6 Best Phones For Rooting Android
Since the very early days of Android, rooting has been one of the staples of the platform, allowing users full access to the inner working of their devices:
- Custom ROMs – which also includes getting the latest version of Android before it’s officially released for your device
- Overclocking – which can speed up your device’s performance considerably
- Full backup images – which can help if you load something you don’t like onto your device or get caught in a boot loop
These are just a few things that rooting allows you to do with your Android device. We’ve compiled a short list of 6 Great Phones for Android Rooting split into two groups.
Top 3 Android Phones: Simple Root, High Customization
We couldn’t have a list like this without the OG of the Android world. Although the G1 was released over two years ago, it’s still one of the most customized devices out there. From the early days of JesusFreke and Haykuro to the present day of Cyanogen and many, many others, the G1 was the device that started the revolution and just keeps on going. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of custom ROM’s, themes, and tweaks already for the G1 and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down yet. While it’s not available for purchase through T-Mobile directly anymore, you can pick up one really cheap on eBay or Craigslist and get your mod on!
Visit our T-Mobile G1 Rooting Forum
What some perceive as Motorola’s saving grace, the original Motorola Droid is another device that has been wholeheartedly embraced by the modding community. Being the only Motorola Android phone (we’re not counting international versions) with stock Android also makes it one of the more desirable phones amongst the modding elite.
Visit our Motorola Droid Rooting Forum
The very first device released as a partnership between HTC and Google, the Nexus One wasn’t one of the best marketed devices, but it remains one of the most modded phones in the Android world. It was the first phone released with the 1Ghz Snapdragon processor which made it, and still makes it, one of the fastest Android phones available today.
Visit our Nexus One Rooting Forum
Now that we’ve looked at the top 3 devices for hacking, how about the top 3 devices that you SHOULD root? Let me explain…
Cell phone manufacturers such as HTC (Sense), Samsung (TouchWiz), and Motorola (MOTOBLUR) have installed custom Ui’s over Android in an attempt to make the OS more aesthetically pleasing and add special widgets and other tools for easier access to social networking, news, weather, etc. These customizations, although very helpful to the typical end user, take up a lot of precious memory and tend to slow some phones down. That’s where the modding community has once again stepped in.
Top 3 Andriod Phones: Own it? Root it.
The Motorola Cliq was Moto’s first Android phone to include the MOTOBLUR custom UI. Now, I know a lot of people who are very happy with the unique way that BLUR allows them to always stay connected to their social circle. I also know many people who are frustrated with the lag that their phones experience because of the amount of memory it takes up. And let’s not forget how slow Motorola has been in getting updates to some of these devices. If you can’t have the latest, then you might as well have the best you can get.
Visit our Motorola Cliq Rooting Forum
The Galaxy S series was the first “flagship” for any manufacturer that has been released on all major US carriers. (We’d like to welcome LG to the party!) I can say with confidence that their TouchWiz UI doesn’t seem to slow the phone down any, but it’ss very iPhone-like and its appearance won’t please everyone. Development on ROMs for this device was slow going at first but a lot of developers have jumped on the bandwagon and are making great use of the device’s 1Ghz Hummingbird processor. Especially for those of you in the states, you’ll want to root this if you are still waiting on Froyo as Samsung still hasn’t delivered. (And there are many, many leaks that have been tweaked and tuned to give you a stable 2.2 experience.)
Visit our Galaxy S Rooting Forum
The very first 4G Android phone in the world is a powerhouse. However, It is encumbered with HTC’s Sense UI. Some people like it. Some people don’t. Personally, I am a fan of stock Android. Rooting this phone not only allows you to rid yourself of Sense, but it also allows you to overclock its 1Ghz Snapdragon processor and do all the other wonderful things you can only do with a rooted phone. It’s also Cyanogen’s favorite device outside of those which come with stock Android, so you better bet that the community surrounding it won’t fade away any time soon.
Visit our EVO 4G Rooting Forum
Some of you may disagree with our selections – and that’s fine – there are so many devices to choose from and everyone has their own preferences. But perhaps this is a good starting point for the conversation about the Best Android Phones for Rooting. Tell us what YOU think in the comments.
And don’t forget to visit our overall list of Best Android Phones!