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I'm currently trying to choose my first smartphone, and am having real trouble narrowing it down. At the moment it's between an S3, One X+ or a Nexus 4. However this isn't a versus thread, I'm asking about the development communities for Samsung and HTC devices.
1. Which company (HTC and Samsung) is more supportive to developers, and which flagship phone has the best support from developers themselves?
I'm guessing since the S3 is more popular, it has better developer support, but I also hear that Samsung refuse to release an Exonys source code or something, whereas HTC allows bootloaders to be unlocked, but that doesn't mean it's particularly easy to install custom kernals or roms to HTC devices. Do either of those issues affect the S3 or One X?
2. Which device out of the S3 and One X currently has stable roms that have most original features working (like fully functioning GPS, wifi, camera and all that)?
If I were to get a non-Nexus device, ideally I'd like to flash it back to stock Android to have them as close as a Nexus device as possible, or with a custom rom based on stock android.
3. If you had to order all the manufacturers in terms of the quality and quantity of bug-free custom roms available, and ease of installing them, how would you order it?
For example, Nexus > Samsung > Motorola > HTC > Asus, or whatever.
Also for those asking why I don't simply go for the Nexus 4, it's because the build quality issues frighten me a bit.
Smeghead_ said:
I'm currently trying to choose my first smartphone, and am having real trouble narrowing it down. At the moment it's between an S3, One X+ or a Nexus 4. However this isn't a versus thread, I'm asking about the development communities for Samsung and HTC devices.
1. Which company (HTC and Samsung) is more supportive to developers, and which flagship phone has the best support from developers themselves?
I'm guessing since the S3 is more popular, it has better developer support, but I also hear that Samsung refuse to release an Exonys source code or something, whereas HTC allows bootloaders to be unlocked, but that doesn't mean it's particularly easy to install custom kernals or roms to HTC devices. Do either of those issues affect the S3 or One X?
2. Which device out of the S3 and One X currently has stable roms that have most original features working (like fully functioning GPS, wifi, camera and all that)?
If I were to get a non-Nexus device, ideally I'd like to flash it back to stock Android to have them as close as a Nexus device as possible, or with a custom rom based on stock android.
3. If you had to order all the manufacturers in terms of the quality and quantity of bug-free custom roms available, and ease of installing them, how would you order it?
For example, Nexus > Samsung > Motorola > HTC > Asus, or whatever.
Also for those asking why I don't simply go for the Nexus 4, it's because the build quality issues frighten me a bit.
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I'm gonna km this now before it turns into what we both know will happen.
I will put it to you this way. No ROM is bug free and never will be. To many personal options for the dev the test out. XDA is not about ROMs. It is about development. While you may think they are the same, they are not. Development is all about trying new things and making new stuff up as you go along. Not how stable you can make a ROM.
Each device has its followers and its fans. You will find most of the OG developers prefer HTC ad this is where we all started. Then enter the android devs they tend to lean to the nexus as it was built to use the open source drivers. Unlike the rest. Samsung makes good screens but the refusal to release the code or anything to help is an end game for most.
People will always jump to the newest thing. This is how they are programmed to be. Get a device that does what you need and the rest will follow
Thread closed
Batcom2
I've been running AOSP ROM's for years now, and have come to be kinda.... bored with them. They all generally have the exact same features, look very much alike. I found myself really liking the LG skin. The launcher and icons are sharp looking, and I like the geometric sharpness of the stock icons (if that makes sense).
I already have g3 Tweaksbox installed, as well as a few other xposed mods, but I was curious if anyone was working on a ROM with stuff like that baked right in it. When I had my S3 there were a ton of touchwiz ROM's with a lot of that baked in and they seemed to work better than just having an xposed mod do the work.
Hopefully when lg releases lollipop!
I'm getting this phone today after being with iphone for 2 years and I am amazed to see the lack of development with it being such a kick ass phone. I came from the HTC Evo 3D era where you had hundreds of roms/customizations to choose from. This phone has been out for about 6 months and there is less than 10 roms available with a lot of them dropped and/or locked.
valdesr11 said:
I'm getting this phone today after being with iphone for 2 years and I am amazed to see the lack of development with it being such a kick ass phone. I came from the HTC Evo 3D era where you had hundreds of roms/customizations to choose from. This phone has been out for about 6 months and there is less than 10 roms available with a lot of them dropped and/or locked.
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I didn't have that phone, but a quick google search leads me to believe that while the phone was released in June of 2011, it wasn't unlocked until November of 2011. So I bet there was little to no ROM support during the first 6 months of that phone's life either. Funny how our memory works.......
But you have three choices.....
1) Learn Android and become a developer yourself. That would be great because you would be contributing to the community instead of just taking from it.....
2) Get another phone that has a larger developer community already.....
3) Shut up and be patient. Complaining about the lack of developer support is just rude and unhelpful.......
Lack of development...... We have a a lot going on ... And its all happened recently.
2SHAYNEZ
sic0048 said:
I didn't have that phone, but a quick google search leads me to believe that while the phone was released in June of 2011, it wasn't unlocked until November of 2011. So I bet there was little to no ROM support during the first 6 months of that phone's life either. Funny how our memory works.......
