Database Develop

My experience in downgrading from 4.2.2 to 4.1.2

DISCLAIMER: This is my personal experience, it may not be the same for you, YMMV and all that.
Well, short story is that I got fed up with my Nexus 7 having performance of my ancient Win Mobile smart phones. It got to a point where no matter what ROM I ran, be it stock 4.2.1, 4.2.2 or custom Roms from XDA, my Nexus would struggle with even simple tasks.
Examples:
closing tab in chrome - 2-3 seconds
Rotating a screen (nova launched home, only 1 page total) - 3-6 seconds
Launching NFS (game) - 3-6 seconds before I'd see the loading screen, would load for about 15-20 seconds. In game fps would dip to what felt like around 25-30 fps.
Battery dying at 10-15% (tried everything, including disassembly).
After trying everything I decided to ditch the 4.2+ and go back to how it was when I bought it. Reason being that I remember sudden increase in overall system lag when Google released 4.2.
So, here I am running 4.1.2, so far on my second day of use. Here's what I see:
Chrome - much more responsive, tabs client immediately, pages redraws quicker on scroll.
Rotating screen - 1, maximum 2 seconds.
Launching NFS - immediate, loads for about 5-7 seconds. Game interface way more fluid and responsive. Game runs at what feels like fluid 60 fps most of the time, with many cars on screen dips to, I'd say, around 40 fps.
Battery is now at 5%, not shutting down, which is good news to me.
Obviously, things like performance can be very subjective, but overall I do see huge improvement in performance.
Maybe it will work for other people as well who are as annoyed by 4.2.2 sluggishness as I was.

Did you reinstall 4.1.2 from scratch - including fastboot erasure/formatting of file systems suggested by the factory install instructions?
I'm wondering if you would see essentially the same performance if you now reinstall 4.2.2 using exactly the same procedure. (Obviously, you might want to make a full Nandroid backup of the 4.1.2 install so you could nuke 4.2.2 and restore back to 4.1.2 easily).
For instance, if the performance issues were related to filesystem corruption or just simply buildup of app "cruft" over time, or a misbehaving app due to some fault condition happening sometime after the original 4.2.x ota upgrade. (Kinda like re-installing the same version of Windows always seems to speed it up, LOL)
I guess the point is that the most likely root-cause of "lag" is something to do with flash memory (filesystem) I/O as it is the slowest operation in the device. A fair comparison would be fresh install vs. fresh install.
cheers

Try using Clemsons Elite 1500 Extreme Kernel and Cookies and Cream if you can find them, they blow away any 4.2 Kernel/Rom combo and its not even close.

I agree with darkdvr with games being laggy on the 4.2.2. Playing nova 3 stutters a lot.not too pleased with it.the battery drain is also pretty crazy compared to what they say the battery should last with certain usages.I'm also going to downgrade to 4.1.2 to see the difference.hopefully it works and plays better than this 4.2.2. I also think that rooting has something to do with a lot of lag. When stock its smooth and fluent opposed to after rooting. You get pauses and stutters.gonna give it a go tonight

I never delete fastboot, but I formatted sdcard/system, and all caches. I holy doubt that this case is that "build up" that we are all familiar with on Windows, since 4.2.2 was laggy for me right away, as soon as apps are installed and launcher configured - nexus immediately becomes a slow ass lag sloth. It was always rather terrible for me, although I am hyper sensitive to lags and delays on any system. I know most people aren't that anal about it.
Interestingly enough, I restored almost all my apps with titanium, including their data, s I can say that its not the apps, its the system. Using android since 2.1, I can safely say that 4.2.2 is the laggiest and most messed up release since, probably, eclair. They really dropped the ball here. I hope 4.3 will be QAed more thoroughly.
bftb0 said:
Did you reinstall 4.1.2 from scratch - including fastboot erasure/formatting of file systems suggested by the factory install instructions?
I'm wondering if you would see essentially the same performance if you now reinstall 4.2.2 using exactly the same procedure. (Obviously, you might want to make a full Nandroid backup of the 4.1.2 install so you could nuke 4.2.2 and restore back to 4.1.2 easily).
For instance, if the performance issues were related to filesystem corruption or just simply buildup of app "cruft" over time, or a misbehaving app due to some fault condition happening sometime after the original 4.2.x ota upgrade. (Kinda like re-installing the same version of Windows always seems to speed it up, LOL)
I guess the point is that the most likely root-cause of "lag" is something to do with flash memory (filesystem) I/O as it is the slowest operation in the device. A fair comparison would be fresh install vs. fresh install.
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I'm interested. Could you post the steps to do the downgrade?

