Sunday Debate: Custom ROM vs. Stock Android

18 February 2018
This Sunday we discuss if stock Android or custom ROMs provide better user experience.

Sort by:

Stock android with some extra customize and features.

    • B
    • BobbyRooney
    • Y2{
    • 04 Mar 2018

    I'm a bit confused on this topic. Are you talking about the stock Android rom or the Stock LG rom? Stock LG will always be loaded with bloatware. If you do decide to use a stock Android rom, isnt that a custom rom for your specific model? That itself is an issue. How do you update your PRL and your Profile if it is not an option in the custom rom? i've tried this before on my samsung galaxy s6 and couldnt get any cellular service to work without updating the PRL and Profile on any custom rom.

      • M
      • Mikey
      • NKH
      • 21 Feb 2018

      Anonymous, 20 Feb 2018Can i have a rom with just the playstore and nothing else? ... moreI see where you're going with that. But it's got a small issue. No pre-installed keyboard, no input. So no ability to enter Google credentials and no way of actually searching the Play Store.

      Maybe let us remove the ASOP keyboard only after we've installed the one we actually like / plan to use? Just require a keyboard, any keyboard to be installed.

      Other than that, I like your idea there.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • JCC
        • 21 Feb 2018

        Anonymous, 20 Feb 2018Can i have a rom with just the playstore and nothing else? ... moreBut how would you search the store for apps with no keyboard app already installed ? You wouldn't be able to type anything in the search bar

          • H
          • HP
          • KZ8
          • 20 Feb 2018

          Call me a purist, I am on Stock Android rather than OEM custom ROM.

          After experienced almost stock Android on Nokia, it has made me desiring more of HMD led Nokia phones.

          Let say for a comparison, Touchwiz comparing with Xperia UI, I will take Xperia UI at any time.

          Then, comparing Xperia UI with Stock Android on Google Phones, it has made me undecided but I'm leaning more towards Stock Android.

          Therefore, heavily customized Android is really difficult to handle than lightweight and almost stock Android such like on Nokia. No wonder the updates are faster on Nokia although it is not a Google phone.

            • D
            • AnonD-739028
            • y$b
            • 20 Feb 2018

            Until Google provide more customizations, I will stick to custom ROM although in term of performance and security stock Android is better.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • uC0
              • 20 Feb 2018

              Can i have a rom with just the playstore and nothing else? no phonebook no calendar no messaging no keyboard no nothing not even the clock.. Just give a clean rom and playstore and let me choose whether to use google or third party apps.. that is purely pure android experience

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • wHU
                • 20 Feb 2018

                waczze, 20 Feb 2018A good manufacturer would provide both options for the user... moreBest possible middle ground is for OEMs to stick with their UIs (if this is still (to them) a belief for differentiation) and seriously rethink their approach to also keep up the Android base + security patch level to AOSP's schedule. Problem is that it's also where they hold the user base "to ransom" as a psyche for the next product cycle upgrade.

                  A good manufacturer would provide both options for the user through their official channel. They do not need to force the user to adhere to the specific type of Android.

                    What about near stock? Sony ROM is smooth and looks good; Motorola has some useful features baked in.

                      • H
                      • H-1
                      • gyy
                      • 19 Feb 2018

                      I love stock android, The most stable form out there. But there's always something missing. back in 4.3 days, I had edge shortcuts way before Samsung edge was born. Custom for me means added functionality whether it's rooted stock or real custom. But there's always the stability issue.
                      I'd love to see pre-rooted devices coming from big companies with set limits, like preventing users from overclocking, but with the ability to mod the device otherwise, like installing another OS or changing settings freely, much like we do on our PCs.
                      With treble it might be possible: Fixed kernel, and interchangeable ROM, but that's probably still a dream.

                        • D
                        • AnonD-572776
                        • LiF
                        • 19 Feb 2018

                        I like having a rom with a few but VERY USEFULL tweaks (ex. like the shield tablet), full dualshock 4 support, image settings global/per_app (resolution, gamma, frames fps, etc, etc) and visually looks like stock rom.

