[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DMaglaras:
My Test Results, Part II (cont'd from post #3044)

@dabi01
[MENTION=6836126]HB72K[/MENTION]
[MENTION=4479868]desalesouche[/MENTION]
[MENTION=6829336]Hacker432[/MENTION]
[MENTION=5027205]hecaex[/MENTION]
[MENTION=6944862]Gremek[/MENTION]

Following my post #3044 I publish a synopsis of my test results for the following ROMs (I use [MENTION=6944862]Gremek[/MENTION] 's index at https://mega.nz/#F!bAkhGQLa!q7I9Hw2u-OL10PXd0tPNvw as my ROM guide):

1. CM-11 based ROMs.

1.0 General Notes.

1.0.1. Why CM-11 when 12.1 & 13.0 are available?

For the same reason the Russian space rockets designed by Karalyov are still in use whereas the more technologicaly advanced Space Shuttle has been abandoned (after having killed two crews for no good reason.) Also, my test results confirm that even though CM-13.0 is better in every possible aspect than CM-11.0, you cannot expect all your apps to function satisfactorily and you cannot place phones calls without freezing the phone app.

1.0.2 Faulty assert getprop ro.product.<etc> syntax in updater-script.

A good half of the ROMs posted in 2016 I tested wouldn't flash unless the preamble in the updater-script "assert getprop ro.product.xxx etc etc", which ensures that the correct ROM is flashed to the correct y550 device, is cut out. Its syntax is faulty; TWRP quits install with error code 7. The older ROMs --HB72k's good old CM-11 Final, crDroid, etc etc do not have this problem. All 2016 ROMs that had cell connectivity problems fall within this category of faulty assert getprop syntax. Wherefrom I surmise that their cell connectivity problem may be fixable if more attention is paid to matching the ROM to the correct modem and firmware.

1.0.3 In-call sound level bug.

It has been known for a while that CM-11's call sound volume when output through the speaker is too low when compared to stock 4.4 ROMs, and it is only slightly better when output thrugh the earpieces. I learnt it the hard way during my tests. I tried everything to fix it (modified /etc/mixer_paths.xml, integrated third party apps like Volume+, flashed xLoud_ClearAudio.zip), but even though I cannot declare these attempts a total failure I have not been able to get call sound volume up to stock levels. The bug does not affect music or FM radio; the crappy code lies in the telephony subsystem.

1.0.4 Integrated contacts/dialer/SMS? Not here...

Neither CM-11 (nor for that matter 12.1/13.0) nor MiUI nor FiUI offers this function. To get it you need either a third party app (like Contacts+), or EmUI v3.0+ (which means stock ROM).

1.1 ROMs that fail the WiFi connectivity test

A single one: @dabi01 's "bugless" FiUI v2.26.0 (test also reported in post #3044).

1.2 ROMs that fail the cell connectivity test

cm-11-20160330-UNOFFICIAL-y550, posted (& indexed by Gremek) as Y-UNOFFICIAL-y550

cm-11-20160329-UNOFFICIAL-y550 (this one not indexed by Gremek)

cm-11-20160328-UNOFFICIAL-y550

(all posted by [MENTION=6836126]HB72K[/MENTION] based on builds for g620s or y635 by a developer using French as his localization language, all security patch level 2016/03/01)

NOTE: cm-11-20160328-UNOFFICIAL-y550 fails the cell connectivity less totally than its siblings. Specifically, it knows the correct local time at the first steps of setup, even before wifi has been set up: how can it except by getting it from the SIM? (Could it get it from the WiFi antenna by accessing an NTP server before accessing DHCP?) Later in the SettingsUI, the tab for Cell (Mobile) Connectivity is marked active. But when you actually try to make a call, it breaks with the message "no mobile network".

Except for this defect all these ROMs are excellent: solidity of design, and ease of use, stability, speed. With the defect fixed and updated to latest security patch level (2016/06/01 as of this writing) it would have been my prefered ROM.

1.3 CM-11 derivatives that perform OK.

1.3.1 cm-11s-v2 by @dabi01 (ported from g620s, build date 20150620, security patch level not stated)

CM-11s is the OnePlusOne version of CM-11 with, according to statement, enhancements such as support for FLAC and better apps. IMHO these apps are as crap as are all CM-apps, and even on the supposition that FLAC is supported (which would only affect the listening of music anyway) the in-call sound level is no better than in the other ROMs. On the third test of the call screen this ROM failed abysmally: the screen disappeared from foreground, could not be switched back per recents, even the power button could not kill the call.

