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Hello fellow XDA members,
Currently residing on Android, I'm thinking about making the switch to WP7 using a HTC 7 Trophy. http://www.htc.com/www/product/7trophy/overview.html
I would like to know the pro's and cons about wether to make the switch. I'm basically tired of Android and rather not have an iPhone.
Thank you for your time.
Jorijn.
I highly suggest you get some hands on experience w/ the OS rather than asking for Pro's & Con. It is something you need to experience for yourself. See if your carrier could let you demo one.
Crimson Lotus said:
I highly suggest you get some hands on experience w/ the OS rather than asking for Pro's & Con. It is something you need to experience for yourself. See if your carrier could let you demo one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could drive up to a store which sells these HTC phones with WP7, this however gives a quick impression rather than experiences from (power-)users. Thank you for your help though.
I made the switch a month or so ago. I have loved it. I had one of the Samsung Galaxy S phones and got a Samsung Focus from a buddy of mine. I love it. I was swapping sim cards for a while not sure of which I liked better but after about a week of that, I just left it in the WP7 cause I like it much more. It's mainly just more cohesive. I'm just sick of tinkering with the Android and having constant lag no matter what. I have begun using my Android as a media player for car trips, etc simply because it's easier to get movies on it. Music etc is much better on the WP7 from organization to sounds quality. Just get a little hands on time with it. It's still a work in progress but I have been using it great joy and looking forward to future updates. With Android I NEEDED the updates hoping they would fix some killer flaw (like the GPS not ever working).
Here's my take as a power user on iOS, WM6.5, WP7, and Android:
Here are the draw-backs of WP7 as compared to Android and iOS.
1) no 3rd party multitasking till a year or so when the Mango update comes out
2) not as many (or enough IMO) apps/games
3) The facebook app sucks royally as it's laggy and has a terrible UI (again, just my opinion, not really important if you're not a facebook junkie)
4) You can't change the UI much at all right now or for the foreseeable future.
5) Various bugs on certain phones such as camera shutter sound, random reboots, market download failures, etc...
Now, having said that the NoDo update apparently fixes things like number 5 to some extent. The UI really is fun and sleek. The app store is building up every day and developers seem to like WP7 except the lack of APIs at times. It's a new experience which quickly grows on you and if you are tired of Android this really is a nice alternative. It is still at a growing infant stage but for a new OS release it's actually pretty damn impressive. The built in facebook integration is really cool if you're into that, and I really do like the Live Tiles, although I really wish I could modify the UI more.
Apps run smoothly for the most part, although not as smooth as iOS, but still really great. Xbox live games are getting better and better and
I'll admit that I've come off as a WP7 hater at times, but I guess it's more my annoyance at some people claiming it's the best thing since sliced bacon and some of the lack of features of WP7 personally I can't get around. But as long as you go into it knowing what it can and can't do it's honestly not a bad buy and I think you'll enjoy the experience, just know that it does have some limitations.
iOS is pretty cool because you can theme it in a million ways and the apps support and smoothness overall, as well as things like multitasking and being able to put your apps in folders (I hope MS implements that at some point, I hate having my apps just floating in the right menu).
Android is cool but you already know what it can and can't do and seem to be tired of it.
WP7 is a great experience, I guess I am just too impatient for a fully featured OS which is a pretty unrealistic hope when the OS just came out.
edit:
almost forgot, Netflix streaming is a HUGE plus on WP7 over Android.
WP7 works really well on my omnia 7. its fast as hell, its beautiful, no laggs, no obvious bugs but. too much restrictings, its just totally unflexible.
after 2 weeks i sold my omnia 7 and went back to my 2years old nokia 5800.
My suggestion would be to wait a year, minimum, before jumping to a WP7 device. MS is screwing all early adopters by not holding to their statement that updates will be done by them and not the carriers. There has yet to be one single update for the majority of WP7 devices, and updates were expected months ago.
WP7 is buggy with system freezes requiring reboots, market freezes requiring reboots, dead volume issues and so forth. I highly recommend staying with Android for the time being or going to an iPhone. Maybe in a years time, once MS has shown its nature, then consider a WP7 device.
WP7 devices are great right up front and in the beginning of ownership. But they become very displeasing as time goes by.
MartyLK said:
My suggestion would be to wait a year, minimum, before jumping to a WP7 device. MS is screwing all early adopters by not holding to their statement that updates will be done by them and not the carriers. There has yet to be one single update for the majority of WP7 devices, and updates were expected months ago.
WP7 is buggy with system freezes requiring reboots, market freezes requiring reboots, dead volume issues and so forth. I highly recommend staying with Android for the time being or going to an iPhone. Maybe in a years time, once MS has shown its nature, then consider a WP7 device.
WP7 devices are great right up front and in the beginning of ownership. But they become very displeasing as time goes by.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very well said, and the fact that you own an HD7, an HD2, and an iPhone4 means you at least have some great comparisons and experience enough with different devices to opine intelligently on it.
