5 Best ROM For Pixel 3 XL
The Google Pixel 3 XL and its Pixel Experience software is nothing short of amazing. It’s fast, efficient, smooth, and most of all, free from annoying bloatware that manufacturers tend to pack into their smartphones. That gives you not only a faster software experience, but also more room for photos, videos, and apps. However, if you’re a tinkerer like many in the Android space, you don’t want to leave your Pixel 3 XL on the Pixel Experience forever — you want to mess around and see what else is out there. Luckily, there’s an active community around the Pixel 3 XL, and so, there are tons of options for custom ROMs for the smartphone.
Let’s take a look at all of the great options available to you, shall we?
Bootleggers ROM
Coming up as number five on our list, we have something called the Bootleggers ROM. This is what the developers are calling an aftermarket ROM based on AOSP, with some patches and fixes from LineageOS and other ROMs packed inside. The goal is to bring new features and useful apps to your device that makes your Pixel 3 XL “feel like home.” On top of that, this ROM is also packed with custom wallpapers, ringtones, fonts, and themes to bring to your device into a more fresh look and give you a more vibrant experience.
Get it here: XDA Developers
ScorpionROM
ScorpionROM is up next, and is more of a fun project put together by the Google Pixel 3 XL community than anything. It’s not the most feature filled ROM out there, but using the Nova Launcher, it does seem like an overall pretty clean experience. There’s things available like Dark Theme, VoLTE, and plenty more is being added over time. It’s a pretty smooth experience, but still has a little ways to go. As of this writing, it’s on version 2.1, so it does have a pretty nice working product so far.
Get it here: XDA Developers
XenonHD
Up in third position on our list, we have XenonHD. XenonHD is actually based on LineageOS 16.0, but with a handful of additional features, performance improvements, better battery life, and so much more. XenonHD’s motto here is to provide a “blazing fast, rock stable and buttery smooth” experience for its users. There are a couple of known bugs that are being worked out, but XenonHD is fully functioning and can easily be used as a daily driver. It installs like any other custom ROM on the market, and comes with Google Apps pre-installed.
Get it here: XDA Developers
LineageOS
Coming in as out number two contender, we have LineageOS. This is version 16.0 of the custom ROM and is based on Android Pie. This is the custom ROM that has replaced the ever popular CyanogenMod. In a nutshell, LineageOS takes the best what Android has to offer, and then builds upon it by adding features and bug fixes beyond what Google offers or will offer. LineageOS, similar to the stock Pixel Experience, provides a simple, clean interface, as well as an interactive wizard to make installation easy for even the layman. It makes it easy for LineageOS to receive updates over time as well.
There are actually some notable privacy features that come with LineageOS — Privacy Guard and Global Blacklist. Privacy Guard will allow you to customize specific privacy permissions for all of your apps (i.e. you could revoke Contacts permission from Facebook). There’s also Global Blacklist, which is used to block annoying phone calls and texts, such as from telemarketers or that annoying friend that won’t leave you alone. Grab it for free at the link below.
Get it here: XDA Developers
Dirty Unicorns
And as our number one contender, we’re looking at Dirty Unicorns. Dirty Unicorns, like most Android Pie ROMs, is still under construction, but they do have a functioning build you can use as a daily driver. It’s overall a pretty simple and clean user interface, resembling a lot of what the Pixel Experience looks like. However, one of its main highlights is something called “Dirty Tweaks,” which is used to better improve battery life, hardware performance, and so on. It even has an Icon Manager, as well as some ability to customize the status bar and more. Check it out for yourself at the link below.
Get it here: XDA Developers
Closing
As you can see, there are a ton of neat custom ROMs available for the Google Pixel 3 XL. Since many of these are based on Android Pie, they are still actively under construction, so be sure to proceed at your own risk, and update them regularly!