Asus working with the community to support custom development is a good thing - ASUS ZenFone 6 (2019) Guides, News, & Discussion

I was hopeful when I read this news post about Asus sending dev units. Here in the USA, the phone isn't officially on sale yet and we already have TWRP and a LineageOS ROM. That's really impressive and there's a good chance that I'll buy this phone once it becomes available.
I am not really even interested in the camera, which is the major selling feature on this phone. I just want a good phone with a headphone jack, sdcard slot, and good specs (RAM/SoC/battery). But most of all I require a custom ROM, preferably LineageOS, because I do a lot of scripting with ssh and rsync.
Asus maybe could pull some customers away from OnePlus, especially since OnePlus has eliminated the headphone jack and sdcard slot from their phones. This might even make OnePlus do a better job of serving the developer community.
I wish that this phone had LTE bands 66 and 71 for T-Mobile in the USA, and maybe had an OLED screen. but I can live without them. The C model should support all of T-Mobile other bands.
It is so hard to find good modern phones with good custom ROM support. This phone has me very hopeful. I think Asus is making the right moves here to win customers.

For me it is sdcard slot, not bigger than 160mm, headphone jack, lineage and good SoC. There are no real alternatives to the zf6. I do not care about the camera either.
Coming from zf5z i am really happy Asus took some steps to better community/custom rom support. With the 5z it took about a year to get the first custom rom down to 1 month with the zf6

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Thinking about buying the LG G4.. how stable are the custom roms?

So I finally broke my Galaxy S4 last night, and I'm thinking about buying an LG G4 to replace it. However, the LG UI "improvements" look awful, and I bet I would be changing the firmware pretty soon if I get it. So with that in mind, I'm wondering if I should be buying the phone. Is CM13 or other roms stable enough that replacing the stock rom a good idea on a new phone?
I'm also considering any any other phone in the same price range, including the Moto X Style (Pure).
Unless you're looking to get the T-Mobile (811) or the International EU (815) version, there is no way to install custom roms. Those are the only two unlockable variants.
The other versions are rootable if you stay on 5.1.1 LP, but if you want 6.0 MM, you'll be stuck with the T-Mobile or EU Int version. There is no way to root all the other variants on 6.0
Luckily, I would be getting the 815 version.
As far as I can tell the ROMs based on stock are very stable. You won't even notice the difference. CM and CM based ROMs are the usual. Stable but have a few annoying bugs. I haven't really tried any AOSP so I won't speak for those
Heres my opinion.i have a tmobile version and if i flasha custom rom it seems to drop the bands as i cannot get signal in places where i can on stock based custom roms or pure stock rom.it does not switch between towers properly and i lose the ability to make or recieve calls.when i check phone info on aosp or cm based roms it shows it uses only 4 of the 12 bands i have.
Overlord Yuri said:
So I finally broke my Galaxy S4 last night, and I'm thinking about buying an LG G4 to replace it. However, the LG UI "improvements" look awful, and I bet I would be changing the firmware pretty soon if I get it. So with that in mind, I'm wondering if I should be buying the phone. Is CM13 or other roms stable enough that replacing the stock rom a good idea on a new phone?
I'm also considering any any other phone in the same price range, including the Moto X Style (Pure).
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I made the same transition; from Galaxy S4 to Lg G4.
I'm running stock with Xposed. The G4 Tweaksbox app has a themes option and I've got a stock android one applied. It's really stable (I always expect themes to go crazy). The only other thing is the settings. You can get a stock settings mod but I don't really see the point. It works well enough for me and settings isn't really something you'd aim to be going on everyday anyway.
The clip tray is annoying but can be disabled. Add nova launcher and Google keyboard and it's all good. This is a much better solution than a custom ROM. You'll never get this kind of stability. Not forgetting that your camera app and fm radio and others will also be gone.
EDIT:
When buying, make sure the serial number starts with 601 or 602 603... These phones were manufactured this year so hopefully won't have the bootloop bug. If buying 2nd hand, ask the seller for the serial. If they can't provide it, ask for the IMEI and look up the serial number using https://imeidata.net/warranty/lg
There are too many references for 6XX bootloop issues, so I wouldn't recommend LG G4 at all , for custom theming,roms etc. Even after replacing motherboards of 5xx to 6xx, the bootloops are something more common than I used to believe...
personally am very happy with g4(601). best combo for me is Genisys Rom 4.2 + SimpleGX KERNEL (then Tweaksbox, xposed & nova launcher). very stable, no lags, speedy, good battery, amazing camera/lg app. downsides are unlocking bootloader voids warranty & the body corner feels painfully sharp after a while in the hand.