VERDICT: Drop.

1.3.2 FiUI-2.32 by @dabi01, indexed by Germek as fiui.zip.

(Antutu record breaker ROM. Ported from Redmi 2 to g620s or y635, wherefrom ported to y550. Build date 20160403, security patch level not stated.) (Also reported in post v#3044.)

Very fluid interface, possibly the fastest among all CM-11 ROMs. Best recents ever (ultra-fast horizontal tab like an extra dock). As if to negate this, customizations for buttons and gestures are less than in CM-11. Also, compass tile does not exist (minor issue, but...). Every app is stripped down, many to absurdity: the calculator is good only for pre school kids, the deskclock has done away with time (clock), multi-city times and countdown, contacts has neither search nor filtering. You can overcome all these amputations per third party apps, but didn't you come to FiUI for a purer, no-third-apps CM experience in the first place? Call screen is less functional than in all other CM-11 based ROMs including CM-11 itself. Of all CM-11 based ROMs, FiUI has the lowest in-call sound volume: almost inaudible. No ROM manages to screw up sound more than FiUI; you want to break up with your girlfriend, install FiUI on your phone.

VERDICT: A good ROM if you reshape it pre-setup and know how to fix the sound level bug. Otherwise drop. ROM developers, please port the recents bar.

1.3.3 pac_y635_KK.RELEASE.dev_20160310-183730

(Security patch level not stated - but PAC tells you per settings how many commits you are behind!).

PAC-rom (or PAC-man) is impossible to do justice to not only because it is a mindless collection of all customizations of all three ROMs from which it derives its name (and also of others like OmniROM), but mainly because it has not made up its mind about whether it is a ROM for hackers or a ROM for infantile delinquents. At settings you are greeted by a screen which uses pale grey for active buttons. We use "grey out" as synonym for "inactive"; here it means activated. (Inactive is an even paler grey.) To correct this nonsense you have to download and apply a non-PAC theme. You have no less than 3 different recents solutions (two vertical one horizontal) each getting in the other's way, 2 different app favorites bars solutions (one horizontal the other vertical) which make the drawer redundant, plus soft keys in addition to hard buttons which are activated by default and make using the phone impossible until deactivated. The prime nuisance, however, is the constant appearance of what looks like a flesh-eating bacterium hunting and devouring what looks like three teratomorphic bacteria, with "pac-pac!" for audio background. I tried to get this of them; succeeded only partially. Then you have sober features like control of init.d scripts right out of settings, information about how many commits you are behind (sadly, no way to download them incrementally), wakelock settings, etc etc. Stability wise it is the worst CM-based ROM, everyone seems to agree on that. It would be my choice if it offered incremental updates (but then no unofficial build does) and there was a one click way to get rid of its delinquent interface.

VERDICT: Use only on an emulator to study all possible customizations.

1.3.4 crDroid-UNOFFICIAL-y550

(Build date 20150912, security patch level not stated.)

This is for now my prefered & everyday drive ROM. crDroid claims to be a more stable, faster and better looking CM-11. I think it is neither more stable nor faster, but better looking it is. Crucially, it achieves the latter by judicious choice rather than by PAC-style overload. E.g., in quick settings (tiles) you have the WiFi control painted not the usual blue but crDroid's red-brown; distinguishing WiFi by color makes eminent sense, and this particular color is an ergonomically excellent choice. In the recents department, crDroid ports SlimROM's Slimrecents vertical bar which is the best solution if you opt for a vertical recents. I prefer FiUI's horizontal dock-like recents bar, but a vertical bar is better if you need not just an app icon but a preview of the app's screen. The sound bug seemed to be less severe in crDroid; it may be a false impression, but at any rate I have it back on an acceptable level as stated in 1.0.3 above.

VERDICT: Until a working CM-11 with latest security patch level arrives this is the best ROM available. Everybody speaks highly of [MENTION=6836126]HB72K[/MENTION]'s CM-11 FINAL, but judging from its build date it would seem to not incorporate the crucial security patches of September 2015, while crDroid seems to do so.

