Is stock Android really all that great?

[Technarchy]

Not a fan of stock android.

Already been down that road with a couple of Nexus devices in the past and was not impressed.

Ever since the GS2, I've liked what Touchwiz has to offer. It's currently my favorite flavor of android.

 

[Sensamic]

There's one problem no one seems to be commenting.

Sometimes manufacturers skins don't have features that stock android comes with:

- Multiple widgets on the lockscreen on the HTC One. With the 4.2 update HTC only allows one widget in the lockscreen. Completely stupid decision.

- User accounts are not present in 4.2 Samsung tablets. Again why?

- Swype up to delete icons on the home screen is not present in any Samsung smartphone or tablet. This feature came with 4.1.

All this may be another reason to go with stock Android.

 

[adder7712]

I like stock Android because on how lightweight it is. It literally flies on my old S II and I rarely report instances of lag while running a AOSP ROM on that phone.

 

[Savor]

Not as much as it used to be.

Nexus phones is pretty bland as is without many proprietary features. You can pretty much change many things on it rooted of not, stock or not.

Many OEM's will likely release a KitKat flagship only 4 months after the latest Nexus gets released. S4 pretty much got 4.2 less than five months after Nexus 4 was released with it.

The only appeal with the Nexus line is price point and it receives faster updates. Nexus 4 packed the best bang for your buck performance for a phone. Still with a cheaper price point comes compromise. Nexus phones were never great with taking photos or battery life. And they removed the memory slot after the Nexus One and removable battery since the Nexus 4.

Stock Android with faster updates and price from the Google Play Store is its only marketing mantra. And at least you get a fairly different external design every year unlike iPhones.

 

[Sounds Good]

- you have no carrier interference - this means free tethering with the stock tethering app...

Is this true? If so, can someone please explain in greater detail how and why this works?

Thanks in advance....

 

[Phil A.]

I think there are two issues that get conflated with non nexus devices:
Manufacturer's add-ons and carrier add-ons

I always buy my devices sim-free to avoid any possibility of carrier bloat and don't have a problem with my S4 out of the box. Yeah, there are some features I don't really use (such as the eye scrolling), but I just switch them off and they don't really get in the way. IMO, the big problem comes when carriers get their hands on the devices and start adding stuff: Not only does it introduce another delay in getting updates, they can really mess things up.

The last time I bought a subsidised phone was a Windows CE device from Orange: they removed MSN messenger to try and force people to use SMS (this is in the days before unlimited SMS and it was a pretty good money spinner for them). After that, I decided I'd rather pay full price for my phones and get them as the manufacturer intended!

I've got an S4 and a Nexus 7 and comparing the two, I'd say the Samsung modified android experience is better in the following areas:

1) Email - the stock android email is far better than it used to be, but so is Samsung's email program on the S4 and I really like it now
2) Camera - The S4 adds a lot of functionality to the camera over stock Android
3) Quick toggles - yeah, they can be a bit overwhelming, but I really like the way Samsung have implemented them
4) Contacts - nothing wrong with the stock android People app, but I prefer Samsung's implementation


Things I think Stock android does better
1) Keyboard (a bit of a moot point as it can be easily changed and I have the Google keyboard on my S4) - I much prefer the stock Google keyboard to Samsung's, not least for the auto-correct
2) Folder handling - Touchwiz has too much animation when opening folders which slows things down for folders with a lot of stuff in them. Also, creating folders is more intuitive on stock
3) Lock screen - The fact you can't add widgets to a pin locked screen on the S4 is very frustrating!

I also think Touchwiz adds some useful features to stock android such as blocking mode, smart rotate, S voice, etc.

 

[Saturn1217]

Is this true? If so, can someone please explain in greater detail how and why this works?

Thanks in advance....

Wifi hotspot is built into stock android. On my Gnex turning on tethering is as easy as turning on wifi.

Now your carrier might be able to detect if you are tethering via detecting the user agent of your browser. But you can use hacks on your computer to change your user agent so this isn't detected. I'm on T-mobile and grandfathered into one of their older plans (before they started caring). I've never had an issue with tethering but I also don't abuse it (I never go over my 5gb data limit).

I hate that most carrier completely remove this tethering feature and only have tethering through their special app (atleast on t-mobile this is how it is). This means I can't set up a quick tethering shortcut with a 3rd party app in the notification shade which is how I prefer to turn on tethering so I can use my wifi Nexus 7 on the go with minimal hassle.

 

[KentuckyHouse]

I can take barebones Android, and make it mine. I can build up on it where as if I were to get an OEM's skinned phone I'd be removing things. I also like the look of pure android. And the performance can't be beat. My nexus 4 is still running like it did when I got it 9-10 months ago. It's amazing.

This.

The lure of a Nexus device is threefold...

Stock Android that allows you to do pretty much anything your heart desires

Timely, fast updates to the latest firmware

And the comfort to know you can flash just about anything without having to worry about bricking your phone (I've yet to see a Nexus that wasn't recoverable).