I am happy with the G4 too, 601 as well , but unfortunately that doesn't change the fact that there are many issues with the phone! I hope the OP can enjoy and proceed at his own risk of course!
Thanks for the replies guys! At the moment I think I'm leaning towards the Moto X Style, and will probably order it (at pretty much the same price as the G4) tomorrow unless someone talks me out of it.
Overlord Yuri said:
Thanks for the replies guys! At the moment I think I'm leaning towards the Moto X Style, and will probably order it (at pretty much the same price as the G4) tomorrow unless someone talks me out of it.
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I'll be honest with you.....my mom has this phone and has massive battery drain issues, where as I have none. If your going for good battery and fast updates than Motorola will be your best bud, but if you don't mind mediocre battery but a kick ass camera then the G4 will be your best bud. PS it's as good as point and shoot this is coming from someone that does photography for a living.
Sent from my LG-H812 using XDA Free mobile app
I also have little to no faith in LG anymore. Moving on to bigger better things but will ride it out until my upgrade is eligible.
Going back to Samsung, Motorola, Huawei or HTC.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Going to repeat this over and over again, i don't understand those people who after unboxing immediately install custom ROM (What!? you know what you're buying, you support OEM in this case LG, you support their firmware, skin and now you throwing out your money for something else in many cases worse, facepalm) if you want pure Android you buy Nexus, Motorola maybe, that's it, as Google says "Be together not the same". Installing custom ROM's it's like putting BMW rims on Toyota's car... beside that, G4 don't need a custom ROM, just imagine what your going to deal with custom ROM, awful camera, sound issue, lost functionalities, bugs, strange battery drains, degradation in overall battery life and everything for stock Android look? for latest security patches? themes? it's not worth it atleast now, IMO custom ROM's comes in handy when OEM stop's supporting your device with the latest firmware so if i done calculations right you should look for CM for LG G4 when Android 8-9 comes out. All you need is a root and good kernel then comes a good stuff, long story short, CM is a cancer for latest devices, flagships, believe me and don't think i'm condemning CM.
Frant1c said:
Going to repeat this over and over again, i don't understand those people who after unboxing immediately install custom ROM (What!? you know what you're buying, you support OEM in this case LG, you support their firmware, skin and now you throwing out your money for something else in many cases worse, facepalm) if you want pure Android you buy Nexus, Motorola maybe, that's it, as Google says "Be together not the same". Installing custom ROM's it's like putting BMW rims on Toyota's car... beside that, G4 don't need a custom ROM, just imagine what your going to deal with custom ROM, awful camera, sound issue, lost functionalities, bugs, strange battery drains, degradation in overall battery life and everything for stock Android look? for latest security patches? themes? it's not worth it atleast now, IMO custom ROM's comes in handy when OEM stop's supporting your device with the latest firmware so if i done calculations right you should look for CM for LG G4 when Android 8-9 comes out. All you need is a root and good kernel then comes a good stuff, long story short, CM is a cancer for latest devices, flagships, believe me and don't think i'm condemning CM.
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+1
I used to be one of those who buys a flagship device, then immediately look for bootloader unlock, root and flash. But after having LG G4 for 3 weeks now, stock MM latest, installed with my needed apps and games, I lost the feel of flashing custom ROMs.
G4 is great as it is, although optimizations can be done, a little upgrade here and there. As long as LG supports G4 with updates and with their accessories, then I'll stay with LG as manufacturer. Of they abandon us (like what they did with G PRO), then I'll switch devices.
LG has been my favorite since 2013.
Overlord Yuri said:
Luckily, I would be getting the 815 version.
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Be extremely cautious where you get your 815 from. I bought one from Value basket that was advertised as a European Variant for the express purpose of developing a CFW- When it came it wasn't and they refused to exchange it. I've got an email trail as long as your arm trying to get the thing exchanged but they're just con-merchants.
But it's still an awesome phone....
