Why get Nexus devices if you can get AOSP based ROMs on other phones?

[BlahBlahYouToo]

If you can unlock, root and load AOSP based ROMs like AOKP, CM, BB, etc. on other phones, then what's the benefit of getting something like a GNex or N4?
Sure, you won't get the updates the day of release but it'll only be a few days or a week before the develop updates said custom ROMs.

 

[Ravynmagi]

For me the custom ROMs have more bugs and worse battery life.

 

[Fardringle]

I agree with Ravynmagi. I have not yet found any custom ROM that offers anything interesting enough to make up for the crashes, errors, and reduced battery life.

 

[NutBucket]

While I find asop based Roms far superior to touchwiz based for the gs3, they aren't quite perfect. Certainly good enough for daily use. Battery life hasn't been noticeably worse but performance does seem smoother.

That said, I'm also sticking with asop since I'm not planning to switch from Verizon anytime soon.

 

[Capt Caveman]

My N4 only cost me $349.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I thought this because I liked the SGS2 hardware, form factor, specs, etc. Well YMMV because you need to count on devs to do the work. Certain phones are easier to develop for than others. The SGS2 wasn't that great, and so development was tough. It was the most popular phone 2011-2012 though, and yet they still couldn't make as much progress as they would've liked.

 

[RockinZ28]

My N4 only cost me $349.

This. I would gladly get top of the line phones off contract every year at this price if they supported Verizon+LTE.

My Note II cost me more than that at the discounted price after taxes.

 

[Nothinman]

If you can unlock, root and load AOSP based ROMs like AOKP, CM, BB, etc. on other phones, then what's the benefit of getting something like a GNex or N4?
Sure, you won't get the updates the day of release but it'll only be a few days or a week before the develop updates said custom ROMs.

Because in addition to a much simpler unlock and root process you're voting with your wallet to let Google and carriers know that you want an open device.

 

[Bman123]

Custom ROMs aren't enough to make me switch back to a expensive phone bill. I'll stick with my $30 a month t mobile bill and my galaxy nexus

 

[shabby]

If you can unlock, root and load AOSP based ROMs like AOKP, CM, BB, etc. on other phones, then what's the benefit of getting something like a GNex or N4?

Aosp roms, at least on samsung/exynos based phones, require some ugly hacks to get them working right since samsung uses proprietary drivers, the devs basically have to write code from scratch and this takes months. And even then there are some things that aren't fully functional.

 

[openwheel]

because most ROMs suck with too many broken features.
It's the manufacturer's fault for locking them down. For that reason along I only buy new Nexus phones and used other Android phones.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Devs work mostly with nexus devices and those high end devices as well. Updates (from the devs) roll out faster for nexuses

 

[2timer]

Ya bunch of good reasons listed, but in sum:

1. Better to pay less and have more freedom from a much better supported device by Google than to pay more and have less support from a carrier.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Nexus Android is 100 % native, and while some AOSP are just ports...

 

[Red Storm]

Not everyone likes to mess with their phone in terms of rooting and ROMing.

Custom ROMs generally have bugs that we are much more willing to overlook because they are not official. Not everyone wants to put up with features not working.

Why buy a $700 phone when you can get one unlocked, brand new for $350?

 

[antef]

Tons of reasons:

1) I don't want to have to deal with any of the BS roadblocks the carriers put in place to prevent unlocking a phone (encrypted bootloaders), or having to rely on security exploits to gain root. Each phone is a different circumstance, requiring waiting, reading forums, and other crap I don't want to deal with.

2) I don't want to deal with dumb design decisions of other phones like including a hardware menu key.

3) I don't want to HAVE to load a ROM from day one of ownership to be able to use AOSP. With a Nexus, if I don't feel like messing with the phone, I don't have to, and I'll still have a pure AOSP experience without bloatware or other crap.

4) As others have said, just because you can load a ROM doesn't mean you'll have a great experience. There will be bugs, especially with CDMA devices, and you will inevitably end up spending hours on XDA researching some problem or another. Far too many people say "use a ROM" as a solution to everything - it isn't. Nexus phones, OTOH, have all of their sources available so devs can make the best ROM possible for them, and the most quickly. It's your best shot at having a trouble-free experience without digging around on forums.

Better question is, why NOT use a Nexus device? Why sign up for a carrier's overpriced contracts and locked down phones? A spec or two might be better, who cares, that stuff changes every few months. I have no interest in paying $80-$100/month for my cell phone bill. The only argument I have seen is if you need Verizon coverage in your area.

 

[zCypher]

I have the Galaxy Note, and even though Jelly Bean has been out for quite a while and even the Note 2 is out, we STILL don't have a stable Jelly Bean ROM. Unbelievable. We just have a ton of ROMs based off the unofficial CM JB ROM basically. Some people claim to have it running stable, but I think their definition of stable just isn't as strict.

I just updated to a 4.2.2 ROM today, hasn't crashed on me yet but sometimes I was able to go a few days without a reboot on previous ROMs anyway.

I could definitely understand wanting to have the latest official releases without any hassle.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The fact that I ran CyanogenMod 10.1 from the day it hit the streets formy Nexus 4 and it's been stable is quite ridiculous. I did the same with my Nexus 10. I can count a few nightlies that screwed up but those were after large merges like the 4.2.2 merge for example or the CodeAurora GPS patch. But I made sure I kept up with XDA those times.

Even phones like the Xperia T which codeworkx and GokhanMoral fled to (after leaving the i9100) doesn't even have CM 10.1 yet. And they praised Sony for working with AOSP so well and having a good developers resource.

So yeah, no. Unfortunately this means I have to put up with Google's poor decisions regarding its handset designs.

 

[Riceninja]

custom roms are good...if your phone is supported by CM10, -and- has the full kernel source/drivers.

i had a gs2 lte (skyrocket) before the note 2, and even with official CM10 support there are a few things that didnt work perfectly (random reboots twice a week, bluetooth car connection is spotty, cant save pics to sd). when 4.2 came out the 10.1 nightlies broke more things than it fixed (no 1080p video recording, gallery apk has no thumbnail for videos).

if constantly flashing roms is your thing then feel free, but i cant spend the time or effort to keep up because the current android backup/restore function isnt streamlined, even with titanium backup. plus if you're not running a popular phone there's a big risk of the dev getting frustrated and abandoning the project.

if having the latest android updates is your thing, suck it up and get a nexus device

now im on the stock touchwiz UX for note 2, everything runs perfect and the multiwindow update is stellar. taste is subjective but i find the overall visuals not lacking compared to cm10, plus the sd slot and removable battery are big pluses in my book.

touchwiz is beginning to diverge from stock and if the upcoming gs4 continues this trend itll be interesting to see if asop is still the "holy grail" for enthusiasts next year or if touchwiz will have enough additional features to eclipse the bloatware negatives.

 

[Midwayman]

You get nexus if you don't want to deal with beta software. Many of the AOSP roms are quite good, but they're still beta at best. Plus it often takes months for them to catch up if they ever do. Non nexus development tends to drop off steeply 18-24months after release as people move on to newer devices.