It’s safe to say that for the advanced user the possibility of firmware is one of the important factors when choosing a smartphone. Under the cut we will select smartphones for which it was issued the highest number of alternative firmware.

In order to vary the material from each producer was chosen for the same device, or half the rated bold line would occupy smartphones Nexus, which would be obvious and too boring. This post is intended to show that the creators of alternative firmware are interested not only smartphones, out-of-wing Google, but devices designed other brands.

The key in the rating is the number of alternative (custom) firmware released for one or another smartphone. I think you will agree with me when I say that the most accurate information of this kind has a forum XDA-Developers – from there were taken figures that have become crucial for our members. Also consider their support for developers of such popular firmware as CyanogenMod, Paranoid Android, LiquidSmooth, SlimROM, BlissPop and others.

Oppo Find 5

Proprietary firmware Chinese smartphone now on everyone’s lips. ColorOS from Oppo, FlymeOS from MEIZU and from Xiaomi MIUI on their devices installed even owners of Nexus. But to install CyanogenMod on Chinese smartphone or the same Paranoid Android (we are talking about the official builds) were obtained in very rare cases. Of all the different phones Xiaomi team CyanogenMod officially supports only Mi2 (S), of MEIZU they do not want to hear. The only exceptions are smartphones and Oppo OnePlus, which here and there slip in the list of supported devices, alternative firmware.

The most popular smartphone Oppo be called Find 5. The forum XDA-Developers for the Find 5 is available only 12 alternative firmware. However, having dug deeper to Find 5 can be found MIUI, and Smartisan OS, and OmniROM, and as many as six Lollipop-assemblies (among which is CyanogenMod, MoKee OpenSource Project and LiquidSmooth).

OnePlus One

Interestingly, only one smartphone from our list was released in the past, in 2014, the rest – in 2013 and even earlier. Of course, waiting for alternative firmware in the flagships of 2014 was relatively less time, but the trend is that the model 2013 issue like romodelam more noticeable. Exceptions can only be HTC One (M8), which still lags behind the M7, and Nexus 6, which this year is likely to catch up.

OnePlus One is precisely thereby smartphone 2014 issue, which the creators of custom firmware is not bypassed. This is understandable, because even out of the box OnePlus One comes with a special version of CyanogenMod. According to the forum XDA-Developers, on the smartphone you can install 47 alternative firmware. Anyway, if earlier when creating firmware based on Android was considered good manners to support Nexus-smartphones, today to this rule can safely add support for devices OnePlus, what we actually observe.

Sony Xperia Z1

Sony is known for its loyalty to the developers of alternative firmware, they, in turn, respond to it in kind. The dedicated website regularly puts Sony firmware source code of their devices. At the end of November last year, the company even posted the source code AOSP Lollipop-assemblies for their latest smartphones. One of these smart phones has become a favorite for a long time romodelam Xperia Z1. On XDA-Developers for Sony Xperia Z1 can be found 73 firmware. Among them will CyanogenMod, and Paranoid Android, and PAC-man ROM, and LiquidSmooth, and SlimROM.

Moto G

It would seem, Motorola on this list should represent the public’s favorite Moto X, but it is not. If 4PDA number of firmware for Moto X and Moto G is approximately the same, at the XDA-Developers situation is quite different – from 17 to 78 Moto X at the Moto G. Among these 78 firmware can be found even such things as Firefox OS and FlymeOS.

HTC One (M7)

M7 old man still on horseback. And let him back in full breathing M8 (65 firmware vs. 79), he is doing well. Just like Sony, HTC is known for its loyalty to the developers. The site HTCdev can find the source code firmware smartphones HTC, and tools to unlock their bootloaders. And HTC One (M7), and HTC One (M8) participate in the program Google Play Edition, which, again, favorably affects the development of custom firmware for them.