Frant1c said:
if you want pure Android you buy Nexus, Motorola maybe, that's it, as Google says "Be together not the same". Installing custom ROM's it's like putting BMW rims on Toyota's car... beside that, G4 don't need a custom ROM, just imagine what your going to deal with custom ROM, awful camera, sound issue, lost functionalities, bugs, strange battery drains, degradation in overall battery life and everything for stock Android look?
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I do get your point. Buying the G4 would have been a compromise to get some good hardware for a low price, and I hoped to to sweeten that deal even more by customizing the firmware to my liking. However, I ended up getting a second-hand Nexus 6P instead. :victory:
Overlord Yuri said:
I do get your point. Buying the G4 would have been a compromise to get some good hardware for a low price, and I hoped to to sweeten that deal even more by customizing the firmware to my liking. However, I ended up getting a second-hand Nexus 6P instead. :victory:
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Smartest move you could have ever made. LG has left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Ever since I got my phone back with a new circuit board it feels like a ticking time bomb and I don't use it for anything other than texting, phone use and browsing. How pathetic is that.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Lenovo P2 - a good choice?

Hello.
I'm looking for a new phone, my budget is around 340 USD and therefore Lenovo P2 has really caught my eye. I'd like to ask a couple questions.
1. How is the bootloader unlock procedure? Is it known to be problematic or causing any issues with ultimately not being able to unlock the bootloader? Coming from an LG device, I want to be extra careful regarding this.
2. I plan to have this device for a longer period of time, around 3-4 years. Is Lenovo P2 a viable choice in this regard? Will it be able to hold off for that long, in terms of ROM support and general performance/usage?
3. How do custom ROM development prospects look right now for the device? Can I expect good custom ROM support from this device in the coming years?
4. How satisfied are you with your phone? Would you recommend it to me? Is there anything you don't like about the phone?
Thanks in advance.
1) submit unlock request through the phone and the bootloader should be unlocked 14 days later.
2) original ROM support - highly unlikely. Custom ROM - depends on how well received the phone is by the community. Might be too early to tell still. Performance etc, I don't think any high-end phone from 3-4 years ago can compete with mid range phone's today. So I can only imagine P2 being as sluggish as entry level phones today in 3-4 years.
3) can't comment. If you want custom ROM support, flagship Samsung and Nexus might be a better option?
4) battery life is exceptional, but I really wish it was smaller. The camera is not excellent either.
Sent from my Lenovo P2a42 using Tapatalk
Are you planning to use this phone in the USA? If yes, don't purchase it. The us networks are not supported.
ken218 said:
1) submit unlock request through the phone and the bootloader should be unlocked 14 days later.
2) original ROM support - highly unlikely. Custom ROM - depends on how well received the phone is by the community. Might be too early to tell still. Performance etc, I don't think any high-end phone from 3-4 years ago can compete with mid range phone's today. So I can only imagine P2 being as sluggish as entry level phones today in 3-4 years.
3) can't comment. If you want custom ROM support, flagship Samsung and Nexus might be a better option?
4) battery life is exceptional, but I really wish it was smaller. The camera is not excellent either.
Sent from my Lenovo P2a42 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the answer, very much appreciated.
I'm aware that it probably won't get official ROM support, but I hope that custom ROMs will be usable, i.e. that all the issues like the fingerprint scanner and notification LED will be fixed.
Most of the Nexus options are overpriced where I live, but maybe Nexus 6 could be an option(?).
Rom Support and reception seems to be starting well 2 months from this conversation... don't you think ?
(that's what made me buy it + full french 4G support)...
Fobos531 said:
Thank you for the answer, very much appreciated.
I'm aware that it probably won't get official ROM support, but I hope that custom ROMs will be usable, i.e. that all the issues like the fingerprint scanner and notification LED will be fixed.
.
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Click to collapse
Let me put it this way: I still use my old Note 3 as remote control for Xiaomi Smart Home. It runs on last official Android 5.1. All those custom ROMs are crap. Nothing just headache.
Its a great budget phone

Little rant to get it out of my chest...

Disclaimer: This is rant, a civilized one, if you disagree with me, you are welcome to illustrate me but offenses are not appreciated.
This phone is great, but it refuses to be acceptable as a daily driver.
Developers are the best people in the world, they do what they do with no return at all sometimes, but the software (the lack of a good kernel base) makes it really hard to enjoy. I could never get more than 4.5 hours of SOT on any ROM, whereas stock would give me at least 5.5; however stock software is a bad joke for the Android base and the camera output is nerve wracking...
