Best ROMs for Xperia Z - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi guys,
I am not completely fresh here. I have done simple modding in the past (at least 4 years ago). However, I am not updated and neither properly "trained" as to what concerns newer ROMs and procedures to follow to unlock the bootloader and so on.
I would like to revitalize my Xperia Z (6603), nothing too fancy, just wishing to making it faster and possibly more energy efficient (it is now running the official ROM, namely android 5.1.1. version)
What do you suggest me? Would be so kind to copy paste the link to the right thread that explain how to do it?
Many thanks

Related

[Q] Best method of flashing CM7 from stock

Hi all,
So I just picked up a Xperia Mini Pro today... pretty solid looking phone, performance is "average" w/ the stock ROM. This is my first Sony android, but I've rooted and flashed CM7 on many HTC and Samsung devices (i run a G2 and SGS myself)
Anyway, after spending the whole week reading up on this phone in XDA, i realize that there's one question that I can't seem to find any good info on.
Basically, I'm never gonna use this phone on stock ROM (that's just silly) and I'm gonna flash to CM7 like my other phones
I'm a bit confused as to which method is the more "proper" way.
What's the recommendation of anyone who has the SK17i/a?
do I use the FlashTool method (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=10879507#post10879507)
or do I use the method provided in the wiki from the cyanogenmod site? (http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Sony_Ericsson_Xperia_Mini_Pro:_Full_Update_Guide)
The only important steps are really: rooting, unlocked BL and install CMW ... flashing CM7 is prob the easiest step of all
I'm comfortable doing either way, both instructions seem pretty straight forward and clear-cut ....but i just wanted to know which one I should be using to make this process a bit smoother for me
I just bought this phone yesterday and love it, but it does seem to be crammed with too much rubbish. this is my first android phone. I've rooted it, but still trying to decide whether to flash to CM7 (i've had iphones before and i'm guessing CM7 is the android version of Custom Firmware) Are there any step by step guides for THIS phone on flashing to CM7 as i'm still learning about android handsets.
hi.. i am also new to SE Xperia Mini.. and i am a former Samsung Galaxy 5 user.. i used to have a a CM7 in my galaxy 5.. and flashing on a samsung phone was easy..
i'm would also want to see a step by step guide on flashing.. thanks..
so, it didn't take long for me to realize that CM7 just doesn't work that great for this particular phone
... Feel free to read up on the known issues (ie: no hardware keyboard support)
Anyhoo...I updated my firmware and flashes hybrom v8...great looking ROM
"there is no spoon"

Xperia x10 mini android version

I bought xperia from a mate for around 15 bucks since it doesn't have instagram so I did some research and heard rooting it would help. So i have recently rooted my xperia and now im wondering how do i install a newer OS of android for my rooted phone so it can run instagram? I have good experience from computers but never been into smartphones before so i am kinda confused by all the formats and stuff. Thanks in advance
Xperia x10 mini pro to be exact
gujja said:
I bought xperia from a mate for around 15 bucks since it doesn't have instagram so I did some research and heard rooting it would help. So i have recently rooted my xperia and now im wondering how do i install a newer OS of android for my rooted phone so it can run instagram? I have good experience from computers but never been into smartphones before so i am kinda confused by all the formats and stuff. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best ROMs (the common word for customized/unofficial android OS) you get after unlocking your bootloader and 'flashing' a custom kernel. Minicm7 (android 2.3.7 Gingerbread/GB, you probably have 2.1.1 Eclair installed) is probably the most popular ROM. The process of unlocking is slightly risky (your phone may use the mobile network ability if you do something wrong), but absolutely worth it.
If you prefer not to take risks, there are some GB ROMs for the 'stock'' (preinstalled) kernel on your phone, for which you have to install xrecovery.
Here is a Link with a bunch of tutorials and download links to awnser your questions:
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1588192
Good Luck!