LG G2

In 2013, LG has managed to present an extremely successful leader of a capacious battery, excellent display with narrow frames and a good camera. Custom firmware did not take long to wait. For LG G2 them have as many as 80. Among the users of G2 popular custom bikes on the basis of the original firmware, and on the basis of pure Android. The latter, by the way, a lot of presents. Almost every more or less large development team supports LG G2. For this smartphone released LiquidSmooth, CyanogenMod 12, BlissPop, SlimLP, OmniRom and others.

Google Nexus 5

Truly “People» Nexus, which is thousands of enthusiasts around the world day and night tirelessly stitch has been for almost a half years. Like any other Nexus-smartphone, after his announcement Nexus 5 was doomed to the emergence of dozens of alternative firmware. At the moment, they number 105. As I wrote above, when creating a custom firmware based on Android support for Nexus 5 is good manners, so rest assured – all that will come up romodely, the first step will be implemented on this smartphone. C on the other hand, it is necessary to accept the fact that soon will receive laurels Nexus 5 Nexus 6, and our favorite sink into oblivion, which, however, in any case inevitable.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Honestly, presenting this ranking, I could not imagine that any Samsung smartphone will be able to get around in it Nexus 5. But it is true. Today at XDA-Developers has 160 firmware for this smartphone. How did it happen? I am inclined to think that such a number of alternative firmware for Galaxy S4 is explained on the basis of custom bikes as the original firmware Samsung, and on the basis of pure Android. Add this to Google Play Edition-version of the smartphone with not the most powerful, yet Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 and get almost ideal conditions for the emergence of custom bikes.

HTC HD2

Without exaggeration, the legendary machine rightly occupies the top spot in our ranking. It seems that enthusiasts were able to run on it all, except, perhaps, Falcon 9. Out of the box HTC HD2 or HTC Leo is running the operating system Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, seasoned with a proprietary shell HTC Sense. By the way, he was released more than five (!) Years ago.

Ported to the HTC HD2 Android, Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8, Windows RT, Ubuntu, Ubuntu Phone, MeeGo and Firefox OS. Ported firmware update for HTC HD2 come today. For example, on the eve of 2015 failed to start HD2 Android Lollipop.

Conclusion – best smartphones 2015 for firmware

As you can see, this rating has much in common with our recent material about the actual ex-champions, which once again proves that they should not be written off. And what a smartphone is the most pierced you?

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Just the day before yesterday we called Motorola Moto G second generation the best smartphone to $ 200. When did you get a small cost a lot of devices that seasoned with the latest version of OS Android. But very soon, the model will be even better.

Brazilian website Motorola lit model that can be an improved version of the current Moto G (2 Gen.). According to the site, we are waiting for a number of important differences. So it will be implemented support for LTE, and, perhaps most importantly, increased battery with a capacity of 2390 mAh. Earlier, it was 2070 mAh, so that growth should be fairly decent.

Everything else remains as before. Namely, the processor from Qualcomm, Snapdragon 400, four cores running at 1.2 GHz, 16/32 GB of main memory, expandable with microSD cards up to 32GB, 1GB of RAM, a display with a diagonal of 5 “1280 x 720, made by technology IPS, stereo speakers, aimed at the user and the camera 8 MP and 2 MP. The dimensions remain the same, 141.5 x 70.7 x 11 mm, but the supply will increase by 6 grams – from 149 to 155. The rear panels are perzhenemu can be changed.

Slightly disturbing the operating systems in the form of Android 4.4.4 KitKat, although it is also emblazoned on the main site “ordinary” Moto G. It is hoped that the upgrade to Android 5.0 Lollipop will be available immediately after unpacking. Frankly, it is not clear why the company decided not to pre-install the latest version.

Earlier, Motorola has already cranked similar to the first generation Moto G, releasing a slightly improved version with LTE is in Brazil. In general, the Brazilian market is very important for us, because it was on it in the strongest position of Motorola. It Moto G yavyaletsya one of the best-selling smartphone in the country of football and carnival.