The CDLA headphones are a must, no one likes the dongle and it seems that (due to broken kernel) no dev was able to figure out this one (clarifying again that I don't blame them). So my options are to get used to carry the dongle or to the crack and pop from the CDLA ones... hmmmmmm......
I see the exact same story as with the Amazon phone, on its time, the Amazon phone had a really good thing going here in XDA, but the bootloader was never unlocked and the momentum was lost. I had to let go on my Fire phone....
For the LePro3, many great options are at hand at the same price, I'm looking heavily right now at the LG G5 from the $200 custom rom on eBay, WAY BETTER camera (like 10X times better), about the same battery life if you compare custom ROM of LePro3 vs stock of LG G5, and I have to admit that although I dislike LG's interface, it is tolerable.
Also, the LeEco servers (including the one that supports OTAs) has been down for at least 3 days (that I have tried myself), like seriously, we know the company is nearly in bankruptcy although still having customer support working, but the fact that security updates have halted and servers are down, tells me that there is something wrong going on.
At $200 dlls that I got the phone for, it is still not worth it for *me*.
My Moto Z play was $450 with a hasselblad camera mod that I was able to sell to get $100 in return, so for $350, I would still take yet another Moto Z Play at the current price, with way lower specifications, than taking a LePro3 for $200.
Help yourself and download these apps
Power Toggles
ACDisplay
Simple Control
Fingerprint Quick Action
Pixel Launcher
Modify the DPI to 300 via ADB
Download Google Camera (2.7) , Phone, Contacts etc from APKMirror
I am enjoying all the benefits from stock ROM plus emulated stock Android experience. =D
I bought this phone at what I thought was a steal for the hardware I was getting. I knew the company was unknown in the US and would likely not support the phone for long (if at all). I've flashed many Roms and played with this phone more than any other than perhaps my Nexus 6. Its a great phone overall with pretty decent developer support. I regret nothing.
Jose-MXL said:
Disclaimer: This is rant, a civilized one, if you disagree with me, you are welcome to illustrate me but offenses are not appreciated.
This phone is great, but it refuses to be acceptable as a daily driver.
Developers are the best people in the world, they do what they do with no return at all sometimes, but the software (the lack of a good kernel base) makes it really hard to enjoy. I could never get more than 4.5 hours of SOT on any ROM, whereas stock would give me at least 5.5; however stock software is a bad joke for the Android base and the camera output is nerve wracking...
The CDLA headphones are a must, no one likes the dongle and it seems that (due to broken kernel) no dev was able to figure out this one (clarifying again that I don't blame them). So my options are to get used to carry the dongle or to the crack and pop from the CDLA ones... hmmmmmm......
I see the exact same story as with the Amazon phone, on its time, the Amazon phone had a really good thing going here in XDA, but the bootloader was never unlocked and the momentum was lost. I had to let go on my Fire phone....
For the LePro3, many great options are at hand at the same price, I'm looking heavily right now at the LG G5 from the $200 custom rom on eBay, WAY BETTER camera (like 10X times better), about the same battery life if you compare custom ROM of LePro3 vs stock of LG G5, and I have to admit that although I dislike LG's interface, it is tolerable.
Also, the LeEco servers (including the one that supports OTAs) has been down for at least 3 days (that I have tried myself), like seriously, we know the company is nearly in bankruptcy although still having customer support working, but the fact that security updates have halted and servers are down, tells me that there is something wrong going on.
At $200 dlls that I got the phone for, it is still not worth it for *me*.
My Moto Z play was $450 with a hasselblad camera mod that I was able to sell to get $100 in return, so for $350, I would still take yet another Moto Z Play at the current price, with way lower specifications, than taking a LePro3 for $200.
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rivethead23 said:
I bought this phone at what I thought was a steal for the hardware I was getting. I knew the company was unknown in the US and would likely not support the phone for long (if at all). I've flashed many Roms and played with this phone more than any other than perhaps my Nexus 6. Its a great phone overall with pretty decent developer support. I regret nothing.
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Click to collapse
I have to agree with rivethead23 I got the Pro 3 and immediately flashed the Turbo Destroyer rom on it and have never had any regrets
I also bought an LG G6 and I found it was no upgrade to the Pro 3 and ended up returning it.
