Whether it be the aesthetic sense of their smartphones or their features, HTC truly surpasses all OEMs that manufacture Android devices. The Taiwanese company has always been acclaimed for its special attention to design and best in class build quality that really gives a feeling of luxury. The latest flagship from the company HTC One, is an exquisite example of how a high-end smartphones should look like.
The HTC One has become much popular in so little a time and is reported to the best selling HTC smartphone so far. If you are a proud owner of this handsome giant and are willing to take advantage of the open source nature of Android by trying some custom ROM, we have picked a bunch of good ROMs for your handset.
HTC One is a great phone indeed but you can enhance its features and boost the performance significantly by installing a custom ROM. Being an Android device owner has great advantage over other platforms as you are not forced to live with what your phone’s manufacturer offers. You can do things that those who use Windows Phone or iOS, for instance, can only dream of.
Any piece of development, whether it is a mod or ROM, is an outcome of hard work and therefore we do not think it proper to declare a certain ROM good and others bad. It’s an open market and what suits your requirement most is best for you. In a world that is “so various, so beautiful and so new” (to quote Matthew Arnold), it is quite natural that people’s tastes differ. So, if you like a custom ROM, others might not think it good.
That’s the reason that instead of saying that a particular ROM is the best, we decided to include a number of good ROMs. Being associated with Android development for so long, I am well aware of the things users want while searching for a ROM for their phone. The biggest concern of the owners of a smartphone with an HD or Full HD display is the battery-life and next to it comes the speed, performance, stability and options for customization. And, these are the measures our selection of ROMs for the HTC One is based on.
Root Your HTC One First
All Android devices come with Android system recovery but that cannot be used to install a custom ROM. Therefore, the first requirement to be able to install a 3rd party ROM, you need to root your device and install a custom recovery (CWM/TWRP) on it. Also, your HTC One should have unlocked bootloader. If you have not yet rooted your HTC One, you can do it now using our handy and detailed tutorial:
How to Root and Install ClockworkMod Recovery on HTC One (M7)
How to Install a ROM on HTC One
Common Steps:
- Copy the ROM file in zip to your HTC One.
- Also copy the Google Apps zip package (if applicable) to your device.
- Make sure that your device has decent battery left on it. If not charge it first before proceeding.
- Turn off your device and boot it into HBOOT or Bootloader Mode by pressing and holding Volume Down and Power buttons together until the screen turns up. Now use the Volume Down to navigate to the RECOVERY option and then press Power button to confirm.
Via CWM Recovery:
- In recovery mode use the Volume keys to navigate and the Power button to select an option or file.
- Go to “backup and restore” option and backup your current ROM.
- Return to main menu and “wipe data/factory reset”.
- Then “wipe cache partition”.
- Go to “advanced” option and “wipe dalvik cache”.
- Go to “mounts and storage” and “format system”.
- Go back to main menu in recovery and select “install zip from sdcard>choose zip from sdcard”. Select the ROM file and instal it.
- Finally, select “reboot system now” from main menu in recovery.
- Wait till the device reboots, do the required steps in welcome setup screen. Done!
Via TWRP Recovery:
- Having entered the TWRP interface, tap on “Backup” option, select all elements to be backed up when asked and swipe the confirmation slider.
- From the main interface, tap on “Wipe” and select dalvik cache, cache and system.
- Then tap on “Install”, select the ROM file and swipe the slider. It will be installed in seconds.
- If you have downloaded the Google apps zip too, repeat Step 3 to install it.
- Finally, select “Reboot> System” option.
Android Revolution HD
Developer: mike1986
ROM Review:
Android Revolution HD is a very popular ROM that is available for a lot of Samsung, ASUS, Nexus and HTC devices. Well, I am unable to figure out the appropriateness of the word HD added it its name but I am pretty sure that this ROM is one of the best options for you if you wish to install a custom ROM on your HTC One.
The Android Revolution HD ROM is based on the latest Android 4.2.2 update for the HTC One that comes with some new features and improvements. Since it is based on HTC Sense 5 stock firmware, it lets you enjoy all the features of the phone without mixing any visual change. Mike has tweaked and optimized this ROM to extract most out of it powerful processor and best battery performance.
HTC’s Sense UI is one of the most beautiful user interfaces out there and if you have HTC One, I strongly recommend sticking to a ROM that has Sense and Android Revolution HD is definitely a deserving custom ROM. Give it a shot and you will love it!
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ViperOne ROM (for Ultimate Customization)
Developer: Turge
ROM Review:
Usually, Venom comes from Viper but in the case of the ViperOne ROM, it’s different! The group of developers behind it call themselves Team Venom. Anyway, we are not here to talk about real vipers and venom but a custom ROM that has the nectar of customization and performance intertwined.
ViperOne is a Sense based ROM that features the latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Like most custom ROMs we have seen above, it is deodexed and zipaligned and features memory optimizations and system tweaks. Because it is installed via Aroma installer, it gives you the freedom to choose what to install and what not to. Besides, the ROM also supports custom themes. Among other features of the ROM include:
- Multi-language
- Venom Tweaks – HUGE collection of customizable tweaks
- Venom HUB – download themes/kernels/radios/read news/send feedbacks directly from your phone
- Venom OTA – receive automatic over-the-air updates
- Venom File Manager
- Custom Venom Package Installer
- Custom Venom Download UI
- Horizontal/Vertical Extended Quicksettings
- Ability to customize native EQS
- Advanced Power Menu
- Venom Button Manager
- PIE Launcher
- Icon Packs
- Themes
Downloads:
CyanogenMod 11 [Android 4.4.4]
Developer: CM Team
ROM Review:
CyanogenMod ROM does not require an introduction to any Android enthusiast. CM 11 came just after Google released Android 4.4 KitKat. The ROM is available for hundreds of Android devices and our HTC One is not an exception. Personally, I am a big fan of the Sense UI but whenever I feel to get a change of taste, CyanogenMod is the first name to strike. While I write these lines, I am still enjoying CM 11. Though a stable release of the ROM is not yet available, the nightly version performs too well.
The ROM is light in size and fast in performance. The best thing about CM is that it supports themes which can be downloaded from the Play Store. The screenshot we have used above previews the Neon Colors theme from Google Play. To enjoy your device even better, we recommend using XposedFramework and modules like GravityBox and Unicon- Icon Themer.
[googleplay url=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sg.ruqqq.IconThemer”]Also See: How to Customize Google Home Launcher
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ParanoidAndroid ROM [Android 4.4.4]
Developer: slick_rick
ROM Review:
If you want a ROM with no Sense ROM and want to taste the original Android Vanilla with added flavors, what could be better than the ParanoidAndroid 4.0 ROM? It’s a pure blend of innovative features, simplicity and high performance. There was a time when PA was best known for its unique Hybrid engine that allows users to use their device in phone or tablet UI mode. Moreover, the ability to change colors of various UI elements and personalized DPI settings for individual apps takes customization to extra level.
With the introduction of PA 4, the ROM developers brought another feature called the PIE launcher with extended desktop mode support. It lets you launch a pie shape with various shortcuts and buttons at a swipe gesture from anywhere. It has just been a couple of months and the PA Team have come up with another innovative floating bubble notification system called Halo.
[source]Other Useful Articles:
Best Custom ROMs for HTC One (M7)
How to Take Screenshots on HTC One
Are all of these incompatible with the Sprint variant? If so, you just added another reason to my “Why I Hate Sprint” list.
Hi, see this: http://droidviews.com/2013/best-custom-roms-for-sprint-htc-one-m7spr/