If you remember, in Brazil, and the company introduced a free version of the operators Droid Turbo, which Moto MAXX. It cost quite a lot of money there, but, nevertheless, such a move shows once again how important the Brazilian market for Motorola.

Although Domestic support LTE will not work, but for the rest, who are available mobile networks fourth generation, it will be a nice bonus. In addition, the increase in battery capacity by more than 15% still never harmed anyone. So if you’re looking for a budget smartphone to upgrade, you might want to wait until we will deliver an updated version of the country.

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The origins of the company come from America, and were there that made a name for Motorola. Initially, the company developed the radios and radio stations; they were especially popular during the Second World War. Soon after the war ended, began the era of the automobile, a lot of cars were equipped with radios of the company, which is worth noting, in contrast to its competitors could work without the ignition. Subsequent years, the company has focused on working with cellular communication.

Already in 1983 appeared on the market the first mobile phone company – Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, which is a breakthrough in this area. The first call from the device was manufactured in 1973. On the phone you can talk only 35 minutes, he maintained contacts 30 and six hours, but charge the device as much as 10 hours, which is quite crazy by today’s standards. Phone weighed just 800 grams. Why all? Simply because when mobile phones were used only in cars, and they weighed about 14 pounds. Cost mobile phone by today’s standards quite a lot – $ 3,995.

Further, the market appears similar devices from other manufacturers, including Nokia, but in 1996, Motorola introduced the world to the first phone-clamshell Motorola StarTAC, such a concept held in the next ten years, many manufacturers. The price of the phone is about 1000 US dollars. The key features of the phone has support for CMC-messages, support for 2800 contacts.

Another key telephone company became a Motorola Razr V3. More than 130 million devices were discharged during the period from 2004 to 2006, it made him the best-selling clamshells in the history of the industry. In those days it was popular at iPhone. He was considered a benchmark in design, technology; it was a breakthrough for consumers.

In 2008, Motorola introduced the audience Motorola Aura, which was the most unusual and beautiful phone. Yes, in the past we have already met a similar form factor, but now it’s not just a square screen, described a circular frame, and a full round display. Today, many wonder how it was possible to create a round display in the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R, as you see, back in 2008, Motorola is one of the first to implement such an idea. Note the fact that the phone was not cheap, its price at the start of sales in Russia amounted to about 70 thousand rubles, that is, he did not initially positioned as a mass. This was the solution for business, for people who want to combine the watch and phone in one mechanism.

Razr V3 was the last successful regular phone companies, because in the future the era of Android-devices, the era of smartphones. During normal phone manufacturers do not twist arms and designers are allowed to sell them all the most unusual things, and the Motorola CLIQ became an adapter when the producers would try to experiment with the design and dimensions, CLIQ – the first and probably one of the most unusual Android-smartphone company . However, not many Russian consumers have met times of transition Motorola, because by the time she was gone from the Russian market. Next in line were the various smart phones running on Android 2.3, which is a bright representative of Atrix.

However, after some time the market goes one of the most popular devices companies – Motorola Razr XT910. With the release of the Motorola devices try to make it a kind of premium solution, because then Kevlar body thickness of only 7.1 mm rarely to be found in the market. Of the benefits devaysa: interesting enough shell, nice design. Live smart phone really looks and feels very nice. After it appeared on the market many such devices companies, including Motorola Rarz M, Razr I, who had displays “from the frame to frame.” Along with the new style of the company began to use new technologies, including AMOLED-display with PenTile, which spoils the overall picture of smartphones.

However, with the Moto X in 2013, Motorola, we can say, has created a new line of their devices. Moto-line is markedly different from all previous devices company. They are distinguished and design, and overall style. And, perhaps, Moto – is a smooth transition to the new style of the company. Perhaps in the future we will not be able to see the signature clock widgets on the desktop, because the Motorola recently committed to making its USB mass, with which they previously were not, and did not affect the market for mobile devices. Motorola buying mostly fans of the company, but whether it needs such a policy? After all, it does not give the right of income, it is necessary to adopt new views; Motorola understands this, so I decided to create a new line, which now can be called basic. A Razr-line device, which at one time raised the popularity of the company, has outlived its usefulness, but do not be so sure that Motorola will forget about their roots, most likely, the company will produce Razr-model, but not in such numbers, as before.