hotsync100 said:
I'm interested. Could you post the steps to do the downgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's really easy with the Nexus 7 toolkit - get it HERE (dev forum).
Basically, I backed up user apps with Titanium Backup and copied the backup to my PC.
Launched the toolkit, created nandroid backup of 4.2.2 ROM (option 4 in the Toolkit AFAIR).
Booted into the recovery, formatted everything (sdcard, system, all caches).
From recovery booted into fastboot mode (all volume buttons + power button).
With toolkit, downloaded and installed 4.1.2 factory ROM and installed it onto Nexus.
For some reason first one didnt boot for me (stuck at nexus X), so I cleared cache/system data, redownloaded it and flashed it again. Thankfully, Toolkit guides you through the steps.
Then, an optional step, I used a hack apk from xda to prevent nexus from checking for ROM OTA updates. Now I'm at 4.1.2 and my Nexus is finally back to its original snappiness.

is it possible to run 4.1.2 with 4.2.2 bootloader?

RobYyY said:
is it possible to run 4.1.2 with 4.2.2 bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I highly doubt it, and it would ruin your experiment "cleanliness", I'd say.

I recently attempted to downgrade to 4.1.2, to see what all the fuss is about... but without flashing the bootloader. My attempt didn't get very far...
Code:
checking product...
OKAY [ 0.031s]
checking version-bootloader...
FAILED
Device version-bootloader is '4.18'.
Update requires '3.41'.
finished. total time: 0.250s
Press any key to exit...
I'm loathe to unnecessarily flash the bootloader (unless absolutely required to do so). So I abandoned my attempt...
----
All I can say is 4.1.2 must be pretty damned fast, because I've never had any problems with 4.2.2.
I have noticed though (and this could just be the 'placebo' effect), that wiping CACHE and DALVIK CACHE does seem to make for a marginally more smoother experience.
LagFix (fstrim) Free is also widely reported as fixing lag issues in 4.2.2... although I can't say I've noticed much difference after running it.
But then, as I say, 4.2.2 (custom ROM - see sig) runs liquid smooth for me anyway.
Rgrds,
Ged.

hotsync100 said:
I'm interested. Could you post the steps to do the downgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you wanna try manual method here is step by step guide to downgrade from 4.2.2 to 4.1.2 using fastboot.
Following instruction in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1907796 except for
1.Download the Nexus 7 4.1.2 factory image from the link instead of 4.2.2 .
2.On Flashing the Factory Image step.
Change following line
fastboot flash bootloader
and
fastboot -w update
to match the name of 4.1.2 factory image instead of 4.2.2 for example
change from
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-grouper-4.18.img TO fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-grouper-3.41.img
and
fastboot -w update image-nakasi-jdq39.zip TO fastboot -w update image-nakasi-jzo54k.zip

Downgraded for a bit, and did not particularly enjoy 4.1.2, and I wound up going back to 4.2.2 after completely wiping the system and accidentally having to re-update my recovery. I've noticed my battery life has finally gone back to the way it used to be when I first got my N7, and the performance seems better to me when I play Voxel Rush (only game I really play on here). I believe my problems with 4.2.2 earlier were indeed caused by a lot of crud built up from flashing previous ROMs and kernels over time.

dwxvi said:
Downgraded for a bit, and did not particularly enjoy 4.1.2, and I wound up going back to 4.2.2 after completely wiping the system and accidentally having to re-update my recovery. I've noticed my battery life has finally gone back to the way it used to be when I first got my N7, and the performance seems better to me when I play Voxel Rush (only game I really play on here). I believe my problems with 4.2.2 earlier were indeed caused by a lot of crud built up from flashing previous ROMs and kernels over time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4.2.2 after flashing seems to be somewhat on par with 4.1.2, but please report back to us in several days, I bet it will slow down to a crawl.

Another easy way to downgrade would be to install cyanogenmod 10.0.0. Also, please don't start downgrading your bootloader. It shouldn't be necessary for flashing stock 4.1.2 and it might complicate things if you want to flash custom kernels in the future.