I think when you get an opinion from someone who owns/owned WP7/Android/iOS/WM6.5 (i too have all of these) you can get a fuller picture. WP7 was freaking AWESOME the first couple of weeks I had it but the limitations do manifest themselves. In a couple of years I think it will be very polished and great to own, but you just want to do some serious research before you drop funds on a phone you may seriously regret, that's all.
I used WP7 for about 3 days on my HD2 before flashing back to my 6.5/android combination.
I have to say that I loved the wp7 experience and the main reasons I flashed back to 6.5 were because I wasn't able to use WP7 on a native device.
I'm still undecided about where I'm going to go with my upgrade in a months time, WP7 or android.
That said, the points already raised about it still being rough around the edges are very true.
But hey, you could always sell it and buy an android device if you didn't like it....
Sent from my fingers to your face...
I bought a Focus the same week it was released, brought it back 2 weeks later. I love WP7, but I will be waiting until at least Mango update. Maybe the new Nokia devices will be what I want.
Basically, it felt more restricted than iphone. I want a in-between of Android and iPhone, not an iPhone clone. I can't use custom ringtones, I can't use flash, I can't customize the homescreen the way I want, free apps are horrible (but paid apps are really good), battery life seems worse than android, and a few other issues I had.
Other than that though, I really liked it and I'm hoping MS can fix everything.
I have and really like hd7 and wp7
but as far as I'm concerned MS
is out of step with other OS
watch new devices HTC Evo 3D, LG Dual Optimus and Optimus 3D Android
I think we will see something similar with WP7 in 2012 .... and I did not want to wait
I personally don't feel the same as others seem to about personalization.
For me this is the most personal device I've ever had. Sure I can't change the background but to me thats a moot point when I can change nearly everything else. First off the lock screen is definitively "mine" but even once you're past that it is my xbox avatar, my friends, my pictures, and any icons that I've made (you can get apps that do it but when I do it I just use the built in option of pinning a webpage to the homescreen). I'm able to go one step further in that I "hacked" mine and get the custom color options for tiles. Though honestly even before I did that I think the basic color option gave it a fair sense on "individuality." Plus again with the homebrew you get custom ringtones.
Out of all of the options out there (and I've used them all except for webOS) WP7 has been by far my favorite.
Depends on what kind of user you are. I have used the Blackberry, Android and WP7.
Blackberry: Functional, solid apps but underpowered and slow device. Could not see myself using it for more than 6months.
Android: Hate hate hate the context menu button. Everything takes 4-5 button clicks to access, email on android is horrible unless your only account is a gmail one. Very good apps and app store, and extremely customizable
WP7: Almost instant access to everything. Flip the lock screen and I can tell how many emails I have, what meetings are coming up, any missed calls or text messages. The commercials don't lie about how easy and quick it is to get the information you need and move on with your life.
For me the WP7 is exactly what I wanted from a smartphone. I'm don't stare at my phone a lot but when I do whatever info is needed should be fast and to the point.
If you like to configure your phone or treat it like a football team to the envy of your friends then stay away from it
MartyLK said:
My suggestion would be to wait a year, minimum, before jumping to a WP7 device. MS is screwing all early adopters by not holding to their statement that updates will be done by them and not the carriers. There has yet to be one single update for the majority of WP7 devices, and updates were expected months ago.
WP7 is buggy with system freezes requiring reboots, market freezes requiring reboots, dead volume issues and so forth. I highly recommend staying with Android for the time being or going to an iPhone. Maybe in a years time, once MS has shown its nature, then consider a WP7 device.
WP7 devices are great right up front and in the beginning of ownership. But they become very displeasing as time goes by.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG, it's the best summary I saw so far for WP7
orangekid said:
Very well said, and the fact that you own an HD7, an HD2, and an iPhone4 means you at least have some great comparisons and experience enough with different devices to opine intelligently on it.
I think when you get an opinion from someone who owns/owned WP7/Android/iOS/WM6.5 (i too have all of these) you can get a fuller picture. WP7 was freaking AWESOME the first couple of weeks I had it but the limitations do manifest themselves. In a couple of years I think it will be very polished and great to own, but you just want to do some serious research before you drop funds on a phone you may seriously regret, that's all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own an HD2, Vibrant, and HD7 and I've been saying the same thing since I started posting in these threads.
For the first 2-3 weeks, the phone is awesome. The user experience is fresh/new and you don't really notice the deficiencies.
When "playtime is over" and you need to actually get work done, this phone OS falls flat on its face.
I'll probably be SIM Swapping my unlimited data plan back to my Vibrant in the next week. The only thing I'll miss from the HD7 is Board Express, the Huge Screen, and the Roomy soft keyboard that makes both Swipe and the Samsung keyboard feel like it's on a 3" screen (can hardly type on them after using the WP7 keyboard so much).
conantroutman said:
I used WP7 for about 3 days on my HD2 before flashing back to my 6.5/android combination.