However, with the release of Moto Maxx everything has become quite controversial. After Moto – is a line of very different devices in style and Droid Turbo, the international version of which is called Moto Maxx, does not fit into the overall style of the model range and the objective would be to create or continue a separate line Razr-devices.

Summing up, I want to wish success Motorola Mobility, because very few on the market today such companies. There are, of course, HTC, Samsung, Lenovo, but all of them bored. Users need new discoveries, ideas, and it seems that Motorola – a company with a large and rich history – the ability to surprise consumers.

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Can I look into the future? Many of you may shake your head in amazement, thus giving a negative answer. However, having at its disposal the necessary data, you can try to make a prediction, the accuracy of which will depend on the initial information. Employees world-renowned research firm IDC decided that their data will be sufficient for several years. Soon after careful analysis of the firm’s representatives presented their vision of the state of the smartphone market back in 2018.

Start, as befits, followed with general information. According to the forecast IDC, the number of smartphones sold in four years will increase to 1.8 billion copies. Comparison’s sake, last year it reached one billion.

Fortunately, each of us, growing competition trigger drop in average prices for smartphones to $ 267. Currently it is 314 dollars. I want to believe that this will be achieved through the release of several of the same remarkable devices like Moto X or Moto G.

And what about the distribution of shares of operating systems? Do not worry, no increase displays iPhone and other dubious achievements kupertinovtsy can not shake the unconditional leadership green robot . IDC experts believe that Android will remain the leader.

However, his position, as well as any iOS, some falter. Android smartphone share will decline from 80 to 77 percent, while the “apple” phone slowed from 15 to 14 percent.

The reason for this will be Soup tile system running Windows Phone, from which analysts expect almost double growth.

Head of a department of Ryan Wright sure that in a few years to change the smartphone market, not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. According to his statement, until the present day low price of the device is synonymous with its questionable build and mediocre performance. In 2018, this stereotype sink into oblivion. Thanks to technology and the desire of companies to stay afloat, the line between the device secondary and higher price categories will gradually fade.

And how you see the future of smartphones? Share your opinion in the comments.

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Smartphone Moto G made a lot of noise in the mobile market in the past year. Within five months of phone from Motorola is a bestseller.

The main feature of Moto G was its budget price. Now it’s time to move over to one side old men, as gains on the new device Motorola Moto E. To be as accurate as possible, the new smartphone – not a replacement Moto G, but rather an additional device for entry-level smartphone market.

Moto E Price is about $ 150. For the same price you could buy a Samsung Galaxy Fame or Nokia Lumia 520.

Among the main specifications Moto E is worth noting a 4.3-inch display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, 5-megapixel rear camera and battery capacity of 1980 mAh.

The screen has an attractive resolution – 540 x 960 pixels, which together presented the density of 256ppi.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the text and images on the screen. Of course, the display Moto E incomparable with flagship phone, but when you consider that the new smartphone from Motorola is almost two times less pixels, and the cost is much lower, it is possible to make concessions.

The screen has three protection Gorilla Glass, which provides safety against scratches, while a removable rear cover is made of plastic.

From a design standpoint, the smartphone Moto E is very similar to Moto G. plastic build quality feels nice in the hand, and is likely to survive a few falls.

As I mentioned, the back cover is removable and Motorola offers nine different color options.

Besides Motorola will launch an accessory – a rubberized case, which will be available in five colors.

The rear of the smartphone Moto E curved, so the phone fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Furthermore, the weight is quite acceptable – 142 g

On the part of Moto E looks a little big, but when compared to other devices, we obtain the following results: shell thickness Moto E-12.3 mm, while the thickness of the Moto G – 11.6 mm, and the Lumia 520 – 9.9 mm.