[Q] Newbie asking for some guidance

Hi all, I am about to become the proud owner of a SXZ Ultra, and I was hoping someone might be kind enough to provide me with some links to the the most important info to help learn my way around this device. I have experience with Android but have no idea what to expect from the Sony UI nor the rooting procedure etc., so I would be grateful for some pointers to help minimize the learning curve and get the most out of the device as soon as possible. A quick search on the subject of rooting left me somewhat bemused...I am used to the SGA (Samsung Galaxy Ace), which was a totally different type of device with an entirely different procedure for flashing ROMs and rooting.
I have a specific question aside from that - I see that there is an IM750 MHL to HDMI adaptor available from Sony, but I would like to know if this is really necessary - has anyone had success with Miracast or Wifi Direct/DLNA connection with a smart TV so as to be able to send what I want to watch on the TV from the SXZU? I would prefer this to having to connect via HDMI because I have found that mini/micro HDMI connectors on tablets seem to be rather fragile to say the least, and it would also make far more sense for presentations. Thanks for your help.
MHL works well. Some people seem to have no issues with mirrorcast etc but others do...
For rooting read LordManhattan's guide and my downgrade guide both at the top of the general section.
The steps are more or less;
downgrade
Root
Backup TA
Unlock bootloader
Flash rom...
For stock sony firmware you can get the updates via PC companion [PCC] or use flashtool and flash FTF's
Sent from my Xperia Z Ultra using Tapatalk
Thank you. The thing is that if possible I would like to avoid having to unlock the bootloader, but I need Root in order to use Titanium Backup and be able to flash an alternative recovery so I can use Online recovery tools. Forgive my ignorance, but is this possible? Ideally I would like to upgrade to KitKat then obtain Root and flash the TWRP/CWM twin recovery without unlocking the bootloader - it seems to me that there are several advantages to using the stock ROMs, particularly being able to recieve Sony upgrades, at least until they stop supporting the device.
blueether said:
MHL works well. Some people seem to have no issues with mirrorcast etc but others do...
For rooting read LordManhattan's guide and my downgrade guide both at the top of the general section.
The steps are more or less;
downgrade
Root
Backup TA
Unlock bootloader
Flash rom...
For stock sony firmware you can get the updates via PC companion [PCC] or use flashtool and flash FTF's
Sent from my Xperia Z Ultra using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can get away with not unlocking the BL, if you go that route you don't need to back up the TA either. You will still need to downgrade yo route though. There are several ROMs based on sony firmware, and to be honest will probably be better that pure stock. Some of the upgrades have worked on rooted phones others haven't
Sent from my Xperia Z Ultra using Tapatalk
Thank you. Are any of those custom ROMs available with the latest Kit Kat release? I see that the SXZU is listed by Sony to receive this update, which is primarily why I didn't want to flash a custom ROM right away = and I would like to try Sony's stock configuration first. I have tried CM10, PAC ROM and others in my SGA and frankly I was underwhelmed for the most part, although with such a totally different device I might be pleasantly surprised...
Which ROM would you personally ally recommend?
Sent from my K00E using xda app-developers app
truth57 said:
Thank you. Are any of those custom ROMs available with the latest Kit Kat release? I see that the SXZU is listed by Sony to receive this update, which is primarily why I didn't want to flash a custom ROM right away = and I would like to try Sony's stock configuration first. I have tried CM10, PAC ROM and others in my SGA and frankly I was underwhelmed for the most part, although with such a totally different device I might be pleasantly surprised...
Which ROM would you personally ally recommend?
Sent from my K00E using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes Sony has a 4.4.2 firmware out for the whole range. There is a rooted rom based on this that is very close to pure stock Sony I believe, and then there is Monix's ROM based on Sony's 4.4.2 release that gets good reviews - it is quite customised.
On the custom ROM front there are:
SlimKat - this is my preferred ROM but I'm having trouble building it for this device consistently
Carbon - this is my daily at the moment, I'm doing the unofficial builds of this for now
LiquidSmooth - this seems to get good reviews but doesn't look like it's been updated in about a month
PAC - I was using this for some time and was good
PA - as above
CM11 - Has it's fans and most of the other ROMs use at least some parts of it and it's device tree
AOSP - Don't know what that is up to, not used it
AOKP - as above
PAC - I was using this for some time and was good
PA - as above
Then there is the GPe port that many seen to love

