How difficult is it to make good software? And how important it is when developing the brand philosophy. There are two ways in Android, and the first is to overload the system with customized interfaces, a huge number of native applications and services that try to add value (albeit in most cases, the manufacturer has almost no use for it) and, in short, make the software a world of possibilities.

The other way is to take the AOSP source code, make the necessary changes, and create a simple, lightweight ROM with almost no application overhead. Few manufacturers have the courage to go this route: This is the least profitable. Fewer own services, fewer payment alternatives and themes, fewer agreements with companies to implement their applications.

Of all the ROMs I’ve tested over the years, I’m clear on which one is my favorite. And there is no. I’m not talking about Google with Pixel ROM. There is someone who convinces me even more.

How to move NothingOS or Android to maximum expression

When I first tried NothingOS, it didn’t convince me much. The Nothing Phone (1) came to the market a little green with some outsiders in its system. Performance wasn’t outstanding, animations weren’t entirely polished, and it was clearly a ROM in its early stages of development.

Yes, you can have a customizable ROM without ruining the Stock Android aesthetics.

Things got better with the Nothing Phone 2. So much so that we increased the software score from 8.75 of the previous model to below 9.5. The ROM was flying, helped in part by the new phone’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. But beyond that the ROM worked much better. Why does NothingOS stand out?

First of all, for customization. NothingOS is proof that a “Stock” Android ROM can be customizable. The launcher works with pure Android icons and also Nothing icons. If nothing convinces us, we have integration with third-party icons that we download from the Play Store or any APK.

It is also possible to create wallpapers using artificial intelligence as of Android 14. You just need to combine a few words and… that’s it. A different interpretation from Pixel, but quite effective.

Ringtones, system sounds… everything is personalized and taken care of in detail. Some of these features and interactions can only be understood when we test a phone from Nothing. Everything is taken care of in detail and if we don’t like it we can change it.

Yes, everything is personal. But you can feel the “Pixel” aura.

Secondly, there is a very successful balance between the Stock Android interface and the Nothing version. Icons, status bar, direct access to widgets… At first everything was “nothing”. Now it’s practically pure Android with touches of customization.

There’s not much to tell and that’s the point. There’s no bloatware in the Nothing ROM: Like the vast majority of ROMs, it doesn’t come with Facebook, TikTok or LinkedIN pre-installed. The company has a single weather app that integrates its headphones, voice recorder, and camera app; Nothing X app. If you want something else, install it yourself. This is a philosophy I share.

Image | Xataka

in Xataka | Nothing Phone 2a, analysis: More brightness (and shadows) than we’ve seen on its iconic LED back