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Ever since I got my Note 2 I've been using ADW Launcher. Ever since they released a huge update a couple of months ago it works very well and I'm very happy with it. But I did notice people using Nova Launcher as well and was wondering what the pros and cons were with Nova compared to ADW. I'm eventually going to try it out but wanted to some first hand experience from people who like using Nova.
BTW, I've tried other launchers and they were not as smooth or they have too much going on vs ADW. Nova is the only launcher that I haven't tried yet.
Just got my Note2 yesterday, I had ADW in the past on an HTC Sensation, Dell Streak, and Samsung Captivate. I really liked it, but decided to try something else, so I went with Nova Launcher. I like it.
With VERY little experience to speak of with it, the only thing I can say I prefer about Nova is the way it groups folders on the dockbar. It looks just like Vanilla Android. That's a big plus for me. I'm trying to turn my Note 2 into a Nexus Note 2.
i actually have learned to love APEX launcher...the tablet transition compliments the note 2 very well...plus its more visually smooth than nova, at least to me. i could never get in adw, as hard as a tried, even when he first dropped the app back in the old launcher pro days...
omg whens the last time you even THOUGHT about launcher pro lol!!!!!!!!
I started off with Nova on my Note 2. I would also like to know how Nova compares with ADW. It seems like ADW has more tweaks and options but I personally haven't tried it.
i rotate between Launcher8 and Nova.
I've tried ADW, Go, Apex and nova among many others...I currently use nova prime and I love it
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Which launcher is the LESSER memory hog, I want a launcher that does not require lots of memory. can anyone please tell me one.
The lightest launcher is Zeam...
It's fast. .and anorexic. ..g
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i have tried many launchers on my Note 2 over the time but i found Nova Launcher Prime best so far..+5...
I use Nova prime can't say enough good things about it!
Another +1 for Nova with Prime
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Same here .....Nova launcher
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i know, i know, this has probably been asked a million times, but i'm directing this to S3 users here in our little corner of the world, please don't hate
i've been using the holo launcher hd pro now for some time and i truly love the way it works. its smooth, elegant, doesnt get in the way, and best off all, gives me an AOSP look and feel when running a non-AOSP rom. i also use the holo locker as well. i use this launcher on both my S3 and my Xoom tablet
it seems to me that the holo launcher doesnt get enough respect. i see many a custom rom that includes nova or apex, but not holo (or even adw or go launchers for that matter).
when i search for "launcher" on the play store the first five results are in order GO, ADW, Nova, Apex, and Launcher 7, with Nova Prime and Apex Pro 6th and 7th.
Holo is on the first page of results, but is second from the bottom. hardly respectable if you ask me. there are themes that show up higher in that search
anyway, so lets keep it civil and not bash on each others choice of launcher. i just want to get a feel for how popular these launchers are on the S3 or do you prefer the stock TouchWiz interface?
let your voice be heard and vote above!
Wrong section
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serio22 said:
Wrong section
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why do you think that? launchers are apps.
My favorite one is the one that gets launched when i press the home button
I use nova prime because of the folders in the app drawer. Go launcher is too heavy.
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Apex is very light, smoth and dont use alot resource therefor batt last longer.
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I'm debating on nova, next, or atom launcher.. I'm using nova atm and i love it but i love the visual features of next and atom is pretty sleek too
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RedJack117 said:
I'm debating on nova, next, or atom launcher.. I'm using nova atm and i love it but i love the visual features of next and atom is pretty sleek too
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i tried Nova prime, alot of features but sometime is lagging for me, Next use too much power, Apex dont have alot of features like all the other once beside that very good
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HiT tHaNk If i BeEn HeLpFuL.
Ive become a huge fan of action launcher. Best new launcher I have used in a while.
jajaja ive tried them all..use to like golauncher but takes up to much ram.. nova lags to much when i add widgets on screen...next seems ok but you cant change icons on the ones that bring look awfull... atom is smooth but its not letting me add widgets only the one launcher brings...smart launcher is kinda boring...and action launchers is slow xD spb is to heavy to.... im using apex now... until i find another one to try out...lol
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Primo
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Nova prime is the best one I've found so far imo.