My advice is to Flash the Turbo EUI 21S v20 rom and Nova launcher with Nova Google companion and you get the best experience from this device
rivethead23 said:
I bought this phone at what I thought was a steal for the hardware I was getting. I knew the company was unknown in the US and would likely not support the phone for long (if at all). I've flashed many Roms and played with this phone more than any other than perhaps my Nexus 6. Its a great phone overall with pretty decent developer support. I regret nothing.
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Click to collapse
Pretty much this.
I'm using the phone on stock 26s, pretty heavily customized though: Magisk, Xposed, Viper, GravityBox, Tasker, stock android/Google apps like Dialer Contact Messages Calendar Keep Hangout Gmail etc., Nova Launcher with companion, PlayerPro and VLC, Brave browser... I removed all Chinese bloatware, and stock apps I don't need anymore like Contact, Message, Music, Video, Browser, Launcher, LIVE, lots of LeEco apps, etc. Disabled all stock extra memory optimizations to let Android deal with memory. Splash and bootanim without Chinese. Etc.
It works really great, battery is still really good (I often have 5 or 5.5 hours SoT at the end of the day), I customized a lot of things to make it exactly how I wanted it. So far, the best device I owned, and one of the cheapest...
ZeblodS said:
Pretty much this.
I'm using the phone on stock 26s, pretty heavily customized though: Magisk, Xposed, Viper, GravityBox, Tasker, stock android/Google apps like Dialer Contact Messages Calendar Keep Hangout Gmail etc., Nova Launcher with companion, PlayerPro and VLC, Brave browser... I removed all Chinese bloatware, and stock apps I don't need anymore like Contact, Message, Music, Video, Browser, Launcher, LIVE, lots of LeEco apps, etc. Disabled all stock extra memory optimizations to let Android deal with memory. Splash and bootanim without Chinese. Etc.
It works really great, battery is still really good (I often have 5 or 5.5 hours SoT at the end of the day), I customized a lot of things to make it exactly how I wanted it. So far, the best device I owned, and one of the cheapest...
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Is 26s an official update? I've only received 21s ota on my x727
darkmuck said:
Is 26s an official update? I've only received 21s ota on my x727
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Click to collapse
It's the latest Chinese stock ROM for x720.
ALSO RANT:
Well the issue is with android itself, there is no real AOSP phone, i don't get why manufaturers just don't put AOSP on phone and be done with it, i guess target for android phones are geeks, at least this kind of android phones. I wanted dual sim phone, but now i think i will manage some woraround and go ios, as bad as it is, OS is much more polished and unified.
Even Moto with almost stock android still does not get direct google updates, it is just bad design.
BTW i use pro3 as daily, i get 8 + hours SOT with stock firmare, i managed to get ACR to work quite good, DND to work quite good, but still, default apps, like browser does not work, google integration is crap, even with launcher 3, missing pulldown is a joke and google services crash quite often so ... meh, but still better then my gs4 with new battery and lineage
Oh and also the ambient light sensors sets screen too dim for me at night, until now I had opposite problem with all the other phones i had.
I also have galaxy s7 at hand to use and in my opinion samsung android is even worse.
The main issue is there is really no Android OS, no phone with AOSP, which is only real Android OS, only ****ton of phones with more or less molested OS.
BTW my budget was 1100usd for a phone, i still chose pro3 and I still think, despite it's flaws, for me, it is best choice, which is sad, but it is reality, we can't change it, reality is reality. I will try z2 force with battery pack if they sell it officially in Czech, but I don't expect much.
Oh my I thought I was the only one with the headphone issue
Hmm my Le Pro 3 is coming soon... But I'm more likely to just sell It while it's new and make some $$$ of it. Seeing this rants and all... AOSP/lineage is a must for me, same as Oreo.
Just gonna buy OP5 to replace my Bacon. Maybe that jelly pentile so not exactly FHD, POS display won't be so bad...
FunkyRasta said:
Hmm my Le Pro 3 is coming soon... But I'm more likely to just sell It while it's new and make some $$$ of it. Seeing this rants and all... AOSP/lineage is a must for me, same as Oreo.
Just gonna buy OP5 to replace my Bacon. Maybe that jelly pentile so not exactly FHD, POS display won't be so bad...
