it tweaked just the way you like it, it runs like an absolute dream, I'm very happy with it
The price is good. Just make sure it is new and not rooted before buying.
Yeah I bought one in June after having a BLU R1 HD. S7 is much better
If you are curious I have a SM-G930W8
Nice nice, thanks everyone. I just bought it, it should arrive by Saturday or maybe Monday. I'll report back
Organics said:
Nice nice, thanks everyone. I just bought it, it should arrive by Saturday or maybe Monday. I'll report back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you buy the international version or a US model? International S7s are absolutely better in almost every single way.
Been using mine since 2018, got it off my partner when she upgraded to a Note 8. Its currently running alexndr dev base rom and it never misses a beat! Besides, if it's good enough for DISA's DMCC-S network, it good enough for me.
billclintonwong said:
Did you buy the international version or a US model? International S7s are absolutely better in almost every single way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is bad information.
No. Not every single way. And if buying for a US carrier, it's worse in many of the ways that matter: radio compatibility, and proper csc for function of wifi calling, VoLTE, and ViLTE, etc.
It's been a slow process with deaths in the family, but I've just started getting my s7 ready to use. Wanted to do the right research on what is safe or not to debloat for what I use, and that took a while. I'm 99% ready to use it [emoji846] my mom also has an s7. But I think the debloat process is helping mine run even smoother.
Once I have it fully the way I want, I'm gonna make a full backup. Then that way when I want to "reformat" I can just go back to that point. Seems like a good plan.
I plan to run it right down into the ground, lol. Some people upgrade every year. Me? I'll be upgrading from the captivate glide! S2 based. I still love that phone and it's in great physical shape, but the ram and compatibility just are not keeping up with it anymore even for a lighter user like me. I can use root to fool the play store about which android version, but if the app update coding doesn't support my older devices architecture it ends up with parsing errors and won't run. It took this long but this is finally starting to officially kill my s2.
I plan on running the s7 in exactly the same manner, until I just can't make it work any more! [emoji16]
what ROM is the best for S7? I have currently lineage OS 16 with nano gapps, I am considering to change it to something else. some features of the phone are not used(face unlock??), and few bugs I have noticed like the camera app is terrible slow (unable to take photos at night cause the flash is flashing and after a second the picture is taken LOL)
Well i just bought one, Canadian version with exynos in case i end up rooting it.
I did buy it just to use in the gym as an MP3 player but will likely end up flashing roms etc on it as well.
Doubt i could use it as my main device as its too small for me (im using a note 10 plus so big difference lol).
The lineage OS is good if you don't mind the camera photos being poor quality. If you want the best out of your camera you will need to run a Samsung stock based OS, because only those have the right camera drivers. SupermanRom is a good android version 8 debloated Samsung OS.
gruuvin said:
The lineage OS is good if you don't mind the camera photos being poor quality. If you want the best out of your camera you will need to run a Samsung stock based OS, because only those have the right camera drivers. SupermanRom is a good android version 8 debloated Samsung OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well thank you for the reply, I like the pure android PIE feeling (currently crDroid), but some features are missing, and OFC, the camera (the most important) is way worse than my Xiaomi MI5 was, so I'll consider to flash a stock base ROM
-don't you know if any GCam is working good on ROMs like https://turbox.uk/pages/roms.html ? (no black screen death, and photo quality as good as samsung stock)?
...superman or DevBase v6.0 or....LightRom by TeamExyKings..... hmm, how to choose from these? /if the camera problem can't be solved on these aOSP stlye roms/
lulzor said:
well thank you for the reply, I like the pure android PIE feeling (currently crDroid), but some features are missing, and OFC, the camera (the most important) is way worse than my Xiaomi MI5 was, so I'll consider to flash a stock base ROM
-don't you know if any GCam is working good on ROMs like https://turbox.uk/pages/roms.html ? (no black screen death, and photo quality as good as samsung stock)?
...superman or DevBase v6.0 or....LightRom by TeamExyKings..... hmm, how to choose from these? /if the camera problem can't be solved on these aOSP stlye roms/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried LineageOS for a while, because I really like so much about it, but the big downside was the camera, so I tried GCam versions until I found one that's stable. Best case scenario is poor compared to what it would be on a Google phone or what stock Samsung OS would do, because of the kernel-layer camera api that Samsung provides to hook into the cam hardware--you cannot drive the camera properly without these proprietary driver hooks. So I eventually wiped LineageOS and installed SupermanROM, and had a lightweight but very customized and stable experience, with the EXCELLENT cameras Samsung designed. Also, it was a big fight just getting gcam to work without force-close, and then some functions didn't work, and couldn't do high-def vids at fast framerates. It all just works with Samsung cam app + drivers.
So, no, GCam is the best you get for non-samsung OS, but not even close to what you get from Samsung OS.
I don't know about DevBase. SupermanRom was all I tried. It's been a year since then. I moved on to a Note9 phone. The S7 is now actually running LightRom, and is quite nice! (9.0 NFEPort JetBlack) Great cam too! But, I cannot comment about it beyond that, since it's not my daily driver and I have used any radios except wifi. Use TWRP and try em all! Start with the Note9 port and see if it just works. Check bluetooth first. (I like it mainly for the built-in dark mode).

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