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I use the stock TouchWiz one, but when I root it I use LGUI3.0 It's so much better, and gives you alot more customization options than TouchWiz. I think TouchWiz is so bland...
I was surprised to see that the default launcher with CM10 doesn't have a back-up function. I switched back to ADW because I was familiar with it from CM7. I also missed the infinite scroll feature that's available in ADW (and some of the others).
Jose0726 said:
jajaja ive tried them all..use to like golauncher but takes up to much ram.. nova lags to much when i add widgets on screen...next seems ok but you cant change icons on the ones that bring look awfull... atom is smooth but its not letting me add widgets only the one launcher brings...smart launcher is kinda boring...and action launchers is slow xD spb is to heavy to.... im using apex now... until i find another one to try out...lol
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have you tried holo launcher at all? i just did a test and it does use about 59mg of ram where as apex shows as cached and ready when you need it, so from that, it seems that apex is much lighter on resources, but i still really love holo, you should try it
zeekx4 said:
I was surprised to see that the default launcher with CM10 doesn't have a back-up function. I switched back to ADW because I was familiar with it from CM7. I also missed the infinite scroll feature that's available in ADW (and some of the others).
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i should have added trebuchet to the list. it has a lot more than it used to
I used touchwiz for a while it was ok, then I tried atom launcher it was good and smooth except app drawer laggs little bit now using the latest sony home launcher from the xperia Z really smooth and packed whit good widgets..
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Moving to General, as I think that it will garner more votes/views/opinions as opposed to staying in the Themes/Apps section.
Touchwiz ... I purchased apex pro and nova prime and holo plus .. but I love touchwiz launcher
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Apex pro. Tis great
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Next launcher is the best....!!!!
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Does anyone use custom launchers on their note 2 without root?
i used ADW on my old phone and was tempted to use it on the Note 2, but I've held back and tried the stock one for now...
Same. I have been using stock since I got the phone, and I must say. Its awesome!
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I use nova prime launcher on mine, without root, I just love the stock android look lol (and there's a lot of customizations I can do with nova like hide bloatware in the app drawer).
I'm currently using Apex launcher unrooted . I personally like customizing the dock bar and home screens.
laztpn0i said:
I'm currently using Apex launcher unrooted . I personally like customizing the dock bar and home screens.
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Customizing the dock?
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AndromedaGalaxy said:
Does anyone use custom launchers on their note 2 without root?
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I use go launcher and have it setup like coldfustion does in his tutorial video. People that see my phone, love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c39PXAr9_F8
Im rooted now but stock launch is still my fav. Didnt like any other than stock and holo.
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rawimpulse said:
Customizing the dock?
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The dock slides amd gives you more room for apps .
I use nova launcher prime - I can't live without all the gestures and the dock customization.
myktek said:
i used ADW on my old phone and was tempted to use it on the Note 2, but I've held back and tried the stock one for now...
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I used ADW on my old phone(s) as well and immediately installed it on my Note2.
Biggest reason was the ability to increase the number of icon rows & columns on the desktop. A few other minor tweaks that ADW has that I like as well.
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G1(CM7)--> G2(CM9)--> Note 2 T889 stock (root + multiwindow mod)
f4phantomii said:
I used ADW on my old phone(s) as well and immediately installed it on my Note2.
Biggest reason was the ability to increase the number of icon rows & columns on the desktop. A few other minor tweaks that ADW has that I like as well.
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G1(CM7)--> G2(CM9)--> Note 2 T889 stock (root + multiwindow mod)
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Click to collapse
I think im gonna have to try out ADW launcher
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I have been using apex launcher. lots of goodies themes and ways it can look. You can change the dock 10 different ways, can hide apps, has an easy uninstall option with drag and drop, the home screen, dock, drawer any way you like. I just changed it for the first time since I got the phone. used it in my last phone and liked it. to be honest I.don't even know what stock looks like... might want to check it out again. lol
Adw paid version
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I was on apex for a little while but I think the stock launcher is one of the best. I wish it had the dock apex had though. Apex dont like the s pen either
I use Jelly Bean Launcher, Something basic, doesn't lag the phone, and simple
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I have Go, Apex, and Nova Launcher installed on my phone, but that's only to play around with; when I'm serious, I use Touch-wiz. For some reason, the widgets are indispensable.