For what it's worth, I'm running 4.2.2 with no noticeable lag. I just bought it used so I did a factory reset just before updating. Maybe that has something to do with it?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Hm. I have none of the problems you had on 4.2.2. I'm running 4.2.2 and it's pretty snappy.
Rotating the screen takes about 1-2 seconds.
Closing tabs in Chrome is instantaneous.
Apps launch quickly.
Battery holds out to about 3% before I plug it in.
Hm. Maybe you had a lot of apps installed? I have quite a few but not as much as some people

Do you guys have multiple user accounts? I've been playing around with it a bit, and maybe it's just me but I feel it's a bit slower when you have more than on user. Anyone else noticed this? I did a quick Google search and seems others have noticed it too.

dwxvi said:
Downgraded for a bit, and did not particularly enjoy 4.1.2, and I wound up going back to 4.2.2 after completely wiping the system and accidentally having to re-update my recovery. I've noticed my battery life has finally gone back to the way it used to be when I first got my N7, and the performance seems better to me when I play Voxel Rush (only game I really play on here). I believe my problems with 4.2.2 earlier were indeed caused by a lot of crud built up from flashing previous ROMs and kernels over time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My battery life also sucks,I want to try this.
Which way did you downgrade?

demolition23 said:
My battery life also sucks,I want to try this.
Which way did you downgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't have to downgrade to do this, you would just have to back up your data (the important stuff) and completely wipe your internal storage so that everything is cleaned up and ready for a re-install of 4.2.2. Then you can re-load your data. I would reccommend using Wugfresh's Nexus Toolkit for this.

dwxvi said:
You won't have to downgrade to do this, you would just have to back up your data (the important stuff) and completely wipe your internal storage so that everything is cleaned up and ready for a re-install of 4.2.2. Then you can re-load your data. I would reccommend using Wugfresh's Nexus Toolkit for this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just did that, and will post results when I have a clear picture.

Andoid 4.3 Discussion

So finally Android 4.3 has arrived and our Beloved Nexus 7 is Upgradable Now.....
here is the link to the download of factory Image:
https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#nakasijwr66v
Follow this Method and flash the New Android OS...
[GUIDE] Flashing a Factory Image with fastboot / return to stock Thanks @comminus for a great Guide...
Report Back with screenShots and new featuers as well as Bugs because new pudates bring New Bugs.....

The update brought a new bootloader version...android 4.2.2 had 4.18 and 4.3 has 4.23.....

hassam_tariq2003 said:
The update brought a new bootloader version...android 4.2.2 had 4.18 and 4.3 has 4.23.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you lose boot loader unlock or root when you installed 4.3? I'm assuming you used fastboot to install not OTA? Just curious...I'll be playing tonight when I get home.

tbonezx11 said:
Did you lose boot loader unlock or root when you installed 4.3? I'm assuming you used fastboot to install not OTA? Just curious...I'll be playing tonight when I get home.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You lose root but your bootloader remains unlocked.
Has anyone been able to root 4.3? Tried to root and flash custom recovery with the Nexus 7 toolkit, but I don't think it's working.

mhl12 said:
You lose root but your bootloader remains unlocked.
Has anyone been able to root 4.3? Tried to root and flash custom recovery with the Nexus 7 toolkit, but I don't think it's working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haven't tried it (I'm yet to receive the update) but someone referenced this link: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Chainfire/posts/WqS2E9kkN1L

he is right.....You loose root but bootloader remains unlocked...
i have heard people say that you do not loose root if you use the OTA Method and your bootloader also remains unlocked....So its your choice its either Fastboot or OTA...

Just use OTA Rootkeeper, you'll be fine.
Just remember kids.
You cannot use an OTA if your ROM is modified in ANY WAY.

Yeah OTA wont work for most people, seeing as they probably have a modified ROM. In any sense, chainfire has a root method that works. I can confirm it working, because I installed it using TWRP

khaytsus said:
Just use OTA Rootkeeper, you'll be fine.
Just remember kids.
You cannot use an OTA if your ROM is modified in ANY WAY.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When 4.2.2 came out I had problems updating because my ROM was modified. But someone modified OTA not to check for changes in ROM and it worked.

no OpenGL ES 3.0 for us?
according to http://developer.android.com/:
"OpenGL ES 3.0 is an optional feature that depends on underlying graphics hardware. Support is already available on Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 4, and Nexus 10 devices."

I am running 4.3 unlocked but I did the one click method for root using nexus tool kit and for some reason it did not work, I have to try again tonight.