[Q] A few questions about the Note 2

Hello, Im new here, Just heard about XDA and how its the best forum (knowledge-wise) out there. I dont have enough knowledge and experience with smartphones (Im more of a PC freak, building and hardware and stuff) but smartphones are a whole different subject.
lately Im having some "hangings" on my Galaxy Note 2 (N7100, 4.1.2 stock) it started when browsing firefox, and continuing to Whatsapp, it started freezing for a minute or so.. (which is quite a long period of time like u probably know.)
I started checking the whole Root&ROMs subject, and also found out that there's a way to update my phone to Android 4.3 JellyBean.
so here are my q's , What is the most CURRENT stable OFFICIAL OS (from what I saw online there's no 4.4.2 for Isarel-ILO (if it matters at all? Because I've seen a few official EU versions from various countries) and people just get a custom ROM of 4.4.2 to run it and also that quite a few ppl on here had some issues with it and were pretty happy about 4.3. So what do u think ?
also, I will probably need the best ROM for the OS you will recommend next (from what I read ROMs can boost phone performence) but I am not sure about it yet
but I am certain that I'm gonna root my phone, but can u tell me exactly how does rooting help ? I mean in which aspects and such..?
Thank you very much in advance, 73RM1N470R.
** just fyi, I figured I'd hard reset my phone and then update the Android to 4.3/4.4.2 which would help the hanging issue , and then root it. (not 100% sure about the ROMs..)

[Q]PLEASE HELP! Looking for a better ROM for Gsmart T2 (TUKU 2)

Hi guys, I've purchased a used Gsmart TUKU 2 and am having big problems with it. It has quite impressive specs for a very low price, so I was hoping to get a bargain, but oh was I mistaken. The phone either has too little memory (512mb apparently is not enough for this one), or the ROM is tragically badly optimized. I runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich (Kernel 3.0.21-perf; Build number: [email protected]) and it lags ALL the time. When a dual core machine lags on the home screen, something's wrong. I am trying to find a rooting/flashing guide for this phone, so I can try some better optimized ROMs on this to see, if I can improve responsiveness. I had big success doing this on my old HTC Dream (G1) when I installed a higher version (Froyo), so I'm hoping something like this will be possible here too, with an upgraded version like Jelly Bean, or KitKat.
The problem is I cannot find a single guide aimed at this particular phone and I can't find any suitable ROMs either. So please, mighty warriors of XDA-DEV, if anyone would know anything about this, have any relevant links or information, I would appreciate it dearly. This phone is supposed to be a present for my dad, as he needs a new one and I'm hoping to get it to work nicely within the next three weeks, so I can give it to him already optimized. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
So I have found something, but I'm not sure, whether it's the right thing I found this website: http://proshivku.ru/gigabyte/gigabyte-gsmart-tuku-t2-black-detail that seems to offer various ROM versions for many phones. It does list Jelly Bean and KitKat and it appears to have them available for the T2 as well. But I'm not sure, whether this is just a generic version, or one optimized for the particular phones. As well, while I can translate the website from russian, I don't understand the video on it, so I don't know, whether it needs to be rooted/downgraded first or not and so on. Anyone able to provide some more info on this?
So I'm getting back to looking for stuff to do with the Tuku T2. Found mentions of other usable roms, like the Cherry MIUI or the J77 MIUI, but can't find ANY working download links. Has anyone seen a working link for any rom for this phone?
Ok, so I have finally been able to find som custom roms for the TUKU T2
Hi guys. I have finally, after hours and hours of sifting through forums, found what I was looking for. I found actually many viable custom roms for the Gsmart Tuku T2. Found them on a russian Forum called "4PDA.ru". It is in russian of course, so your best bet is to use Chrome browser and have it translated in english. It won't translate all, but enough to find and download all that you need. Right the first post in the topic has the whole list. There are many versions plus a generic one. I have downloaded a few and will be testing them gradually. The link is here: http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=471828 Right now I'm using the LolliMod_V2 with the update provided to 2.1. It is one of the first in the list and I have to say it works marvelously. I already have had root, done by framaroot and I'm using CWM recovery 6.0.1.2 I think. I did have problems using the SD card to flash as it can't mount, but from what I saw it seems it's because it's a small SD card. So I just simply copied the zip file to the internal storage and selected install zip from internal storage instead from sd card in the cwm recovery. Same way, after install, restarted phone, then again into recovery, installed the update to 2.1.
As said, it works perfectly, none of the freezing or slowdown happening, that was constant with the stock rom. The LolliMod is I think android 4.4.2, which is fine, as the stock was 4.0.4. It provides some nice options, a lot more settings, far better graphics and so on. I have noticed a few hickups, like the Volumes settings in the sound settings won't show and the settings will close, but you can still set the volume for everything otherwise. It's a brilliant rom.
So anyway, if you are looking for ROMS for the TUKU T2, definitely have a look at that site. If you'll have problems with it, let me know, I can reupload some that I have already downloaded to some file sharing site...
As always, all credits go to the creators of these roms, none are mine, but as I don't speak russinan, I can't tell it to them personally. Take care.

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