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The Pure vs Skinned divide
- Thread starter pc747
- Start date
I must say I love the look of pure android for me it is how android should look but I must admit that functionally it is not always the best way to go. Since owning my Note 2, which is my daily driver, there are useful features and integrations that makes doing my job easier that I can not do on stock android. Yes people will say "there are apps on the market" but I like having some of these features baked in. I use my phone for work and having baked in secure exchange support in email has made my life easier as I find myself having to send reports and handle important emails almost on a daily basis. The build in exchange email for Samsung (as right now that is the only oem I can speak for) blows the competition away as far as apps found on the web or the pure android version. Everything from scheduled sending, signings, and attachments are just flawless, so much so that it inspired this thread today. As I see devices like the motorola nexus (still rumored) on the horizon I find myself fighting almost daily whether I should go back to pure android or stay touchwiz. If I could get just the stock samsung email along with s pen features baked in to pure android I would be fine (I know that can be found on many roms). But the reality is do vanilla android truly perform better than skinned versions?
We see cases where a phone like the s4 has lag and every one is quick to point "see if it was vanilla there would be no lag", which Samsung fixed by the way with a software update. But the reality is the performance of skinned versions of android perform as well as vanilla android. I am sitting here with two nexus devices (galaxy nexus and n7) and I have to honestly say that my note 2 performs up to par, if not better, than my nexus devices. But unlike my note 2 I find myself struggling to use them (my nexus devices) for work at times, though I will admit that it has to do with me now being spoiled by the features I use with my n2. But manufacturers have come a long way since the intrusive skins we saw 2 years ago. Many of us, including myself, still have the bad experience of old blur from the dx/d2 days and sense in our mouths and that has led us to shiver at the thought of anything other than pure android. But the reality is that manufactures have come a long way from then and on some devices skinned run just as well as vanilla. With the exception of look you would not know the difference. And since Google edition devices (which I must admit I want) we have gotten a chance to see in some areas where manufacturers have surpassed google in software (ie camera and music/sound). I will always have a love for pure android and look forward to buying another nexus but when it comes to software we can not be so quick to overlook what manufacturers have done. And now that some of us have experienced the difference we also have to understand that manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola, HTC, LG, and others have the right to protect their intellectual properties, still I feel a person should be able to root as long as carriers and manufacturers can continue to load my phone with bloatware.
Those with carrier skinned devices how do your device stack up against nexus devices?
We see cases where a phone like the s4 has lag and every one is quick to point "see if it was vanilla there would be no lag", which Samsung fixed by the way with a software update. But the reality is the performance of skinned versions of android perform as well as vanilla android. I am sitting here with two nexus devices (galaxy nexus and n7) and I have to honestly say that my note 2 performs up to par, if not better, than my nexus devices. But unlike my note 2 I find myself struggling to use them (my nexus devices) for work at times, though I will admit that it has to do with me now being spoiled by the features I use with my n2. But manufacturers have come a long way since the intrusive skins we saw 2 years ago. Many of us, including myself, still have the bad experience of old blur from the dx/d2 days and sense in our mouths and that has led us to shiver at the thought of anything other than pure android. But the reality is that manufactures have come a long way from then and on some devices skinned run just as well as vanilla. With the exception of look you would not know the difference. And since Google edition devices (which I must admit I want) we have gotten a chance to see in some areas where manufacturers have surpassed google in software (ie camera and music/sound). I will always have a love for pure android and look forward to buying another nexus but when it comes to software we can not be so quick to overlook what manufacturers have done. And now that some of us have experienced the difference we also have to understand that manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola, HTC, LG, and others have the right to protect their intellectual properties, still I feel a person should be able to root as long as carriers and manufacturers can continue to load my phone with bloatware.
Those with carrier skinned devices how do your device stack up against nexus devices?
My first Android phone was the Droid X, and now I've got a Galaxy Nexus. When I made the switch from the X to the Nex, there were some things I initially missed on the Nexus that the X had. Certain widgets and what not. Nothing that was a deal breaker but when I was first using the Nexus I was like "I wish this had (so and so) like the X did)." I certainly realized they were two different beasts altogether and I have grown well-accustomed to the Nexus. Now I just worry about moving to the next device, whenever that may be.