But you have three choices.....
1) Learn Android and become a developer yourself. That would be great because you would be contributing to the community instead of just taking from it.....
2) Get another phone that has a larger developer community already.....
3) Shut up and be patient. Complaining about the lack of developer support is just rude and unhelpful.......
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YES!!! If the person complaining had bothered to read through, they would have seen that the phone has only recently been able to have the bootloader bypassed. Obviously the 2 years they have been away from the android world has dulled the senses and understanding of how things work.
For the timeframe, there is lots of development going on. I personally am enjoying the stock rom having come from a Sammy phone and I find the stock LG experience currently enjoyable (after rooting and removing bloat of course). I have no issues waiting on development to progress, but I will keep watching and reading.
valdesr11 said:
I'm getting this phone today after being with iphone for 2 years and I am amazed to see the lack of development with it being such a kick ass phone. I came from the HTC Evo 3D era where you had hundreds of roms/customizations to choose from. This phone has been out for about 6 months and there is less than 10 roms available with a lot of them dropped and/or locked.
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Click to collapse
But, you have to remember that back in those days a lot of features that were offered in those custom ROMs have now made it to AOSP... thus eliminating the desire for custom variations.
An installation of pure Android 5.0 is extremely feature filled and very fast. I'd say the real lack is the camera (still!!!), but it's not too terribly bad.
chaosclarity said:
But, you have to remember that back in those days a lot of features that were offered in those custom ROMs have now made it to AOSP... thus eliminating the desire for custom variations.
An installation of pure Android 5.0 is extremely feature filled and very fast. I'd say the real lack is the camera (still!!!), but it's not too terribly bad.
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You're right. Actually, the reason I was saying there was a lack of development is because I was only looking in the At&t section. Back in the Evo 3D days, there was only one development section. Now they have split it up into the different carriers and android or original. Is the problem with the camera you are talking about through custom or stock roms? I took a picture today with the G3 and it looks beautiful compared to my crappy Iphone 5. Which ROM is the most complete up until now?
valdesr11 said:
You're right. Actually, the reason I was saying there was a lack of development is because I was only looking in the At&t section. Back in the Evo 3D days, there was only one development section. Now they have split it up into the different carriers and android or original. Is the problem with the camera you are talking about through custom or stock roms? I took a picture today with the G3 and it looks beautiful compared to my crappy Iphone 5. Which ROM is the most complete up until now?
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I'm pretty sure he's referring to AOSP based roms camera apps. You see, there isn't yet a way to bring the full potential of our G3's camera to an AOSP based rom. If you want superb camera quality like the G3 can deliver, stick to LG stock based ROMS.
As for a "more complete" rom until now, it's a bit more complex to answer. Many custom roms offer great features, but if you're looking for stability and getting the best out of your G3's camera or features, I would stay with a stock based ROM like Cloudy's. Check LG G3 Android Dev forums for that one. As for smoothness and latest features on Android, a Lollipop AOSP based custom rom would be cool.
valdesr11 said:
You're right. Actually, the reason I was saying there was a lack of development is because I was only looking in the At&t section. Back in the Evo 3D days, there was only one development section. Now they have split it up into the different carriers and android or original. Is the problem with the camera you are talking about through custom or stock roms? I took a picture today with the G3 and it looks beautiful compared to my crappy Iphone 5. Which ROM is the most complete up until now?
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I understand where you are coming from now. There are several reasons why the threads are differentiated by carrier and international models. One is due to hardware and drivers. Others include such things as carrier specific mods. By separating, it lessens the potential for bricking phones and various other issues. I'm sure there is much more.
AOSP ROMs have never delivered the camera performance I want so I stick to molded stock.
Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk
Although the kernel source is available, there aren't any projects, custom roms/kernels, no miui modifications and barely working custom recovery.. I get it the device is new but so are other devices that have so much projects... But why is our device so empty? I bet it has a huge potential for custom teams..
Xiaomi isn't interested in actively supporting independent ROM development for their devices. The reason there is a lot of development for One Plus phones is that One Plus sends free phones to developers. Xiaomi does not do that and wants its customers to use the stock ROM. Official LOS is supposedly in development for the Mix 2S but if you need custom ROMs you bought the wrong phone. In the future you should probably see what the development thread looks like before buying.
What about other Xiaomi devices? They have custom support.
Well the custom recovery is actually working pretty good. You can use the treble roms, rr is daily driver ready... Currently there are people working on aosp for our device, when we have a working aosp other roms will follow based on it
If you look into how many devices were sold, you'll figure out why so little development.
ManicStreetPreacher said:
If you look into how many devices were sold, you'll figure out why so little development.
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I can see that, but it's definitely surprising how few official developer ROMs (zero) have been released since this phone has been in existence. I know it's been stated that developers are working on it, but I haven't seen anything.
The camera is the constraining factor. No point having a good custom ROM if there is no GCam or MIUI camera port because you could have got a much cheaper phone if you don't care about camera.