1.4 MiUI-7.5-pre-final by dabi01 (ported from Redmi 2, security patch level 20151201).

In my first test (reported in post #3044) I was highly impressed by MiUI. I am not so impressed now. Two issues. First, the Chinese developers made it impossible for you to customize the ROM pre-setup. My first trial broke because I had taken out the launcher. The second broke because I updated the built-in GApps using the current DeltaGApps-base. Secondly (and by now I am at my third and final trial) the ROM is unstable. Getting superuser access fails for no reason; telephony freezes for nor reason. My hypothesis is that they have included code which breaks the phone if it uses Google services rather than native Chinese services; I may be wrong in taht but surely I am not wrong in the phone breaking.

VERDICT: Don't waste your time with it, go CM-11 pure.

1.5 CONCLUSION CM-11 based ROMs:

crDroid-20150912.

2. CM-12.1/13.0 based ROMs.

2.1 cm-12.1-20160617-y550-y635-v2

(security patch level 20160601=latest).

In general impressive, BUT:

All hard keys & device buttons customizations gone.

Music.apk does not play.

Telephony freezes.

VERDICT: (1) Lack of familiar CM-customizations destroy this ROM's appeal. (2) Not fit for everyday use.

2.2 cm-12.1-20160617-y550-g620s (security patch level 20160601=latest).

+gapps-511-base-20160629-1-signed.zip

In general impressive, BUT:

All hard keys & device buttons customizations droped.

Stable but not fast.

OperaMini does not work.

Google Keep cannot create sound note because it cannot find SoundRecorder.apk (it is there).

Fast battery drain.

Telephony (dialer, InCallUI) unstable.

VERDICT: (1) Lack of familiar CM-customizations destroy this ROM's appeal. (2) Not fit for everyday use.

2.3 PAC-man-20160118 by [MENTION=4479868]desalesouche[/MENTION]

(security patch level 20160601=latest)

+gapps-511-base-20160629-1-signed.zip

I was shocked at discovering that CM-12.1 has dropped those customizations which make power users want to switch to CM in the first place, so I tested PAC-rom-LP to see whether this misguided choice is true of all CM-12.1 based ROMs. It isn't. PAC-rom version 5.1.1/12.1 has all customizations present in version 4.4.4/11.0. In fact they are even enhanced, and better arranged.

As far as performance goes this ROM too was generally impressive, except that telephony kept freezing. Specifically, after making a call (which was unanswered as I did the test calling my fixed line) and terminating it I could neither get rid of the call screen nor go back using the hard keys. On the other hand, call volume was OK: it could be louder, but was OK.

VERDICT: Better than CM-12.1, but telephony still buggy.

2.4 cm-13.0-20160618-UNOFFICIAL-y635-y550-v1

(security patch level 20160601=latest).

+gapps-601-base-20160629-1-signed.zip

PRO: As was expected several things do not work in this version of Android by design: it has a more sophisticated system, security and runtimes architecture. The big, and pleasant, surprise was that after accounting for the predictable incompatibilities this ROM (a) performed on every count more stable and faster than CM-12.1, and (b) reintroduced all familiar CM customizations which were dropped in v12.1 for no good reason.

Another pleasant surprise: under weather provider you are no longer restricted to just two providers (both amputated versions for lockscreen/homescreen) but can choose full blown apk versions of all providers from the store. (Minor issue, but nice anyway.)

BUGS: As in CM-12.1, phone freezes after first successful call.

VERDICT: Much much better than CM-12.1 & derivatives, but telephony still buggy.

2.5 CONCLUSION CM-12.1/13.0 based ROMs:

(1) Forget CM-12.1 pure (on account of droped customizations).

(2) Once you find either a CM-12.1 derivative (prefer crDroid to PAC-rom) or a CM-13.0 with the telephony freeze bug fixed, try it on an everyday basis. Prefer CM-13.0 (stable, faster, more features).

3 OVERALL CONCLUSION & FURTHER TESTS PLANS:

- Everyday driver: Use crDroid-20150912-y550 until somebody publishes a bugfree cm-11-2016xxyy-UNOFFICIAL with latest security patches.

- Test every CM-13.0 ROM which claims to have solved to telephony freeze bug and does not require doing something which makes it impossible to revert to stock (4.4.4-EmUIv3.2).

- Re-test cm-13.0-20160618-UNOFFICIAL-y635-y550-v1 (and for that matter every newer CM-13.0 ROM) to see if the freeze bug affects VoIP/SIP telephony as well. If not, these ROMs can be still used as phones --though only with Viber, WhatsApp etc.