I have to say that I loved the wp7 experience and the main reasons I flashed back to 6.5 were because I wasn't able to use WP7 on a native device.
I'm still undecided about where I'm going to go with my upgrade in a months time, WP7 or android.
That said, the points already raised about it still being rough around the edges are very true.
But hey, you could always sell it and buy an android device if you didn't like it....
Sent from my fingers to your face...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're assuming someone wants to buy it. Not many people want to buy WP7 devices.
I get 10x the amount of offers for my HD2, and 5x for my Vibrant that people trying to sell WP7 devices get for their phone. The interest is just so low. When you buy this phone, you have to make up your mind that it's what you want FAST so that you can return it in the carrier return window. They are hard as hell to sell.
Thank you for these extended opinions. I decided not to make the switch. Microsoft seems to have a rather unpleasant image on phone updates. WP7 doesn't have advanced navigation features like Android does at the moment.
WP7 seems to be a wonderful experience to have for a few days. After that it'll probably get old and boring and I'll guess I'll probably start seeing the negative points on this all.
I suggest stay on android or either go to ios. Wait for 2012 and nokia's wp7 releases. Wp7 is still too premature for hardcore users. Too many restrictions and drawbacks.
N8ter said:
You're assuming someone wants to buy it. Not many people want to buy WP7 devices.
I get 10x the amount of offers for my HD2, and 5x for my Vibrant that people trying to sell WP7 devices get for their phone. The interest is just so low. When you buy this phone, you have to make up your mind that it's what you want FAST so that you can return it in the carrier return window. They are hard as hell to sell.
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Click to collapse
Thats not strictly true. Speaking from personal experience I've sold Omnia 7s, Mozarts and HD7s without problems. It wasn't difficult at all.
Jorijn said:
Thank you for these extended opinions. I decided not to make the switch. Microsoft seems to have a rather unpleasant image on phone updates. WP7 doesn't have advanced navigation features like Android does at the moment.
WP7 seems to be a wonderful experience to have for a few days. After that it'll probably get old and boring and I'll guess I'll probably start seeing the negative points on this all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you've made a wise choice for now. let's see how it does after Mango.
Hi guys,
I'm going to change my phone and would like to know how is the situation over here ☺
Just saw the leaked htc 10 images, seems to be quite nice, even in specs. I never tried an htc, i just rooted my brother's m7 and it was quite easy.
Unlocking bootloader a matter if 5 mins...
Long time ago i had a optimus g and then a nexus 5, they were amazing and make me love LG. Amazing warranty mantaining warranty.
I decided to move from n5 to sgs6 and the first 3 months i was satisfied, i had no time for modding so i just sticked to stock non rooted...then i started missing modding..in sgs6 it is close to zero after 1 year from the release, this because of closed source exynos and damn knox.
Now i think my next device should be easy to mod, with official cm, aospa, aokp and everything which i loved on the n5, but i don't know how htc performs in this way..
I mean, in m9, m8 etc, were official rom developed easy and fast? Did they have goo performance compared angainst stock? Batterylife was better?
I don't know what phone to choose between g5 and this htc 10 just because of modding, the other specs doesn't matter to me..
Hope we can discuss togheter and that i do not have made a mistake posting this here..
Boomsound. If any other device had it I'd swap. But they don't so htc it is for me..
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
Samsung seems to be moving further and further away from any support for modding. They seem to be going after the enterprise market with phones that are ever more locked down, especially in the US. I have not modded a lot of LG stuff, but I have not found them very dev-friendly because of doing things like disabling fastboot.
HTC hasn't given any indication that they're dropping support for OEM unlocking, which is the reason I've stuck with them.
Development on the M7 and M8 was great, it's been less so on the M9, I suspect because it did not sell as well. I have never run stock on any of my HTC phones, so it's hard to say how the custom roms compare. But there are plenty of options for tweaking performance.
Development in general seems to be shrinking on non-Nexus phones. There are fewer reasons to root than there used to be now that Google and the OEMs are picking up mods and tweaks from the dev community. My guess is that unless the M10 sells really well, development will be limited. But it's worse on Samsung.
It would seem to me like you are disrespecting the master samsung..
All hardware manufacturers are trying to lock down their devices. Even google is trying with android 6.
The truth is that so long as a development community exists so will modified devices. The reason they lock them down is for our own security yet we break it to show them how much we dont care. We do care, just not about who knows our age, gender, hair colour etc etc as we give that info out every time we step outside.
Manufacturers are responsible for this said "quiet" era because they are ALL in it for the same reasons, money. It won't be long before you have to buy specific development devices at thousands of dollars/pounds and that will be the end of the free world.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
Hi,
I always had android phones (galaxy's, notes & nexuses) but it always seemed like the iOS ecosystem was better, software wise.