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These rants are about things that we would like to have on the device and are inevitable, like the fact that we knew that there was no headphone jack and that the CDLA headphones are not perfect on custom software, we knew it and still took the chance, not the phone or dev's fault.
Other than that, the phone is amazing, you should give it a go, I don't think you can get too much money out of it, this is the wrong phone to re-sell for higher.
Also, you have a very specific example from other people in this thread, which is, you might like stock software which gives you the best battery life for the device.
Jose-MXL said:
These rants are about things that we would like to have on the device and are inevitable, like the fact that we knew that there was no headphone jack and that the CDLA headphones are not perfect on custom software, we knew it and still took the chance, not the phone or dev's fault.
Other than that, the phone is amazing, you should give it a go, I don't think you can get too much money out of it, this is the wrong phone to re-sell for higher.
Also, you have a very specific example from other people in this thread, which is, you might like stock software which gives you the best battery life for the device.
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I pretty OK with using adapter, no problem with me. I ordered it from China so when it gets to Europe it is worth more. I certainly would not lose money on it.
The only things that worry me are uncertain future of Oreo on this device and overall stability. I currently manage over 4 hours SOT with my OnePlus One.... Why this thing with 4070 Mah (thousand f-ing more) does 4.5 H or slightly more ? With newer SoC, screen etc. Stock software is a no-go for me. Android 6.0 is a no-go for me. So I rely on custom ROMs and dev support. At least dev support here is great!
Coming from Nexus and Nexus 5x, I was used to having so many roms and kernels. Getting LP3 was a big big jump and I did not like it in early days when no roms were available.
Now with more than enough roms and solid kernels, I do not miss anything. Omni Rom gives me 9 hrs of screen on time for my usage. It does not feel/act different than roms I used before.
The only problem was the camera performance. But with Google Camera port, that is no longer a problem now.

Does anyone use this OS as their daily driver? What are your experiences and thoughts with the OS?

My Samsung A3 is almost 5 years old and I still use it as my daily driver, I'm thinking about flashing Lineage OS to the device and I'm wondering what anybody's experiences were with using the OS as their daily driver. I will use it mostly for calling, texting and journaling. I also listen to music quite frequently. I don't intend on installing any of the popular apps.
I've been using LineageOS and Cyanogenmod forever. It works wonderfully and I do anything I can with the stock OS and more.
I run LineageOS on my Samsung Galaxy S5 Duos and use it as my daily driver. It's running Lineage 17.1 which is Android 10 (18.1/11 has just become available too) - not bad for a phone launched in February 2014, which is now over 7 years ago!
If it wasn't for this phone only having 2GB of RAM onboard a lay person probably wouldn't notice much difference compared to a more modern mid range phone.
With LineageOS there's a lot less bloat so Storage, RAM, CPU Performance, and Battery Life are all improved.
I went the whole way and the phone is rooted as well and to be honest I wouldn't look back. I bought this phone all those years ago specifically to do this and it's really paid off.
But remember the LineageOS ROMs are specific for each phone. So the first thing to do is to find the support thread here for your particular model and read through it for points relative to your specific device.
I really like the freedom that LineageOS and Root gives me to do whatever I like with my phone, all while getting monthly updates and having a support thread of like minded users (well actually many of them are way more power users than me). Daily driver performance is excellent.
When I buy a new phone it will again be a model that can run LineageOS and be rooted. And I'll do this immediately after purchasing the device. These days that also makes some chinese model phones a good option as they often have a good hardware to price value ratio, but terrible support and updates. So it's possible to use this good value hardware but combined with an excellent LineageOS ROM, support, and updates instead.
Hope that helps
eu7tFeTyT7vfPy said:
My Samsung A3 is almost 5 years old and I still use it as my daily driver, I'm thinking about flashing Lineage OS to the device and I'm wondering what anybody's experiences were with using the OS as their daily driver. I will use it mostly for calling, texting and journaling. I also listen to music quite frequently. I don't intend on installing any of the popular apps.
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It's OK if you have A3 2016. But what's your motivation? Playing around? Avoiding Google spying? Impressing friends with new android version?
kurtn said:
It's OK if you have A3 2016. But what's your motivation? Playing around? Avoiding Google spying? Impressing friends with new android version?