Want a single click ADB setup? Go to my thread I've made a Tool for that. No need to download the whole SDK it's just 2MB
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2374071
What to know how to easily pull ota link with ADB follow my thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2270429
For official nexus 7 windows 7 - 8 driver download them from ASUS site. No trickery needed.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk HD
Team SXTP

So, I played around a bit,
First of all, I did a "clean, unrooted and even locked bootloader install".
So I'm 1000% stock, just to avoid stuff like "maybe root caused it"..
(I locked it because I wanted to go 100% stock, just FYI, I know it's normally not necessary...)
The welcome screen was a bit weird... I got asked 2 times to tick or untick boxes for saving passwords and all that stuff.. (I think they mixed up the new and the old "first boot setup"?)
The Apps and widgets in the drawer were kinda confused, took 2 reboots for them to settle... (Icons disappeared and reappeared.. The widget tab in the drawer threw some widgets in and out, and the previews were mixed up, so dots and a weird sign was the result (as a preview of the widget)...
The initial setup was pretty laggy, but after setting stuff up, until now, yes I can say the performance of the nexus 7 is improved..
First I was like "OH HELL NO" but after the setup and the reboot everything was smooth...
Oh, and the back button was destroyed 1 time, blinked up but didn't go back... I pressed the home button and it worked then.
Edit: And sadly, no new wallpapers in stock... ):
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

I booted it up, restored my Google Play stuff (flashed a factory image, completely wiped everything from it, so it's clean, I think).
It lagged a lot, so I rebooted it and it still isn't 4.2.2 smooth. Maybe it's just me, I'll see.
Is it just me, or does it feel like the only thing that changed for us is the number in settings menu besides Google Apps?
OpenGL ES as it was already said, doesn't appear to be here for us, not to mention the fact that Miracast had never actually worked on N7 until recently when someone had it ported over.

Has anyone managed to find the link for the OTA yet?

SO I flashed the stock 4.3 kernel on a 4.2.2 rom and discovered that the stock android 4.3 kernel breaks wifi and gps on 4.2.2...

Eregoth said:
Has anyone managed to find the link for the OTA yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have literally hours working on that.

Flashed the stock image using fastboot, took like 2 minutes to do, flashed the chainfire root patch and rebooted and restored apps, so far everything is pretty smooth no disappearing apps or icons or buttons, the kernel seems to be quicker, opening websites was quite a bit quicker, one thing I noticed while trying out different browsers was ads opening up new tabs automatically, that's something that's never happened before.

ffaiz.m said:
no OpenGL ES 3.0 for us?
according to http://developer.android.com/:
"OpenGL ES 3.0 is an optional feature that depends on underlying graphics hardware. Support is already available on Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 4, and Nexus 10 devices."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tegra 3 does not support GLES3. Even Tegra 4 won't, because nvidia are still using their old gpu architecture.

What's the performance like? Better than 4.2 or 4.1?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

OTA updates with rooted att GN3?

So I've been rooted on my ATT GN3 for awhile now and I have a custom ROM(UrDroid stock 4.3) installed using Safestrap.
For the last several weeks, periodically when I'm on wifi, I get a prompt that there is an OTA update. I can't decline it and it reboots the phone into recovery mode. I just choose to reboot again and it says the update did not complete.
I'm worried about loosing my root or worse. What do I need to do?

You can freeze the system app called "at&t software update".

Yeah, I could do that. But I would like to keep my phone updated if possible. Maybe it's better to wait for the official release of KitKat?
I would still like to get familiar with the process of updating while rooted though.

The irony in this is killing me...
If you update, you will lose root, but can just as easily get it back. And that is if the update even Installs with you rooted. It will normally fail. And since it is a custom ROM you should not even be getting a notification.
What bothers me is that you say you want to keep the phone updated, but continue to cancel the update.
I suggest you use a custom KK ROM. It is the most up to date.
Be it KnoxRaid based off of the leak for our device, or one of the few ported ROMs we have available.
Sent from my SM-N9005A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

