People want to install new ROMs on the Samsung Galaxy S4 because some of the best developers out there like the team from CyanogenMod are creating features far greater than the ones you get with stock Android. You might have seen in the news recently that Google Chrome is getting an update? If so, you’ll be interested in learning that the CyanogenMod browser has been over twice as fast ever since CyanogenMod 12.1 came out a long time ago. That’s just one example of a better feature you can get when you choose to flash CyanogenMod on your Samsung Galaxy S4. Of course, there are heaps of other independent developers out there who make ROMs with awesome features too.
Here is our list of the best custom ROMs for the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone:
Files You Need
- You will need to root the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone before you can install many of the custom ROMs available for the device.
- You will need to install a custom recovery on the Samsung Galaxy S4 before a custom ROM can be installed. You can choose from any of the main custom recoveries that might be available for your Galaxy S4, such as the CWM recovery, TWRP recovery and Philz Touch recovery.
- Many of the custom ROMs probably won’t automatically come with the Google stock apps. You can have load the stock apps separately after you flash your custom ROM file from the custom recovery. You can do that by downloading the Google Gapps packages.
Resurrection Remix 5.6:
This custom ROM is the simplest and fastest custom ROM I’ve ever experienced on any Android smartphone. This custom ROM never lags — even if you fill it all with lots of apps and games, there will be no lack in the performance of the ROM. RAM management is so good that you can multitask a good graphic game with another game. You can only experience the power by installing it once on your Galaxy S4.
Features: Android 6.0 Marshmallow based, enable disable navigation bar, status bar tinting, clock widget, weather on notification drawer, customize-able quick tiles on notification bar, list view animations, system animations, career label, 3 finger gestures for taking screenshots, gesture anywhere, app circle bar, home screen customization, modded system UI, lock screen blur.
Download Resurrection Remix 5.6 ROM
ASTRA V2 Note 5 Port:
As the name says, this custom ROM is a port from the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 to your Galaxy S4. This custom ROM contains almost all the features of the Note 5 (lacks only those which need hardware to work) like Air Command, which is also modified to work with just your finger. You can buy the S Pen for just 500 Indian rupees and experience the whole Note 5 on you Galaxy S4.
Features: Replace icon set with new Touch Wiz icons, fully themed framework to look exactly like Note 5, added Android 6.0 MM scrapbook, modified Air command to work with finger and S-Pen, themed clock widget like Galaxy S5 edge, added Note 5 video app and music app.
Download ASTRA V2 Note 5 Port ROM
crDroid ROM:
If you want no extra Galaxy apps bloatware and would prefer just a clean and fast interface with lots of free internal storage, then this custom ROM is best for you. The crDroid custom ROM doesn’t contain user-interface tweak apps which often come with lots of custom ROMs. These usual annoyances affect the performance and occupy lots of internal storage on your phone.
Features: Heads up notification, swipe behavior, quick access button on the expanded status bar, do not disturb, time out, private mode, black list, on/off navigation bar, slim ROM kernel with better performance and storage management, super user indicator, notification count, Omni ambient display, sound panel extended, touch outside behavior.
Imperium LL ROM V 12.0:
If you don’t like that ugly Android 4.4 KitKat based TouchWiz UI on you Galaxy S4, then you should try this one out. The Imperium LL custom ROM has that materialized TouchWiz user-interface that you want to see on your phone. This UI is same as you see on latest Samsung smart phones like Galaxy S5 and Note 5. This custom ROM is based on Android 5.0 Lollipop — that means now you’ll have the latest Android OS on your phone.
Features: Based on official stock Galaxy S4 firmware, zip-aligned, deodexed, rooted with SuperSU, debloated, AROMA installer (best part), ROM control in the settings menu, custom kernel, Xposed ready, gravity box, lots of S5 and S6 tweaks.
Download Imperium LL ROM V 12.0
Synergy’s CyanogenMod 13.0:
Now comes a “Brand” which almost starts this custom ROM idea: CyanogenMod — and now it’s so big that it collaborated with smartphone companies. Those same companies who manufactur the smartphones are selling them with CyanogenMod OS installed already. Now is your time to try this CyanogenMod 13 OS, which is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and which transforms your Galaxy S4 to the stock Android UI.
Features: Android 6.0 Marshmallow based, compiles with UBER, on/off SU icon in status bar, speed up animations, improved scrolling and scrolling cache, smoother upload and download bar in the notification drawer, added SuerSU to settings menu, AdAway included, slightly tweaked ART and bionic repos, official marshmallow boot animation included.
S6 Edge full port 4.7:
Samsung recently released a bunch of their latest smartphones, which are running on the latest TouchWiz UI and the latest Android OS. After knowing all of that, you are still on Galaxy S4? You want these new features of the latest smartphones like S6 an S6 Edge on your Galaxy S4? Then no more waiting here we have a custom ROM which will do this all for you. This S6 Edge port custom ROM have almost all the features that Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge is consist of — this custom ROM even consist of “Edge” screen features like People Edge.
Features: Added S6 Edge launcher, Flip board magazine, S6 Calendar fully modified, S6 calculator, S6 Gallery, S6 Gallery, S6 Settings menu, S6 Edge screen mod, S6 fonts, S6 wallpaper, S6 sounds, S6 boot animations, S6 framework, S6 keyboard, S6 S-Finder, S6 date picker, S6 theme chooser and S6 theme store.
MIUI V7:
The MIUI custom ROM was getting popular until it started to pop out from its egg. MIUI is now called as Chinese iOS rip off, which I don’t like because there is no level between both of them, but still this MIUI is better than most of the custom ROMs available on internet for Galaxy S4. As you know, MIUI comes with a homescreen OS that is very similar to iOS. There is no homescreen because the homescreen is the app drawer where you can put your widget also.
Features: Android 5.0 Lollipop based, themes store with lots of themes available for free, RAM cleaner in recent apps, Google apps installer installed, lock screen shortcuts and gestures, larger fonts to make readability better, smart gallery with photo editor, smart camera apps (you can add custom gesture there).