I'm typically a pretty adaptable person though and I don't mind learning new stuff or new ways to do things. That said though, I don't know if I'll want to go back to a skinned device having been "spoiled" by this Nexus now.
I'm typically a pretty adaptable person though and I don't mind learning new stuff or new ways to do things. That said though, I don't know if I'll want to go back to a skinned device having been "spoiled" by this Nexus now.
jspradling7
Active Member
I agree. I went from a BB Pearl to a Droid Charge in 07/11 for my first smartphone. 5 months later I bought a GNex when it came out and all through 2012 I flashed everything that would run on it. I never expected Touchwiz to do anything but pollute and drag down the Android it ran on. I also spent some time running a Rezound once I could put CM10 on it. I never thought I'd be happy with a stock device again.
It wasn't until I got my hands on an S3 early this year that I thought "Wow, TW has come a long way from the Charge". I'm very happy running TW based roms on it, mainly Hyperdrive. Then I got my wife a Note II and thought "This thing is pretty awesome stock!". Now I have the S4 as my daily driver and running andybones Bone Stock ME7. I still like flashing AOSP roms and setting them up once in a while, but for everyday carry use, I'm a TW fan for now.
I was seduced by the romantic notion of running pure vanilla. Had a Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7.
Then I got an S3, wanted a bigger screen and moved on to the Note 2. Will be upgrading to Note 3 the day they go on sale.
I listen to alot of tech podcasts. I sometimes think that the biggest boosters of vanilla are the the least knowledgeable about current phone technology. They seem to own phones like the Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4 or similar antiquated devices. (And, yes, I understand some are running custom roms and involved in other exciting adventures.) It's just that the love for purity sometimes seems more ideological than practical.
Then I got an S3, wanted a bigger screen and moved on to the Note 2. Will be upgrading to Note 3 the day they go on sale.
I listen to alot of tech podcasts. I sometimes think that the biggest boosters of vanilla are the the least knowledgeable about current phone technology. They seem to own phones like the Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4 or similar antiquated devices. (And, yes, I understand some are running custom roms and involved in other exciting adventures.) It's just that the love for purity sometimes seems more ideological than practical.
illnevertell
New Member
This is a very interesting topic for me. Its not as simple as choosing. Its about the overall experience of how your device works for you.
Let me explain a little. I'm using an S4 right now. Its good but there are Cretan things Samsung doesn't do well. In the s4 case its exchange email. To describe how bad it works is pointless. That's why they make touchdown HD. Its simply the best exchange client built. So does vanilla android do exchange better. Not even close. Android doesn't do exchange any better. That's why samsungs version sucks too. So in order to make my S4 and Note 10.1 work for my every day use. I needed a solution.
Now weather isn't built in to android with Widgets and all. It is however built in to sense and touchwiz. I prefer beautiful Widgets so again I use that instead of the manufacturers version. However the built in one does work well. Its accurate and they know exactly how their system is coded. Meaning better overall memory management Indie the device if you use theirs.
The camera isn't close either. The S4 camera is spectacular and the motor is OK at best. So again I prefer the Samsung version.
The great part of android is its ability to change what ever you want when you want. Its not about the overlay at all. My S4 looks stock but is a factory image and I get the best of both worlds.
Let me explain a little. I'm using an S4 right now. Its good but there are Cretan things Samsung doesn't do well. In the s4 case its exchange email. To describe how bad it works is pointless. That's why they make touchdown HD. Its simply the best exchange client built. So does vanilla android do exchange better. Not even close. Android doesn't do exchange any better. That's why samsungs version sucks too. So in order to make my S4 and Note 10.1 work for my every day use. I needed a solution.
Now weather isn't built in to android with Widgets and all. It is however built in to sense and touchwiz. I prefer beautiful Widgets so again I use that instead of the manufacturers version. However the built in one does work well. Its accurate and they know exactly how their system is coded. Meaning better overall memory management Indie the device if you use theirs.
The camera isn't close either. The S4 camera is spectacular and the motor is OK at best. So again I prefer the Samsung version.