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Avoiding google spying No friends to impress lol!
jmh2002 said:
I run LineageOS on my Samsung Galaxy S5 Duos and use it as my daily driver. It's running Lineage 17.1 which is Android 10 (18.1/11 has just become available too) - not bad for a phone launched in February 2014, which is now over 7 years ago!
If it wasn't for this phone only having 2GB of RAM onboard a lay person probably wouldn't notice much difference compared to a more modern mid range phone.
With LineageOS there's a lot less bloat so Storage, RAM, CPU Performance, and Battery Life are all improved.
I went the whole way and the phone is rooted as well and to be honest I wouldn't look back. I bought this phone all those years ago specifically to do this and it's really paid off.
But remember the LineageOS ROMs are specific for each phone. So the first thing to do is to find the support thread here for your particular model and read through it for points relative to your specific device.
I really like the freedom that LineageOS and Root gives me to do whatever I like with my phone, all while getting monthly updates and having a support thread of like minded users (well actually many of them are way more power users than me). Daily driver performance is excellent.
When I buy a new phone it will again be a model that can run LineageOS and be rooted. And I'll do this immediately after purchasing the device. These days that also makes some chinese model phones a good option as they often have a good hardware to price value ratio, but terrible support and updates. So it's possible to use this good value hardware but combined with an excellent LineageOS ROM, support, and updates instead.
Hope that helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the detailed response, and for reminding me to check the support thread for my model! I also noticed that the less popular Chinese model phones had better price to hardware ratios and the only thing stopping me was exactly what you mentioned, though I'm doing this to an A3 I'll probably consider buying something of the sort in the future for when I want an upgrade. From your response, Lineage is looking hopeful!

Question Disappointment, with solution?

I am a big fan of cell phones and installing custom roms.
In the past I have had several oneplus like the o 3t, 6t, 7pro, and without a doubt the one that has disappointed me the most is the one I have now, the 9 pro European version.
It was already a big shock the purchase price, but I longed for the old days in which you could find dozens of functional roms for your oneplus and enjoyed exploring it.
Before I bought it I saw that there was community so I decided to get the 9 pro... but after half a year I am quite disappointed.
It makes me sad that there is no rom with all the features perfectly validated, battery life and customization superior to the stock rom and with the native camera app, I always believed that custom roms served to improve the stock one (very sloppy compared to previous times), but at the moment it is not so.
I admire developers a lot, and I know how difficult it is, just maybe my mistake was waiting for this oneplus to have its soul of the past, and now I don't know if it has a solution or it is better to sell it before its price plummets.
Unfortunately, the stability does suffer on the 9 Pro. It's one of the things you'll have to live with. To be fair, most phones aren't that great in 2022. Samsung has horrible battery life and Apple's caught in that iCloud scanning controversy. Pixel 6 is meh for a phone, the chip just can't keep up.
So pick your poison.
aforocars said:
I am a big fan of cell phones and installing custom roms.
In the past I have had several oneplus like the o 3t, 6t, 7pro, and without a doubt the one that has disappointed me the most is the one I have now, the 9 pro European version.
It was already a big shock the purchase price, but I longed for the old days in which you could find dozens of functional roms for your oneplus and enjoyed exploring it.
Before I bought it I saw that there was community so I decided to get the 9 pro... but after half a year I am quite disappointed.
It makes me sad that there is no rom with all the features perfectly validated, battery life and customization superior to the stock rom and with the native camera app, I always believed that custom roms served to improve the stock one (very sloppy compared to previous times), but at the moment it is not so.
I admire developers a lot, and I know how difficult it is, just maybe my mistake was waiting for this oneplus to have its soul of the past, and now I don't know if it has a solution or it is better to sell it before its price plummets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you think stock OS is better than custom rom for the 9pro, just stick with stock.
if you are not satisfied with the result from people who do support custom roms in their free time, maybe think about doing it yourself instead of complaining.
also there is probably a reason, why the stock cam is not available in any custom rom...
there are great gcam alternatives, that work well.
for me the custom rom is way better, after the OOS 12 disaster from oneplus.
aforocars said:
It makes me sad that there is no rom with all the features perfectly validated, battery life and customization superior to the stock rom and with the native camera app, I always believed that custom roms served to improve the stock one (very sloppy compared to previous times), but at the moment it is not so.