From the outside it seems that they are getting better apps, faster updates (even to big apps) and of course they have the iMessage that all of my friends from the US uses and is a huge part of why I want to swich. (I'm from europe).
What do you guys think? Should I jump ship once and see how it is?
If thats what you want
tal123 said:
Hi,
I always had android phones (galaxy's, notes & nexuses) but it always seemed like the iOS ecosystem was better, software wise.
From the outside it seems that they are getting better apps, faster updates (even to big apps) and of course they have the iMessage that all of my friends from the US uses and is a huge part of why I want to swich. (I'm from europe).
What do you guys think? Should I jump ship once and see how it is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually like many people used iPhones but here I am.
Do you really think on a board like XDA, in the Pixel XL forum you are going to get everybody telling you how great iPhone is?
AstroDigital said:
I actually like many people used iPhones but here I am.
Do you really think on a board like XDA, in the Pixel XL forum you are going to get everybody telling you how great iPhone is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Truly. This is an android enthusiast forum. If you want an iphone, go get one. Don't expect that recommendation from anyone here, though.
I think that there could be good points for both sides. it's no different then pixel vs any other flagship.
Yeah, no, it's very different. IOS vs Android, not Android vs Android. This being an android specific forum, you're not likely to find much in the way of love for the iphone 7 here.
I think it is always weird to have iOS vs android discussions in a specific phone's forum. That seems like a more general topic better discussed elsewhere.
This forum us for talking about this phone...
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Lack of a back button is reason alone to stay on Android!
I know and understand your frustrations with Android. I've been an avid android fan since the OG Droid came out. What a phone and I loved it. Pure simple and open Motorola did a great job with that phone. Fragmentation ruined that phone and most every android phone since. The thing I hated apple for was the reason andtroid was so frustrating. To this day I get sick of looking at my wifes Iphone, it looks almost exactly the same as the original Iphone, if she puts wallpaper or a photo on her phone its just covered up by the icons that apple stick there and thats annoying to me anyway. Customizing your Iphone without jailbreaking lol... even the name lets you know how they feel about messing with their phone. Let's see Android is rooting Apple is jailbreaking even in a simple adjective they let you know don't touch fall in line with everyone and like it! I really domn't like the concept of Apple sorry, it's my phone I paid for it I should be able to do whatever I want as long as I'm not intruding on the rights of others and I'm sorry I do't see how customizing my phone would bother anyone. What they did and still do have right is they control the quality of the products in their app store and Andropid has dropped the ball on that one since the beginning. looking back they were trying for numbers not quality to compete and it has cost them. The quality of apps on the iphone is better and in saying that Android is catching up. These are basically the same apps written for different platforms. Ive seen it with my wifes phone for years I get so many more force closings amnd associated other problems than she does and I can hear her frustrations when using my phone. Like I said Android has been getting better and it's a heck of alot easier writing programs for one platform and one manufacturer. This is Androids problem each manufacturer has made alterations to Android AKA skins along with constant updates its tough on developers. The whole reason for Nexus was to give the developers a heads up and a chance to work with a pure version of android. I always loved the Nexus program and found that I personally had much fewer problems than my friends that had HTC, Samsung LG etc..... These manufacturers were never held accountable for upgrading on a timely fashion and neither were the providers aka verizon AT&T etc... this is why we are in the mess we are. I think and hope google has finally said enough! They have designed and engineered a top of the line flagship, one that is not outdated before the first box arrives. This phone is one people should be proud of it's fast and smooth its as close to pure android as possible oh I know Verizon put a few apps on it but they can be removed and give mne a break that's no big deal. It's a top quality phone that can stand up to the Iphone. Believe me if you know anyone that has drank the KoolAide and my wife has it certainly isn't going to change their minds and expecting that is not realistic. Google has given the developers a phone and a platform to work with and lets see how much of a difference this makes. I for one am hoping it makes as big a difference as Google thinks it will. I think incorporating with VR and home is swinging for the fences and I hope it's a home run.
Sent from my SM-T550 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
tal123 said:
Hi,
I always had android phones (galaxy's, notes & nexuses) but it always seemed like the iOS ecosystem was better, software wise.
From the outside it seems that they are getting better apps, faster updates (even to big apps) and of course they have the iMessage that all of my friends from the US uses and is a huge part of why I want to swich. (I'm from europe).
What do you guys think? Should I jump ship once and see how it is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used an iPhone a number of years ago, jail broke it used Cydia the whole nine yards, once I started using Android devices I have NEVER looked back. In my position I get to try out different phones and some of the people at my company use iPhones. I have taken them home for weekend test drives just to see if I'm missing anything and after a day or so I find myself putting the SIM back in my current android device. I can't speak for you or what may be most important to you but for me I would not go back to ios.
yeah apple do a good job with software/hardware integration, but then it's to be expected with a heavily locked down device, it's the same reason they get updates first they are simpler to make stuff for.
but for me I've just always found Android way more flexible and I would rather have that flexibility. end of the day it all comes down to personal choice.