I use nova prime along with some of the go launcher widgets and the APW widgets.. If you haven't guessed it yet, I come from a long use of the HTC family phones This is my first Sammy but I instinctively have it setup like an HTC UI... :victory:
Would definitely recommend Nova Prime though. Those $5 are so worth it...
Good launcher.. lots of customization options and yet not overwhelming so. Back in the I used to use Launcher Pro (paid) and used to love it except toggling through all the options could give one a headache
I'm trying to work out which home launcher is better.
I paid for nova launcher prime. Also got Go Launcher. Also looking for good themes and icon packs.
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JknRich said:
I'm trying to work out which home launcher is better.
I paid for nova launcher prime. Also got Go Launcher. Also looking for good themes and icon packs.
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Go launcher sucks. I would stick with Nova. Go launcher is bloated slow and ugly lol. Just my opinion though.
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No contest, Go is made for crappy 2.3 devices
It should be Apex or Nova not Go.
Go Launcher's pure of crap.
OK I'll use nova. Just looking for some good themes and icons.
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I love go launcher ex. Sure when you first load it you have to dump all the widgets, but so what? Works awesome once it's set up. And it's free, along with hundreds of free themes.
NOVA > all period ! and the go launcher themes works with nova ( lest the ones i tried )
One more for Nova I think is the best launcher for our Nexus phones I use it first time on my Galaxy Nexus and stick with him until now.Go is slow and eat many rams.
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Adw ex
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Is TSF or the 3D shell one any good.
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davwman said:
Adw ex
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That's oldschool!
JknRich said:
I'm trying to work out which home launcher is better.
I paid for nova launcher prime. Also got Go Launcher. Also looking for good themes and icon packs.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
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I prefer nova because it is lean and uncluttered. Go launcher is made for Gingerbread or something and annoys me with all those other Go apps they advertise for (Locker, keyboard, wallpapers, task manager, widgets etc.). For me a launcher should be built upon the AOSP one, otherwise it destroys the experience.
However, there is one big difference: Nova only supports icon themes, whereas Go can be themed entirely. (drawer tabs, dock separator etc) But you can achieve such theming level in Nova by installing themes for the Tmobile theme chooser which is integrated in every decent custom ROM. If you do that, not only nova, but the whole framework and many apps are themed too.
AW: Go Launcher Vs Nova Launcher.
I don't like the icon order in Nova, I have Nova and Apex , Apex is my favourite .
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amus76 said:
That's oldschool!
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It was updated a couple of months ago and is very good now
I have bouth nova pro and Apex Launcher Pro and i think nova is a little bit faster, because when i wake up my device and scrolling throw the windows, i have some micro lag (Nexus 4).
Nova is by far my favorite, I haven't use go launcher since I had my Nexus S. For fast and an AOSP like experience I'd suggest nova.
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No love for action launcher
Wish he had a free version for people to check out. I like it pretty smooth
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I'm gonna have to say differently, I love Go Launcher, always been one of the best launchers on Android because it bring a unique and extreme customization to Android. Nova is a awesome launcher if you intend to run a pure android experience but with tons of customization. I have always gone back and forth from Nova and Go but since Go Launcher had an update to their UI last year I have been reporting a specific issue to them but they still have yet to fix this issue, so until they do I will not use it as my daily driver. I do have hopes that they will someday.
I find Nova less smooth than the stock Nexus launcher tbh
I tried them all and using Apex now. Never had any problems and its packed with features I use.
OK, I have had a lot of problems getting widgets to stick to my homescreen after adding them. the defaults stay just fine and there are several that work as well from the play store, but beautiful widgets and hd widgets and widgetsoid, none of them work at all in the note 4 touchwiz homescreens.
