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LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, as it has extended the life of many phones and tablets that would have otherwise been abandoned. Even for phones still receiving software updates from the original manufacturer, Lineage can sometimes work better than the stock software, and it's a popular option for 'de-Googling' Android devices. Since our last roundup, several more phones have been added to the official Android 10 build roster (and a few have been removed).
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, with official support for dozens of devices and a huge community. The project relies on the work of contributing developers, which means phones can just easily be dropped as they are added. Since we last covered LineageOS, a few new devices are now supported, while a handful of fan favorites have been dropped.
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After months of anticipation, the popular LineageOS custom ROM finally released a version based on Android 9 Pie last month. The project has already updated 30 devices to Pie, but now a few more have been added. Also, two phones now have official Oreo builds.
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- Although it was suspected, it is now confirmed that the Honor 5X will benefit from this commitment from Honor, thus guaranteeing it'll receive software updates for at least 24 months from its release, just like the Honor 8. The policy and the devices included in it can be viewed on the HiHonor site.
Most OEMs don't have much of a reputation for providing timely and consistent OS updates. There are a few exceptions here and there — LG's V20 is set to become the first non-Nexus smartphone to launch with Nougat sometime around September — but while there may be a growing trend for devices to receive major updates shortly after they're released, it is much rarer to see them getting software support for more than a year or so. Only last year did Google begin promising 3 years of security updates and 2 years of major OS updates for all Nexus phones and tablets — which is still almost half as long as an iPhone's lifecycle.
The corporate half of the Cyanogen world might have seen better days, but the community-developer ROM is still going strong. They've recently released the CyanogenMod ROM to two new devices. The Huawei Honor 5X and ASUS ZenPad 8.0 have all been given initial nightly builds of CM 13 (based on Android 6.0 code), available to download and flash now.
The 5.5-inch Huawei Honor 5X Marshmallow update is finally rolling out, solving one of the major issues we had with this device in our original review. With only 16GB of on-board storage (which we figured closer to 8GB after counting the OS and bloatware), Android 6.0 Marshmallow's SD card capabilities make this a much more attractive offering, especially considering the price! We saw the 5X on eBay for $159.99 back in March, but this is by far the best deal yet: $119.99 on Amazon for an unlocked device that will work on AT&T and T-Mobile in the US.Just to recap our initial thoughts:
See that green bugdroid above? It's carrying a heavy(ly customized) version of Marshmallow specially to your Huawei Honor 5X. Wrapped tightly with it is a new version of EMUI for the device: 4.0.
The Huawei Honor 5X is the kind of phone that leaves buyers wondering why people are willing to pay so much for other devices. $200 gets you a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 616 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (plus a microSD slot), a 13MP camera, a metal body, and a fingerprint sensor.
The OnePlus X and the Honor Huawei 5X have a lot in common: relatively low prices, slick case designs, and far-reaching marketing campaigns. And now both of them can be loaded with the fan-favorite Team Win Recovery Project, a custom Android recovery that makes loading custom ROMs and other modifications easy. Users can download the recovery images at the official TWRP site, here and here.
The Honor 5X is already a pretty fantastic deal at $200 for an unlocked phone (even if David's review was more or less "you get what you pay for"). But if you're looking to sweeten the deal even further, online retailer Newegg is offering an additional via a store gift card with the purchase of the phone. The offer is available for a limited time, but it's valid on all three colors (black, white, gold) and combines with free shipping.
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Huawei's latest attempt to break into the US market comes by way of the Honor smartphone brand, specifically the Honor 5X. David thought it was pretty good for $200, and now you're mere days away from coming to your own conclusion. The Honor 5X goes on sale January 31st (Sunday) for $200.The Honor 5X will be available first on Amazon and Newegg. Huawei would previously only say that the 5X was due to launch at the end of the month, and they're technically living up to that promise... just barely. The metal body of the Honor 5X packs a Snapdragon 615, 2GB of RAM, a solid 13MP camera, and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner.The software situation is not awesome with Android 5.1 and the EMUI skin. A Marshmallow update is supposed to arrive later. Maybe that will improve things, but even now you'll still be hard-pressed to find a better deal on a phone for $200. Newegg is also offering a free 32GB microSD card when you buy an Honor 5X.
The Huawei Honor 5X's sales pitch isn't complicated, and it doesn't have to be: $199 gets you a metal-body smartphone with a fingeprint scanner, LTE, and a 5.5" 1080p display. There's no uninstallable 3rd party bloat (Twitter, Facebook, FaceTune, and Shazam can all be removed), and while it does run Android 5.1.1 with Huawei's lamentable custom UI layer, the price really does make this easier to ignore.
Huawei has only released a few phones in the US market, and the new Mate 8 isn't among them. Instead, we'll get the mid-range Honor 5X. No, it doesn't have anything to do with the LG-build Nexus 5X. The Honor 5X has somewhat more modest specs than that other 5X, but the price is lower too at just $199.Here's the full spec list for your purusal.