I really regret buying this buggy device. Last time I buy something that doesn't run stock Android out of the box.
mike freegan said:
The camera is the constraining factor. No point having a good custom ROM if there is no GCam or MIUI camera port because you could have got a much cheaper phone if you don't care about camera.
I really regret buying this buggy device. Last time I buy something that doesn't run stock Android out of the box.
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So you say people buy this phone only because of the good camera?
What cheaper phone could you get with the same performance as 845?
MIUI port already exist, yes for other devices, but it can be made for 2S with a finger snap. Devs just don't have interest in this device, sadly..
pi4a7a said:
So you say people buy this phone only because of the good camera?
What cheaper phone could you get with the same performance as 845?
MIUI port already exist, yes for other devices, but it can be made for 2S with a finger snap. Devs just don't have interest in this device, sadly..
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I do not care about processor. I just wanted full-screen with no notch and a good camera.
Hi!
Currently I have this device as my main option for upgrading my smartphone, but I'm looking for a phone which I can install 3rd party ROMs such as Lineage OS or Pixel Experience to prolong it's life.
For now this phone is selling a lot and looks promising when it comes having a good dev community.
Is this one a good choice or do you have any recommendations?
Thanks for your time
Probably not since its only for china/india. Also the main selling point of the phone, the camera, isnt as good as you might think. So just buy a Pocco, or wait a little more and see if they release new phones (Pocco2/Mi A3).
Most of the custom roms are being ported to other devices by Indian devs. So yes, there will be good dev support for this phone.
andresteare said:
Hi!
Currently I have this device as my main option for upgrading my smartphone, but I'm looking for a phone which I can install 3rd party ROMs such as Lineage OS or Pixel Experience to prolong it's life.
For now this phone is selling a lot and looks promising when it comes having a good dev community.
Is this one a good choice or do you have any recommendations?
Thanks for your time
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Click to collapse
Yes, it already has pretty good custom rom support.
Both Pixel Experience and LineageOS have already been ported and made available on the RN7P, as well as a few others like crDroid and Havoc OS.
Personally I'm using crDroid as I was told it's a LineageOS based rom but with more customization options added in, and while I'm still tinkering around with it, there's definitely a lot of options.
It's also officially been ported and maintained, if that makes much of a difference compared to LineageOS being an unofficial port last time I checked.
I mean it is a great device with cool specs, so what gives?
I was actually thinking of buying it. But lack of development really discourages me.
sssaini007 said:
I mean it is a great device with cool specs, so what gives?
I was actually thinking of buying it. But lack of development really discourages me.
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Maybe it's because ColorOS is different from other Android, especially security. Ported ROM, OS or other apps are not as easy as other brands of Android, there must be customization of scrips, drivers, etc.
Another factor is that more and more new devices are appearing at lower prices and better specifications make developers choose other brands.
there are many other factors that make developing this device feel slow.
but there is good news that there are developers like @BluBlu and other developers are starting to manage the Device tree, meaning that soon a stable custom rom version will appear specifically for Realme 5 Pro.
faisalxp said:
Maybe it's because ColorOS is different from other Android, especially security. Ported ROM, OS or other apps are not as easy as other brands of Android, there must be customization of scrips, drivers, etc.
Another factor is that more and more new devices are appearing at lower prices and better specifications make developers choose other brands.
there are many other factors that make developing this device feel slow.
but there is good news that there are developers like @BluBlu and other developers are starting to manage the Device tree, meaning that soon a stable custom rom version will appear specifically for Realme 5 Pro.
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Thank you for the reply. Can we expect a stable miui build for it?
And if you're using the device, what can you say about it's camera, performance, battery, charging and miscellaneous stuff? Should i buy it?
Another factor is that bootloader is not unlockable for EU version users.
sssaini007 said:
Thank you for the reply. Can we expect a stable miui build for it?
And if you're using the device, what can you say about it's camera, performance, battery, charging and miscellaneous stuff? Should i buy it?
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yeah, i heard in several groups that someone has tried ported MUI Rom but it's not stable yet, there are still a lot of bugs. I think if there is already a stable OS version, the others will start to catch up. related to the camera is very good I have never gotten a quality as good as this device for the same price especially when using gcam. The performance is a little lag, but with a little tweak or using a custom ROM, the problem is resolved. battery is very economical if it is not rooted, if root only lasts a day depending on your activities. very fast charging using VOOC and miscellaneous may be related to privacy / security better than other brands.
tonibm19 said:
Another factor is that bootloader is not unlockable for EU version users.
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If using Msmdownload and equalizing the partition size with other Region (which can Unlock Bootloader). can't the Flash Stock Rom Region do and unlock? or maybe even can flash vbmeta and TWRP?
Well in my opinion, the reasons for the slow development could be
- the amount of to be supported devices:
Currently there are ~18 devices which need maintenance and support. This is a huge task for such a new company. And there are more devices to come.
- Support request from "unsupported" regions: Realme devices are being sold in Europe "official" in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Portugal. But you can buy the devices e.g in Germany by ordering over Ebay or Amazon and inofficial resellers. These user might have problems with current "locked" features, like VoLTE/VoWifi in Germany and request support from realme which might leads to a "support flood".
- maybe small developer team?