The great part of android is its ability to change what ever you want when you want. Its not about the overlay at all. My S4 looks stock but is a factory image and I get the best of both worlds.
illnevertell
New Member
Touchdown can schedule emails too.
I agree with you maybe 100%. I started with stock Android, the Droid 1. Every phone I had ever since has been skinned, excluding a brief try of the G Nex. I know this didnt/doesnt sit too well with some folks...but I have said over the past few years, IMO, stock Android was too plain n boring before Honeycomb. Even tho I like stock more now, I may still prefer a skinned version. Ppl complained about stock vs skinned, but Sense UI on the Incredible was smoother and less laggy than my Droid 1. Even when the Droid X came out, which had specs more comparable to the Incredible, the Incredible was still smoother.
I dont know why some, many dismiss OEM skins. I used to mention something as simple as T9 dialing was missing from stock Android for so long, and I dont know if it's in there now. Functionality... Its no surprise that over the years stock Android has included features from apps and OEM skins. OEM skins cant be all that bad....
TheOldFart
Active Member
I like a lot of the features in the OEM skins like my Inc2 and Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, especially since the ones I don't like can be disabled in ICS/JB. What I absolutely hate are the garbage apps that Verizon adds on. Just why would I want to pay for VZ Navigator when I can use Google Maps? The rest of the Verizon stuff is also useless to me.
For me it was always Vanilla Android, until I got my s4. OG Droid, Dinc, and Nexus had vanilla Android through stock ROM or a custom ROM. Of course features in the custom ROM were baked in and made things a bit easier, but overall I do enjoy the clean look that vanilla Android has. My thoughts about it today....
Manufacturer UIs have greatly improved. Before I used to hate manufacturer UIs since they always seemed so "bloated" and the standard widgets used to be so crowded. TouchWiz, imo, used to make their devices seem like a Fisher-Price toy. Today, doesn't look like it. Sure TouchWiz still is colorful, but it doesn't seem as "childish" as it did before. It looks much cleaner than it used to and the same goes for HTC and Moto.
As for features of manufacturer UIs, honestly they're great. Makes our phones easier to operate and possibly skipping an extra step over vanilla android, it makes the experience a bit more fluid, especially for the people who aren't into rooting and running certain customizations. Camera features are far better than vanilla Android, and that's what many of the general public care about, camera quality/functions. Other features such as Air View, are features I thought were just gimmicks, but really do make the experience a bit better.
As for myself, I see no real desire to go back to vanilla android. I think the TouchWiz experience right now is solid, enjoyable, and makes things a bit easier. Yeah there's been a few hiccups, but nothing I wouldn't run into if it were vanilla Android either. Manufacturer UIs have come a long way as Android has evolved and instead of bogging down the speed of our phones they run smooth and better the experience. Maybe later on I'll mess around with vanilla Android again, but for now (and I can't believe I'm saying this as a former flash-o-holic), ROMs are not for me right now.
Manufacturer UIs have greatly improved. Before I used to hate manufacturer UIs since they always seemed so "bloated" and the standard widgets used to be so crowded. TouchWiz, imo, used to make their devices seem like a Fisher-Price toy. Today, doesn't look like it. Sure TouchWiz still is colorful, but it doesn't seem as "childish" as it did before. It looks much cleaner than it used to and the same goes for HTC and Moto.
As for features of manufacturer UIs, honestly they're great. Makes our phones easier to operate and possibly skipping an extra step over vanilla android, it makes the experience a bit more fluid, especially for the people who aren't into rooting and running certain customizations. Camera features are far better than vanilla Android, and that's what many of the general public care about, camera quality/functions. Other features such as Air View, are features I thought were just gimmicks, but really do make the experience a bit better.
As for myself, I see no real desire to go back to vanilla android. I think the TouchWiz experience right now is solid, enjoyable, and makes things a bit easier. Yeah there's been a few hiccups, but nothing I wouldn't run into if it were vanilla Android either. Manufacturer UIs have come a long way as Android has evolved and instead of bogging down the speed of our phones they run smooth and better the experience. Maybe later on I'll mess around with vanilla Android again, but for now (and I can't believe I'm saying this as a former flash-o-holic), ROMs are not for me right now.