Hopefully not, but anyone know for sure that might have early access to one of the devices?
BoboBrazil said:
Hopefully not, but anyone know for sure that might have early access to one of the devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be willing to bet that it does.
Of course it will. It's the whole seemless update thing that they love. Remember pixel is not a true dev phone like the old nexus devices. They're now going for a more consumer friendly model. Seemless updates is just a great selling point. Most consumers have no idea what it means. But the word "seemless" sells itself.
toknitup420 said:
Of course it will. It's the whole seemless update thing that they love. Remember pixel is not a true dev phone like the old nexus devices. They're now going for a more consumer friendly model. Seemless updates is just a great selling point. Most consumers have no idea what it means. But the word "seemless" sells itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are the phones that devs prefer these days?
Also, is everyone else (Samsung, etc.) going for the dual partition setup?
And why can't they just change the partitions on the phone? I guess I'm so used to partitioning my Linux systems any way I want and having a lot of options that it seems odd that the partitions must be left alone.
cb474 said:
What are the phones that devs prefer these days?
Also, is everyone else (Samsung, etc.) going for the dual partition setup?
And why can't they just change the partitions on the phone? I guess I'm so used to partitioning my Linux systems any way I want and having a lot of options that it seems odd that the partitions must be left alone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the best dev phone is still the google phone, the pixel.
eventually all android owns will shift to the dual partition model.
what's your problem with dual partitions exactly, because it offers lots and lots of benfits.
Treshy said:
the best dev phone is still the google phone, the pixel.
eventually all android owns will shift to the dual partition model.
what's your problem with dual partitions exactly, because it offers lots and lots of benfits.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No its not. The dual partition setup makes developing for the device a nightmare. To the point that devs have started adding the dual partition setup to the list of things to avoid when getting a device. Add in the closed sourced system files Google uses on the pixels and you get a none dev friendly device.
No not all OEMs will shift to it. You can just look at how many device have it, even though it has been around for over a year. Just like adaptive storage.
To answer the question, many devs have moved over to OEM like one plus
Hopefully it doesn't have it. If so I might stick with OnePlus(which imo has taken over the Nexus mantle for dev friendly affordable phones). I only used root for adblock and youtube background play, but without those a phone isn't a phone to me lol
zelendel said:
No its not. The dual partition setup makes developing for the device a nightmare. To the point that devs have started adding the dual partition setup to the list of things to avoid when getting a device. Add in the closed sourced system files Google uses on the pixels and you get a none dev friendly device.
No not all OEMs will shift to it. You can just look at how many device have it, even though it has been around for over a year. Just like adaptive storage.
To answer the question, many devs have moved over to OEM like one plus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I didn't realize this happened with the Pixel. Pretty disappointing. I does look like the four month old OnePlus 5 has a lot more development for it than the one year old Pixel phones. And it has official Lineage OS support. I'm still amazed that there is no official Lineage OS release for last years Pixel. What a sad change of fates for what was the former venerable Nexus line of phones. I wonder if the new Essential phone has a dual partition scheme. They claim they are going to be dev friendly, although they still haven't released their kernel source.
By the way, are there any other phones, other than the Pixels, that use dual partitions?
I still don't really understand why the paritition scheme can't just be rewritten by the devs for cutom ROMs. It's such a common place thing to do on desktops.
cb474 said:
Yeah, I didn't realize this happened with the Pixel. Pretty disappointing. I does look like the four month old OnePlus 5 has a lot more development for it than the one year old Pixel phones. And it has official Lineage OS support. I'm still amazed that there is no official Lineage OS release for last years Pixel. What a sad change of fates for what was the former venerable Nexus line of phones. I wonder if the new Essential phone has a dual partition scheme. They claim they are going to be dev friendly, although they still haven't released their kernel source.
By the way, are there any other phones, other than the Pixels, that use dual partitions?
I still don't really understand why the paritition scheme can't just be rewritten by the devs for cutom ROMs. It's such a common place thing to do on desktops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The essential phones were a bust. A sprint exclusive killed it. They inky sold like 5000 units total.
I have the one plus 3 right now and to be honest. I am not tempted to upgrade. It is still very powerful with a few years of development left.
The only ones that I know of for sure that use it are the pixel line and the new android one reboot. I can't say for sure on all the others but those are the only ones I know for sure.
To be honest I am not sure what the details are of the issue. None of my devices ever used it. So I only know what the devs talk about it in chats.
zelendel said:
The essential phones were a bust. A sprint exclusive killed it. They inky sold like 5000 units total.