Built-in speakers have been moved from the rear to the front, there was extra space for holding a smartphone.

Moto E size is 124.8 x 64.8 mm. Physical buttons are very reasonable reorganized, so that they are easy to press with one hand. The power button / lock and volume control button located on the right side, while the headphone jack is located on the top panel, and MicroUSB port – at the bottom of the device.

1.2 GHz dual-core processor does not sound impressive, but as this Snapdragon 200, and if you take note of 1 GB of RAM, a smartphone’s performance should not hesitate.

Software is the latest version – Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Motorola Company claims that the update Android for Moto E will come much faster than many major budget smartphones.

Navigating the desktop applications and menus multitasking was smooth and fast, no signs of braking or delays I had not noticed.

Yet it would be interesting to see how Moto E maintains its high performance at a completely filled a variety of built-in memory applications, movies and photos.

Moto E is not equipped with 4G connectivity, but your service 3G, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi B / G / N.

Quality Display lets you watch movies and TV shows, and MicroSD slot adds extra space on your phone. MicroSD slot is certainly necessary as built-in memory Motorola Moto E only 4 GB, of which only 2.21 GB available for use.

For those who prefer a more traditional form of entertainment, Moto E equipped with an FM radio.

As I mentioned, the speakers are placed on the front panel Moto E, just below the screen. At maximum volume audible distortion, because it certainly does not BoomSound.

On the rear panel Moto E is a 5-megapixel camera. You can find similar devices Moto G, Galaxy Fame and Lumia 520. Unfortunately, the smartphone comes without a flash, so I have to avoid low light.

Prolistnite finger of the left hand side of the display in the center – you will quickly go into the camera app, where you can configure the basic functions. Here is a selection of different shooting modes, including at the HDR, panorama, or 16:9.

The front camera is missing.

Since the back lid is removed, the battery can also be replaced. Battery capacity is 1980 mAh. Motorola says that the smartphone is capable of working 24 hours on a single charge.

Summing-up  Motorola Moto E

Looks like Motorola’s again managed to produce a decent budget smartphone at a low price and a good set of specifications.

The smartphone Moto E were made several significant concessions compared to Moto G – removed the front camera, rear flash and too little internal memory. However, instead of a smartphone gets decent screen and a slot for MicroSD cards, which in particular should compensate for the shortcomings.

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After a lot of rumors and very detailed leaks Motorola still held its event in London, where he showed Moto E and updated version of his hit sales Moto G, which now adds support for LTE.

Moto E

Moto E, as expected, received 200 Snapdragon paired with graphic accelerator Adreno 302, 5 MP camera (rear only), battery capacity of 1980 mAh, 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory and, of course, a display with a diagonal of 4.3 ” and a resolution of 540 x 960 (256 ppi). Fears that the MicroSD-card will only be supported to a volume of 4 GB is not confirmed, so you can expand storage space up to 32 GB, which is not so bad. Dimensions of housing totaled 124,8 x 64,8 x 12,3 mm (previously leaked thickness parameter of 6.2 mm at the edges helpful indicator device) and weighs 142 grams.

Moto E will be available in black and white versions, but the sale will also be removable rear panels of other colors. The front part of the device is covered by a protective glass Gorilla Glass, which has a water-repellent layer, so that the display Moto E should last a long time. By the way, according to the manufacturer, the value of 256 ppi screen Moto E makes the clearest in its class.

Moto E will come with preinstalled OS Android KitKat 4.4.2, while the manufacturer guarantees the upgrade to the next major version. No cost and no steep branded apps like Motorola’s Assistant or Migrate.

Cost Moto E is $ 129 without a contract. Quite democratically, but the templates are not tears. The smartphone is already available in India, UK, Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Canada. 