I admire developers a lot, and I know how difficult it is, just maybe my mistake was waiting for this oneplus to have its soul of the past, and now I don't know if it has a solution or it is better to sell it before its price plummets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid you don't understand how development works. Custom ROM developers rely mainly on how developer friendly a phone manufacturer is. OnePlus has known a steady decline in community support in the past few years. You would be amazed how difficult it is to make components like a fingerprint reader or camera work properly if no sources are released. This is a massive challenge that this community struggles with every single day. To be honest I'm even surprised they get the hardware working so fast. I'm not familiar with today's hacks but I remember the camera of the OnePlus "Bacon" One was quite the piece of work. I am still thankful to @Sultanxda for the near magic he performed on this and many other devices. Interesting read: Cameras in Custom ROMs: How Developers Make Hardware Work without Source Code
But that was then, "simpler times". With all added security measures by Big G nowadays and how reluctant OnePlus has become to cooperate with the very community that made them so great it can only have become more difficult. They say "added security" but they really mean "protecting our economic interests". If custom development is so important to you it should've been a part of your selection process when buying a new phone. That's what I asked myself when I was looking for a device for my son: "What's cheap, has a decent battery, some gaming capabilities and has a solid development community?". I got him a Xiaomi Poco M3, no regrets. I've been on the 6T for over 3 years now and will likely be on the lookout for an upgrade later this year. Development will be an important selling point. Nothing looks promising! If it's going to be as 'open' as they claim, it will have amazing community support.
TL;DR: Don't look to independant devs about quirky ROM development, complain to the companies about their lack of community support instead.
vincemue said:
if you think stock OS is better than custom rom for the 9pro, just stick with stock.
if you are not satisfied with the result from people who do support custom roms in their free time, maybe think about doing it yourself instead of complaining.
also there is probably a reason, why the stock cam is not available in any custom rom...
there are great gcam alternatives, that work well.
for me the custom rom is way better, after the OOS 12 disaster from oneplus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vincemue said:
if you think stock OS is better than custom rom for the 9pro, just stick with stock.
if you are not satisfied with the result from people who do support custom roms in their free time, maybe think about doing it yourself instead of complaining.
also there is probably a reason, why the stock cam is not available in any custom rom...
there are great gcam alternatives, that work well.
for me the custom rom is way better, after the OOS 12 disaster from oneplus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point of my comment was not any criticism of developers, maybe I should have put this " I admire developers a lot" in bold.
Neither stock rom nor custom roms are what they used to be in oneplus devices.
Timmmmaaahh! said:
I'm afraid you don't understand how development works. Custom ROM developers rely mainly on how developer friendly a phone manufacturer is. OnePlus has known a steady decline in community support in the past few years. You would be amazed how difficult it is to make components like a fingerprint reader or camera work properly if no sources are released. This is a massive challenge that this community struggles with every single day. To be honest I'm even surprised they get the hardware working so fast. I'm not familiar with today's hacks but I remember the camera of the OnePlus "Bacon" One was quite the piece of work. I am still thankful to @Sultanxda for the near magic he performed on this and many other devices. Interesting read: Cameras in Custom ROMs: How Developers Make Hardware Work without Source Code
But that was then, "simpler times". With all added security measures by Big G nowadays and how reluctant OnePlus has become to cooperate with the very community that made them so great it can only have become more difficult. They say "added security" but they really mean "protecting our economic interests". If custom development is so important to you it should've been a part of your selection process when buying a new phone. That's what I asked myself when I was looking for a device for my son: "What's cheap, has a decent battery, some gaming capabilities and has a solid development community?". I got him a Xiaomi Poco M3, no regrets. I've been on the 6T for over 3 years now and will likely be on the lookout for an upgrade later this year. Development will be an important selling point. Nothing looks promising! If it's going to be as 'open' as they claim, it will have amazing community support.
TL;DR: Don't look to independant devs about quirky ROM development, complain to the companies about their lack of community support instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I probably know the world of development a lot better than you think... , I wasn't complaining at all about the developers, just my misconception that oneplus was what it used to be.
aforocars said:
I probably know the world of development a lot better than you think... , I wasn't complaining at all about the developers, just my misconception that oneplus was what it used to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So we're basically saying the same thing? Alright then! Easy discussion. Maybe literally say you're disappointed in OnePlus next time, that would've made more sense.

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