I have the one plus 3 right now and to be honest. I am not tempted to upgrade. It is still very powerful with a few years of development left.
The only ones that I know of for sure that use it are the pixel line and the new android one reboot. I can't say for sure on all the others but those are the only ones I know for sure.
To be honest I am not sure what the details are of the issue. None of my devices ever used it. So I only know what the devs talk about it in chats.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the thoughts.
It was actually reported a week or so ago that, at that point in time, Essential had only sold 5000 units through Sprint. No one knows what the sales have been directly from Essential. I suspect far more people bought directly from Essential (based on what I see people posting and that people who like phones like this tend to be T-Mobile customers). So maybe there's hope for Essential. Even though I have been disappointed by them in many ways and ended up passing on the phone, as much as I like the screen design. Or maybe the second Essential phone will do better and they'll become a company like OnePlus with some interest from devs.
Looking around, it also seems like there's a lot of development for the LG phones, I guess they allow unlocked bootloaders? It seems like every LG G* and V* phone has an official version of Lineage and a lot of ROMs in their XDA forums. I've never been an LG fan, but maybe they are a better way to go these days, if not OnePlus. I would have considered the OnePlus 5 but I don't really want a phone that big and I'm disappointed they dropped OIS for a dual camera gimmick. It seems like the 3 and 3T are the nicest of the OnePlus phones so far.
Serious question, and not one to knock any developer or anyone else, and I am not complaining... But why don't we have more custom ROM's for this device?
I have owned lots of Nexus/Pixel devices in the past, and within a few months of release there were dozens of ROM's available for the device, but for this device there is a couple kernels and a few unofficial or "build it yourself" ROM's and that is it. It just seems very odd that a device so open by design and sold extremely well doesn't have more options. Why?
I admit I haven't had much involvement in the custom ROM community in a few years, and I haven't really felt a need to use a custom ROM in some time as I have been using Moto, Nokia, Nexus, and Pixel devices for the most part for years and just a few tweaks here and there are good enough, but I went to look into other possibilities with my Pixel 3a XL recently and found there just isn't much of anything.
acejavelin said:
Serious question, and not one to knock any developer or anyone else, and I am not complaining... But why don't we have more custom ROM's for this device?
I have owned lots of Nexus/Pixel devices in the past, and within a few months of release there were dozens of ROM's available for the device, but for this device there is a couple kernels and a few unofficial or "build it yourself" ROM's and that is it. It just seems very odd that a device so open by design and sold extremely well doesn't have more options. Why?
I admit I haven't had much involvement in the custom ROM community in a few years, and I haven't really felt a need to use a custom ROM in some time as I have been using Moto, Nokia, Nexus, and Pixel devices for the most part for years and just a few tweaks here and there are good enough, but I went to look into other possibilities with my Pixel 3a XL recently and found there just isn't much of anything.
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I think your statement of "I haven't really felt the need to use a custom Rom..." is very telling. We also get monthly updates without jumping through hoops and we have feature sets we all like. Also Google Pay is being used more and more and you need to unlock the bootloader which breaks GP. I mean you can do kernel mods to enable it but it's just not worth it. What would you like that you don't currently have? I can name a few things like modifying location of the clock, changing vibration, things like that. But is it worth not having security updates or hoping the rom dev will update the rom? And then asking for an ETA and getting hammered by users for asking. It's just not worth it and devs have moved on to other money making ventures. Begging for donations doesn't pay the rent.
Bottom line, it's not worth it for rom devs and thus we have just a few. Flashing is not as easy as it used to be with dual slots. I remember just flashing each file and vendor and done. Bootloop, no prob just reflash the image. Not anymore. Now it's "omg your rom bricked my phone". Last thing.. we all have things to do now whereas we were young and stupid years back. Just give me a nice display, good battery, some options, and I'm good. Just some random thoughs.. agree or disagree but simply observations on my part.
There are ROMs not listed on xda available but you have to search them out. But even on that end it's in the range of 3-4 bonito ROMs that I can think of.
I'm guessing we'll see more builds sooner rather than later since 10 just got officially released earlier in the month(plus TWRP isn't available for 10 yet - not that that would stop fastboot flashable ROMs from being built). Also the upcoming release of the pixel 4 should drop prices on the 3aXl which means more people will pick up this device and more ROMs will(most likely) be built. *That's my theory at least...I've seen other devices' development happen that way in the past so that's where I'm coming from.
I also think a combination of factors has slowed development in general across the board: less people buy new phones as often now(our phone is less than 6 months old), and stock android has gotten to the point that just rooting and minor tweaking is good enough for a lot of people. Not me personally - I always use custom ROMs - but for some others all they need is slightly tweaked stock, some theme-ing ability, and a few root apps like adaway or root browser to stay happy.
But anyway, big thanks to those who are building for our device. Y'all have skills that I do not have - which are much appreciated by me & many others.