While I understand people saying "but I can just flash a custom ROM to my S4/G2/blahblahblah", yes you can. But you're still restricted on a lot of points (see the S4 for Verizon and AT&T). Or, your phone is region-locked (see the Note 3). The beauty of a Nexus is that I can take it anywhere in the world, pop in a local SIM, and I'm good to go.

With a Nexus, the key word is freedom.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I think there are two issues that get conflated with non nexus devices:
Manufacturer's add-ons and carrier add-ons

I always buy my devices sim-free to avoid any possibility of carrier bloat and don't have a problem with my S4 out of the box. Yeah, there are some features I don't really use (such as the eye scrolling), but I just switch them off and they don't really get in the way. IMO, the big problem comes when carriers get their hands on the devices and start adding stuff: Not only does it introduce another delay in getting updates, they can really mess things up.

The last time I bought a subsidised phone was a Windows CE device from Orange: they removed MSN messenger to try and force people to use SMS (this is in the days before unlimited SMS and it was a pretty good money spinner for them). After that, I decided I'd rather pay full price for my phones and get them as the manufacturer intended!

I've got an S4 and a Nexus 7 and comparing the two, I'd say the Samsung modified android experience is better in the following areas:

1) Email - the stock android email is far better than it used to be, but so is Samsung's email program on the S4 and I really like it now
2) Camera - The S4 adds a lot of functionality to the camera over stock Android
3) Quick toggles - yeah, they can be a bit overwhelming, but I really like the way Samsung have implemented them
4) Contacts - nothing wrong with the stock android People app, but I prefer Samsung's implementation


Things I think Stock android does better
1) Keyboard (a bit of a moot point as it can be easily changed and I have the Google keyboard on my S4) - I much prefer the stock Google keyboard to Samsung's, not least for the auto-correct
2) Folder handling - Touchwiz has too much animation when opening folders which slows things down for folders with a lot of stuff in them. Also, creating folders is more intuitive on stock
3) Lock screen - The fact you can't add widgets to a pin locked screen on the S4 is very frustrating!

I also think Touchwiz adds some useful features to stock android such as blocking mode, smart rotate, S voice, etc.

I hope you know you can download the Google Keyboard for free:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.latin&hl=en

If you like the stock keyboard, I'd suggest trying out Kii Keyboard first. It's also free. Think of it as Google Keyboard Plus:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zl.inputmethod.latin&hl=en

Once you put the "Ice Cream Sandwich" skin, it looks exactly the same as the Google stock keyboard, but is even more customizable (keyboard sizes, key sizes, etc).

Happy typing

 

[Phil A.]

I hope you know you can download the Google Keyboard for free:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.latin&hl=en

If you like the stock keyboard, I'd suggest trying out Kii Keyboard first. It's also free. Think of it as Google Keyboard Plus:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zl.inputmethod.latin&hl=en

Once you put the "Ice Cream Sandwich" skin, it looks exactly the same as the Google stock keyboard, but is even more customizable (keyboard sizes, key sizes, etc).

Happy typing

Yeah, I've already got the Google keyboard on my S4. I've looked at the Kii keyboard, but I'm more than happy with the Google keyboard at the moment. May look again in the future though

 

[zbarvian]

I really don't see the value in any OEM add-on. And the Koreans seem to hire visual designers right out of preschool. Timely updates, reliability, and plain Googleness make the Nexus line the best Android phones in my opinion.

 

[Sounds Good]

Wifi hotspot is built into stock android. On my Gnex turning on tethering is as easy as turning on wifi.

Now your carrier might be able to detect if you are tethering via detecting the user agent of your browser.

Hmmmmm... Any idea if this would work with AT&T? I don't need to tether very often (which is why I don't wanna pay the monthly fees) but to be able to tether every once in a while sure would be nice. Might even sway me to buy a Nexus 7.

 

[Stooby Mcdoobie]

Works perfectly on AT&T.

And just to show I am on unlimited data, so I don't have a tethering plan.

Just use it sparingly and you won't get caught. I've been doing this for years and have never received a warning from AT&T.

 

[Sounds Good]

Very interesting. Thanks for that.

Yeah, I would use it very sparingly (hardly at all). I'm also still on the old Unlimited data plan as well -- although it isn't really unlimited, as we all know!

Question: how many minutes per month (on average) do you tend to use this "feature"?

Thanks again.

 

[Stooby Mcdoobie]

Very interesting. Thanks for that.

Yeah, I would use it very sparingly (hardly at all). I'm also still on the old Unlimited data plan as well -- although it isn't really unlimited, as we all know!

Haha can't speak to that as I average around 3-4GB/mo, but I've heard they're being more lax with LTE plans.

Question: how many minutes per month (on average) do you tend to use this "feature"?

Thanks again.

I don't use it every month so it's hard to say. I save it for when I'm traveling and don't have access to WiFi. When I do use it, it's mainly to VPN into work to check email and that doesn't use a lot of data. I'd estimate a few hundred megabytes at most.