I figured I would add a launcher to my phone so i could get my widgets back. The very first launcher I added was themer, and just as an fyi, they do not support the note 4 yet and it is not compatible. They did say on their support page however that there is support coming soon. there is no release date as to when they are expecting it to work.
The next launcher I tried was Nova and it worked flawlessly. So did APEX and Go Launcher. I have not tried some of the others yet such as NEXT launcher an TSF shell. I'll report back if and when I get time to try them out and see what happens.
I figured I would start this thread so that if anyone else is having issues with trying to add widgets on their stock homescreen and it doesnt work, then they could find a quick alternative here until the issues get resolved.
I was able to get next launcher to work as well but im not paying 12 bucks just to see if tsf works. gonna need someone else to try that one.
Another launcher
ADW Launcher also works flawlessly on my note 4.
perljedi said:
ADW Launcher also works flawlessly on my note 4.
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Thank you! I don't know why i forgot about them lol
I'm actually enjoying the stock launcher on my phone. Reason being, is it seem to do notifications very well by putting the number next to each app. On my old phone, I use to use Next and loved it. I wouldn't mind putting it on my Note just to see how much better it'd perform, but again, I'd probably miss the whole notifications experience. Can someone comment on NEXT on the Note 4 vs stock launcher?
Try Blur Launcher, it's based on GNL and has some nice customizable options for non-root
SPen'd from my Galaxy Note 4
Psychotic Penguin said:
Try Blur Launcher, it's based on GNL and has some nice customizable options for non-root
SPen'd from my Galaxy Note 4
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Would blur launcher allow the use of tw/samsung widgets?
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Unfortunately not
SPen'd from my Galaxy Note 4
perljedi said:
ADW Launcher also works flawlessly on my note 4.
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Oh Yes!
djsbad said:
Would blur launcher allow the use of tw/samsung widgets?
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As far as I know, no third party launcher allows tw widgets... too bad, sometimes I like changing launchers and I really like the tw calendar widget...
Main reason I use stock launchers is because of the widgets. Would be nice to get the best of both.
I kinda figured it wouldn't allow tw widgets as I too especially like the calendar widget. It's all good though as for whatever reason I was suddenly able to add widgets to my tw launcher.
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Nova works perfectly.
I used touchwiz for about two hours and got way to annoyed. Now I am on Nova and I have no issues at all.
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---------- Post added at 05:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:28 PM ----------
I use digical for my calendar widget. If you want to have a full month you have to buy it but the free themes are really nice.
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le0.br4zuc4 said:
As far as I know, no third party launcher allows tw widgets... too bad, sometimes I like changing launchers and I really like the tw calendar widget...
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Exactly what TW widgets will Nova not allow. I've been running Nova on four different phones and now on the Note 4 without any issues what so ever.
One of the very first things I do is load up a launcher. I've used TSF, Nova, Go EX, and Next Launcher so far with this phone. My favorite for speed is Nova, for eye candy are the two Go based launchers (Go Ex and Next), and the most customizable is TSF Shell.
The reason I use launchers is to get more squeezed onto the screen at once, and then to dress things up a bit, especially on a phone that does not (yet) have root.
To the OP, so far, no widget issues at all with any of the above launchers.
using nova prime, im able to use some touchwiz widgets like weather
jpcalhoun said:
Exactly what TW widgets will Nova not allow. I've been running Nova on four different phones and now on the Note 4 without any issues what so ever.
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I'm not sure. I like the TW calendar widget and it isn't available on third party launchers. Some are available like weather, flashlight and S Note widgets
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As an update, I somehow got massive scratches UNDER my screen protector on my phone. I don't have a clue how in the world something like that can even happen! However, I went back to my vzw store and did the 14 day exchange for another brand new note 4. Brought it home and instantly was able to add widgets etc to my home screen. I'm not sure why my first one gave me issues for about 3-4 days. Has anyone else at all had the widget issue when initially setting up their phone?
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And btw, I appreciate everyone's feedback about their opinions on tw and what they've been running on their new note 4s!
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