And that was kind of what I thought... The custom ROM scene, particularly on Google devices is just shrinking. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.
Time will tell as this community moves into 10 development, but I'm guessing things will pick up a bit. Hang in there:good:
Bob nesta said:
There are ROMs not listed on xda available but you have to search them out. But even on that end it's in the range of 3-4 bonito ROMs that I can think of..
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For Android 10? Ive seen zero. 10 is very different than Pie and Bonito has a bunch of uniqueness as well. Building 10 for it is no small task and may take a while before you see 10 Roms for it. Even the handful of Rom devs (or teams) that have 10 builds dont have Bonito.
This is very similar to when Shamu came out. It took 2-3 months before custom Roms were working as there were so many changes from Hammerhead and Marshmallow was a very different build vs KitKat. There were also very unique challenges when Marlin came out for the same reasons. I hope to have Velocity up and running in the next few weeks but I wouldnt hold my breath on it as this has been one of the most challenging updates Ive come across and Ive been building Roms for Nexus/Pixel devices since JellyBean.
ctfrommn said:
For Android 10? Ive seen zero. 10 is very different than Pie and Bonito has a bunch of uniqueness as well. Building 10 for it is no small task and may take a while before you see 10 Roms for it. Even the handful of Rom devs (or teams) that have 10 builds dont have Bonito.
This is very similar to when Shamu came out. It took 2-3 months before custom Roms were working as there were so many changes from Hammerhead and Marshmallow was a very different build vs KitKat. There were also very unique challenges when Marlin came out for the same reasons. I hope to have Velocity up and running in the next few weeks but I wouldnt hold my breath on it as this has been one of the most challenging updates Ive come across and Ive been building Roms for Nexus/Pixel devices since JellyBean.
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Oh, not for 10. I was referring to pie. I'm pretty sure some of those pie ROMs slowed development down in anticipation for 10, so it's just a slow time right now.
It's cool... I understand a lot of work goes into building, so when/if they come - they come.
One question - does the a/b partitioning and lack of recovery partition make building harder or easier? (This is my first a/b device...just wondering.)
*And thanks for your hard work; I've been lurking on your kernel thread and see how much you've been refining it. Looking forward to your ROM whenever it drops. :good:
Never owned or dev'd for an a/b device except Marlin (Pixel 1) and that was pretty different from this I believe. Lack of recovery only affects how we flash it. The biggest issue right now is getting all the needed vendor/device stuff for it to boot and run right. No idea why this is never fully included with AOSP + posted binaries but it isnt.
The kernel (as always) is much simpler than a full Rom. Im still trying to get my head fully around the nuances for building a Rom for this. Rest assured they will come. Im definitely going to be spending more time on that side now.
---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 AM ----------
acejavelin said:
The custom ROM scene, particularly on Google devices is just shrinking.
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Most people that bought the Pixels had little need for a custom Rom. This will change I think with the lower cost of the "a" line. So many people jumped off the Google phone train when the Nexus died and the cost was simply higher than they/I/we wanted to spend for a phone. The "a" line is a lot of what the Nexus line was so I would guess this will bring many back, though OP has done a good job taking and keeping most of them.
Not sure I would agree with that.
The elephant in the room is the activity across this entire forum section; there are few people here compared to another Pixel like the vanilla 3XL, massively less than you'll find over on the OnePlus sections. They're giving the A series credit for Goog seeing an 88% increase in Pixel sales this year but those sales do not appear to be to people like us that frequent this place, if they were, they would be here. I think at least for now this phone sold to ordinary folk, people who have never looked at their phones and wondered if they're truly bricked or just soft-bricked. Can't honestly say I know I'm right here but a look at the activity and available goodies over in OnePlus land is certainly compelling. Less money and bigger numbers along with an unlocked bootloader have attracted plenty of enthusiasts and along with them, development.
The regular 3 has been out a lot longer and development is mature. I also cant say Im definitively right either of course and I 100% agree OP has taken most of the low budget enthusiasts over to their side, especially outside the US.
Either way, it makes no nevermind to me. I will always build for the device I own and choose the device I own very carefully. There will be at least Velocity for the 3a XL its just a matter of how long it takes to get it up and running.
And yes, the lack of activity in this forum is almost shocking to me but last I was here with any regularity was in the Nexus 4/Nexus 5 days which was the wild west of Android development.
Let's not forget to mention the constant free advertising xda does for oneplus as well; that definitely helps their cause.
*And I'll admit it - I fell for it myself: bought a oneplus 7 pro, found that I hate curved displays, and returned it the next day - but the hype on xda fooled me for sure. The 7t pro looks nice, but I'm good - I'm hanging in with my bonito and seeing where things go.
krabman said:
Not sure I would agree with that.