 

[gotluck]

Hmmmmm... Any idea if this would work with AT&T? I don't need to tether very often (which is why I don't wanna pay the monthly fees) but to be able to tether every once in a while sure would be nice. Might even sway me to buy a Nexus 7.

I use the stock tethering on my S4 Google Edition as well. Currently I'm on an ATT MVNO, but switching to ATT Gophone later this week. Tethering is not permitted on GoPhone, but stock android (on an unlocked non ATT branded device of course) lets you anyway.

 

[Sounds Good]

Duh. I just realized that I can't do what I was thinking about doing. I was thinking about keeping my current iPhone and picking up a Nexus 7 tablet. But it just hit me that I'd need a stock android phone to do what you guys are talking about -- not the other way around. Duh.

 

[Stooby Mcdoobie]

Duh. I just realized that I can't do what I was thinking about doing. I was thinking about keeping my current iPhone and picking up a Nexus 7 tablet. But it just hit me that I'd need a stock android phone to do what you guys are talking about -- not the other way around. Duh.

Lol, that's correct. Unfortunately the only way to tether without a plan on an iPhone is to use one of the tethering apps from Cydia, which requires you to have a jailbroken device.

 

[Stuntman06]

The notification area is probably one of my biggest concerns. I like keeping it as clean and minimalistic as possible. On my Nexus 4, all I have is power toggles. I have two rows, but using a two finger swipe can hide/show the second row. Other than that, it is completely clean. Looking at the G2, I would HATE to have all that crap in my notification area at all times. If I were to get a non-Nexus smartphone and I couldn't delete everything from the notification area, I would probably return it.

I have the GS3 and I actually like the power toggles. I use the auto-rotate toggle a lot. On my phone, I only have one row of power toggles. I don't find it to take too much space in the notification screen.

I haven't used a Nexus device, but I have looked at my friend's before. I found that stock Android feels more bare bones than my HTC or Samsung phones. I showed my friend some of the widgets I had on my HTC phone. He couldn't find it on his. So far, I do find that some the extra add ons I find on both Sense and TouchWiz are quite useful and I do like having them.

I do use Nova Launcher on my SGS3. The reason is that I don't like the dock on the bottom of home screens. I got rid of it. I configure my home screens to have 6 rows without the dock, so I can make better use of the screen real estate. This configuration allows me to have fewer home screens.

 

[kasakka]

My biggest beef with the S4 TouchWiz is the undeletable apps that it ships with. I don't need Flipboard, Knox or the various Samsung apps. Right now I'm running rooted TouchWiz with all the bloatware removed. Unfortunately in the process I lost a few features (like being able to yell commands at the camera to take pictures) plus OTA updates so when the 4.3 update becomes available I'll probably start from the beginning and be more careful what I remove.

In my experience on the current flagship phones there is no performance gain to be had with stock Android vs manufacturer skinned versions as long as you set the animation speeds the same.

 

[strausd]

I have the GS3 and I actually like the power toggles. I use the auto-rotate toggle a lot. On my phone, I only have one row of power toggles. I don't find it to take too much space in the notification screen.

Power toggles is the only thing I have in my notification area because it provides easy access to commonly used things while taking up almost no space. And like I said previously, you can have 2 rows and easily hide the second one.

But the problem is that many stock manufacturer skins come with too much crap in this area you can't get rid of. So the amount of real notifications you can see is far less.

 

[Stuntman06]

My biggest beef with the S4 TouchWiz is the undeletable apps that it ships with. I don't need Flipboard, Knox or the various Samsung apps. Right now I'm running rooted TouchWiz with all the bloatware removed. Unfortunately in the process I lost a few features (like being able to yell commands at the camera to take pictures) plus OTA updates so when the 4.3 update becomes available I'll probably start from the beginning and be more careful what I remove.

The unremovable apps don't bother me. I just don't put them on my home screen. I rarely go into the app list as 99% of what I need to do every day, I can do so from the home screen. Also, I have a 32GB phone, so they don't take a significant amount of space on my phone.

 

[Dr McKay]

My main hate with touch wiz, because its an area I see often, and using a launcher doesn't change it. Is the notification area. Seriously, its jammed up with so much rubbish. Its an area to show notifications. I don't think Samsung realise this.

 

[jeffe]

I usually find myself wanting to be on Cyanogen or an AOSP alternative rather than touchwiz. They're usually not so trouble free so this is why I prefer a nexus device as it provides me a better experience. Having said that, I still have to like the nexus device (screen size, battery, camera, etc...) and it has to be offered on my carrier.

 

[strausd]

I usually find myself wanting to be on Cyanogen or an AOSP alternative rather than touchwiz. They're usually not so trouble free so this is why I prefer a nexus device as it provides me a better experience. Having said that, I still have to like the nexus device (screen size, battery, camera, etc...) and it has to be offered on my carrier.

I've tried stock ROM, AOKP, Paranoid Android, PacMan, and Cyanogen. I always keep going back to Cyanogen. Just haven't liked any others quite as much.