Moto G

Small update and received the best selling smartphone in the history of Motorola Moto G, which will now be available with support for LTE. The news could be useful for people in Russia or the United States. But support for microSD cards, which also added to Moto G, definitely useful to all, wherever they live.

Sell ​​LTE-version of Moto G will together with the original at a price of $ 219.

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Perhaps one of the most notable jumps in the development of mobile technologies in the past year failed to make the U.S. company Motorola. Perfect tandem with exquisite Moto X and qualitative budget smartphone Moto G for a long time was on the main pages of the most technological resources. Also, some time ago came to light smart watches Moto 360 , but today we will not talk about them. As it turned out, Moto G managed to become the best-selling device Motorola throughout its existence. How, then, in addition to a reasonable price, turned achieve similar results? Let’s deal.

About components of the success of this smartphone has become known thanks to the efforts of our foreign colleagues androidauthority, who gladly published interview with the vice-president of Motorola Ahlquist Magnus (Magnus Ahlqvist). According to the latter, the main factor in the commercial success of Moto G was the attention of emerging markets. In particular, India.

In this country people are particularly interested in the stable operation of the devices at an affordable price. It is for this reason, the Motorola has decided to go on a risky move. It is a refusal of cooperation with local operators and electronics shops in general. How then sold smartphone? Exclusively online.

To implement such an idea was elected the most popular Indian online supermarket Flipkart, which implemented Moto G on exclusive rights. Such a solution is not only to promote the smartphone of a huge number of customers at the shop, but also to offer it at a lower price.

However, it is absolutely clear that the device is purchased on the Internet would risk not all. To prevent the spread of all kinds of fears the company takes care of creating a hundred service centers. Inside the latter can get all necessary information about the intricacies of acquiring gadgets on the web. Pretty elegant solution, is not it?

The results of this strategy would not have to go far. Providing outstanding sales performance, Motorola finally entrenched in a cohort of the most common brands of India.

Perhaps in the near future, many manufacturers will move exclusively to online buy gadgets. Do like this idea to you?

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Moto G, one of the most successful smartphones created by Motorola , will shortly receive an updated version. No, fortunately, it’s not a stripped-down version of the popular devices with a prefix or Mini Compact in the title. Become a source of news microblog @ Evleaks, so the accuracy of the information should not be questioned. What’s new promise in the family Moto – worth investigating!

According to information Evleaks, Moto G in the new version is called Forte, and will be released exclusively for Latin America. And no mention of technical characteristics.

In tweet only mentioned the fact that Forte will be reliable predecessor. Judging by the renderer, it is a rubberized casing with protection against dust and moisture .

This device is more in thickness, which can also be interpreted as an allusion to the hardier (and reliable) battery. In favor of this theory is the sale of Motorola Mobility Lenovo , and this company devaysa inherent high battery life. Recall the original Moto G has a non-removable battery capacity of 2070 mAh.

On the other hand, it is likely that the “escape” image Forte is nothing like a regular Moto G in the original case with rubber surround, which sells for $ 20 with the advent of the smartphone market. Too similar to the lateral faces!

If the manufacturer has decided to equip the unit additional briefcase, it can affect the value of a “renewed” device, and given the focus on the developing countries of South America, such a move may not be entirely successful. Best is the enemy of the good.

What do you say? Does popular Moto G improvement of this kind? Share in the comments.

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Smartphone Moto G from the American company Motorola, to everyone’s surprise, was very decent machine, despite its very very low price tag – in some aspects even better than the flagship Moto X (time, and for some of the display). Another big surprise for us as it became quiet and unobtrusive appearance of Google Play-version Moto G.

Some tangible differences from the original model is not expected, and in fact it was used almost “naked» Android. Google Play same version may be getting an update a little earlier than its tovarka publicly available, although everything is not clear, because the iteration and the usual smartphone received (receive) updates quickly and on time. No different and the price tag, it’s all the same $ 179 and $ 199 for the version with 8 GB and 16 GB of memory, respectively.

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