The elephant in the room is the activity across this entire forum section; there are few people here compared to another Pixel like the vanilla 3XL, massively less than you'll find over on the OnePlus sections. They're giving the A series credit for Goog seeing an 88% increase in Pixel sales this year but those sales do not appear to be to people like us that frequent this place, if they were, they would be here. I think at least for now this phone sold to ordinary folk, people who have never looked at their phones and wondered if they're truly bricked or just soft-bricked. Can't honestly say I know I'm right here but a look at the activity and available goodies over in OnePlus land is certainly compelling. Less money and bigger numbers along with an unlocked bootloader have attracted plenty of enthusiasts and along with them, development.
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Hahaha. "vanilla 3XL" far superior to any 3a. I will go with small a
It doesn't surprise me because I, too, am finding myself comfortable with stock and avoiding all the inconveniences (mainly the merry-go-round of breaking things that check for root)... the only thing I really miss is being able to block ads and titanium backup. But it just isn't bothering me enough to care...
Golf c said:
Hahaha. "vanilla 3XL" far superior to any 3a. I will go with small a
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I owned the 3XL and didn't find it far superior. In fact I took it back and got a 6T while I waited for the next thing. Mainly it was the notch, and redraws in the GUI. In any event I only meant to refer to the regular 3XL or by extension any Pixel.
I guess if I paid @$300-400usd more for a device that has a smaller battery, with the same camera hardware(rear - don't care about the selfie cam), no headphone jack, and had a hideous notch so the OEM can claim "small bezels" - I may also be bitter & lurking in other devices' threads & talking smack(so I could feel better about my purchase...?)
Enjoy your 3xl and your notch... I guess. Congrats. :good:
Anytime you want to contribute to the 3axl community you are totally welcome to. No bitterness here. Otherwise...please go back to your "far superior" 3xl land please. We are not good enough for you here.
Take care.
*Bows down to the "far superior" 3xl owner*:angel:
I'm not going to claim expertise when I say this but I can call out plenty of experience on XDA over the course of many phones: I would not expect this forum section to be getting more active in the future. I'm not saying a ROM wont come but there was never much activity here at any time, it is quite slow now, it continues to get slower. Everything I've seen over my time here tells me that trend will continue. I'm honestly surprised about that because I had thought when I purchased this phone that this section would be moderately active. I was wrong. I don't like saying that and wish it wasn't true but that's how I see it.
I'll be off toward 4XL land soon; I have all the coffee tables a man needs in one life and I like my toys.
krabman said:
I'm not going to claim expertise when I say this but I can call out plenty of experience on XDA over the course of many phones: I would not expect this forum section to be getting more active in the future. I'm not saying a ROM wont come but there was never much activity here at any time, it is quite slow now, it continues to get slower. Everything I've seen over my time here tells me that trend will continue. I'm honestly surprised about that because I had thought when I purchased this phone that this section would be moderately active. I was wrong. I don't like saying that and wish it wasn't true but that's how I see it.
I'll be off toward 4XL land soon; I have all the coffee tables a man needs in one life and I like my toys.
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You mean bezzels right not coffee tables. Hahaha
acejavelin said:
Serious question, and not one to knock any developer or anyone else, and I am not complaining... But why don't we have more custom ROM's for this device?
I have owned lots of Nexus/Pixel devices in the past, and within a few months of release there were dozens of ROM's available for the device, but for this device there is a couple kernels and a few unofficial or "build it yourself" ROM's and that is it. It just seems very odd that a device so open by design and sold extremely well doesn't have more options. Why?
I admit I haven't had much involvement in the custom ROM community in a few years, and I haven't really felt a need to use a custom ROM in some time as I have been using Moto, Nokia, Nexus, and Pixel devices for the most part for years and just a few tweaks here and there are good enough, but I went to look into other possibilities with my Pixel 3a XL recently and found there just isn't much of anything.
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Click to collapse
Well, I personally have stopped using custom ROMs after switching to a Pixel. Before this, I always was eager to install AOSP-based ROMs on my previous devices (Samsung and LG).
But especially LG is a disappointment software-wise: My LG G5 had a very good battery runtime with the initial ROM, but future updates killed this. Not to speak of non-existing updates and even security patches. My Samsungs were just awful from the start, they were immediately in dire need of AOSP.
On top, updating vendor images always was a PITA.. On my G5, I always had to do a clean flash, get rid of the bloat, flash the GApps etc.
But the Pixels are different. They also can have a bug here and there, but nothing severe. Battery runtime stays good with updates, and security patches always are on time. Updates are easy even when you are rooted.
Hence I just rooted my Pixel 3a XL and called it a day. Since Android 10 with its dark mode, I can even skip Substratum. YMMV of course, but this is how I see it.
I only root for system-wide adblock and HEBF Optimizer. Everything else is stock.
Custom Roms arent all (or even mostly) about features. There is so much more performance (and efficiency) to be had by building vs stock. Development will break loose soon enough. And when it does, then we will see what this device is truly capable of.