                        But most of the costum roms are full of garbage and uncessary tweaks and aesthetic changes so ill go with stock android, i owned a nexus 5 / shield tablet / Xiami A1 and stock roms never disapoint, costum roms frequently do.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • wHU
                          • 19 Feb 2018

                          Let me simplify these as best as I could:-
                          1. Custom ROMs (AOSP based vs. OEM UIs/"skins")
                          AOSP based ones normally brings in more feature sets than vanilla Android, while being as close to AOSP-fast speed for base and security patch level updates. Downsides? Probably not as stable across diff devices and highly dependent on each' quality level of OEMs' kernel sources + other "proprietary" bits (camera, VoLTE, NFC). And also the dedication level of each maintainer/dev(s) for said devices. Some are able to pull insane amounts of hackery to get a device close to 99% OEM-like stable.

                          OEM UIs and skins are a no brainer. Everyone especially those allergic to rooting or ROM flashing will tell you that there's nothing more solid and generally they're right because that's the way it should be. I mean what other excuse can an OEM fall back on since it's their made and designed devices? Features are second to none albeit at some may even risk to bloating as an attempt to show relevance. But above all the key issue shared by nearly ALL Android OEMs? They use UIs and skins as an excuse to NOT update the Android base and in some severe cases even leave the security patches at day 0 (launch date) state.

                          2. Stock or vanilla.
                          Despite the "pure" advantages, what most people forgot is that unless if you're already a Pixel, Nexus (at least only a gen older) and/or an Android One user then you risk the same problems highlighted already above at the custom AOSP part. Not a problem if you're willing to do a bit of tweaking, massively different if you're one of those "I don't have time for this" people. Unless of course if some OEMs already took the near stock approach. Factory imaged devices with near stock Android of course are as solid as their skinned sibling models but are still subject to OEMs' ability to match up to AOSP's rollout dates. The top benefit is you definitely won't have to root and should only do so if you need to control and further customize your phone when you can.

                          So you either; A. choose out of the box stability and risk not getting updated to a more current Android version and security patch OR B. you lose creature comfort features to deal with.

                            • N
                            • Netpoochi
                            • tet
                            • 19 Feb 2018

                            I like sony's rom

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 6XU
                              • 19 Feb 2018

                              Stock and near stock android for me. For example Sony's UI is very smooth as well.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • L66
                                • 19 Feb 2018

                                For me is a performance and security discussion ... bloatware vs unknown sources!

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • mJs
                                  • 19 Feb 2018

                                  I like some custom UIs, also sometimes Custom UIs are necessary e.g: yota, meizu pro7 since they offer own hardware like second screens, or the essential or new huawei phones, running a notch (google might support those some time soon). What makes me pick stock or close-to-stock over every other UI is the simple fact that I installed a custom launcher on every freaking phone I ever used (not nova!). Also Im !not! interested in HTC-Feed, Google Now, own emojis and all that gubbins. So keep it as clean as possible so users can differ it via third party apps.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • thu
                                    • 19 Feb 2018

                                    when i purchase Xiaomi Mi 5, i already felt the smartphone is slow. That's just playing on the store after i pay. Went home, install few apps, and try play some games. It indeed did not perform like snapdragon 821. Also i cant multitask more than 2 apps. The memory management is horrible. After 2 to 3 days without restarting the phone, the phone become sluggish. Open 1 game, press the home button and open 2nd app. Doing that clears the game from the memory. Upgrading the existing MIUI 7 to MIUI 8 and MIUI 9 didnt help at all.

                                    Then i flash the lineage os and omg, it's night and day. Multi-task is amazing. Gaming performance improves. I did lose the camera image quality a little bit but that's just fine.

                                    So yeah, custom rom all the way.

                                      • 5
                                      • 5T
                                      • nDN
                                      • 19 Feb 2018

                                      Sadly, most of the voters think a custom rom means a not so clean rom. Lineage OS(former CyanogenMod) is a stock Android clean rom with lots of tweaks in the Settings menu...

                                        • a
                                        • alexv
                                        • HBj
                                        • 19 Feb 2018

                                        In the recent years there's a growing hype on stock android. Other than differentiation, there is a reason there are custom firmwares. I went from miui to vanilla and suddenly i couldn't do so many things with my phone. I'm not gonna say miui is perfect because it's difficult for a mean user to learn and the worst thing that can happen to a battery. But i don't see why a stock + interface isn't the way forward. UIs like Sense, Xperia or Oxygen are all 90% vanilla but with some much needed features. ZTE will also follow that with its stock+ in april. So why not have 90% the speed of vanilla but not 10% of the features of custom roms.