graydiggy said:
The irony in this is killing me...
If you update, you will lose root, but can just as easily get it back. And that is if the update even Installs with you rooted. It will normally fail. And since it is a custom ROM you should not even be getting a notification.
What bothers me is that you say you want to keep the phone updated, but continue to cancel the update.
I suggest you use a custom KK ROM. It is the most up to date.
Be it KnoxRaid based off of the leak for our device, or one of the few ported ROMs we have available.
Sent from my SM-N9005A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I should explain that I'm still very new to the Android platform, having been a long time iPhone user. I've managed to figured out how to get my GN3 rooted and even install a custom ROM, but there are many things I still am unclear about on this platform.
Jailbreaking the iOS was relatively simple and straightforward. New iOS version comes out, wait for jailbreak, backup phone in iTunes and other apps like PKGBackup. Run jailbreak utility and restore everything the way it was.
Maybe I'm not quite understanding the process, but it seems hard to find direct step-by-step instructions for what I want to do. Maybe it's because there are so many different devices and ROMs, etc.
I don't want to lose all the apps/settings for my phone if I don't have to. I just don't know the best course of action to take in order to ensure that I am able to keep my phone updated and then rooted without losing everything.

I would also recommend the Knoxraid ROM. It's a great ROM and Drakey is constantly updating it. As of version 5.5 released today it's based on the latest OTA update. There is a step by step guide in the Knoxraid post that explains how to do everything. Take a look. It is pretty easy really.
As for backing up, you can backup all your apps/app data pretty easily with Titanium Backup. If you haven't already give it a look. There are tons of guides and how-to's available for how to use it. I know how overwhelming switching from iOS to android can be at first, but once you get the hang of things you will be so glad you switched. Good luck!

I want a responsive Note 3 without a new Rom

I don't have the time to constantly be looking for new roms to make my phone run properly. My phone is always freezing up due to the stupid Touchwiz UI and I absolutely hate it. I am sick and tired of my phone freezing up and lagging constantly and having to do factory reset and reinstalling all my apps fresh.
So I was wondering, what can I do to fix this problem in a easier manner? I was thinking about rooting the phone, saving all my app data, unrooting, resetting the phone, rooting again, uninstall bloatware, reinstalling apps with their data, and unrooting.
Here are my concerns though. I want to be able to reset the phone using the orignal factory reset. I don't have time or care to install new roms on my phone as I want to keep my warranty and I want to be able to sell my phone in the future.
So what are my options here? What can I do and what are my steps to start doing them?
I am on AT&T Note 3 with kitkat 4.4.2 with my build number ending in NC2.

Is the Note 3 development this bad? Not one response in a couple days. Anyone have a simple answer?
I just want to know if I can factory reset if I root my device and how I could complete unroot.

joshlete said:
Is the Note 3 development this bad? Not one response in a couple days. Anyone have a simple answer?
I just want to know if I can factory reset if I root my device and how I could complete unroot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple answer is root with towelroot, and when you want to do a complete factory reset, flash stock NC2 using the guide in this thread.
I think your original question about what options you have is a little more complicated...rooting your phone technically voids your warranty, but if you're referring to the KNOX warranty flag then towelroot doesn't trip that flag. Reflashing stock NC2 with Odin will unroot your phone automatically so no worries there either. What I'm getting at is flashing roms isn't going to void your warranty any more than rooting with towelroot will, on the other hand uninstalling system apps can cause lots of problems, so you may find it easier to flash a near-stock rom that has the bloatware already removed.
But if you're set on not flashing anything, then I'd suggest using titanium backup to freeze any apps you don't want instead of uninstalling them. If you uninstall the wrong app you could end up having to do a factory reset anyway just to get your phone working again. Freezing system apps can cause problems too but it's generally easier to unfreeze an app than try and find and reinstall a system apk. And as tempting as it is don't uninstall My Magazine you'll get FC all over the place and your email won't work properly

So if I install that stock rom, would I be able to update my phone using the internal updater? I just want to be able to install Android 5.0 when/if it comes out for the Note 3. Seeing how AT&T note 3 has little to no roms to install. Very disappointing.

The Odin files in that thread are for stock NC2 and unless you flashed a rom after your second post you're still on stock...it's the exact same AT&T stock build...flashing it won't really benefit you at all unless you rooted and made changes to your system. I assume by internal updater you mean the OTA updates that get pushed out from AT&T then yes since that is the official AT&T build if you flash it you will still get those updates provided AT&T is your carrier. There may not be a lot of roms but the ones we have are great I'd encourage you to try one or two there are a couple "debloated" stock roms I think would give you what you're looking for in terms of stability but of course it's up to you if you just want to stay stock

joshlete said:
So if I install that stock rom, would I be able to update my phone using the internal updater? I just want to be able to install Android 5.0 when/if it comes out for the Note 3. Seeing how AT&T note 3 has little to no roms to install. Very disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow... just... wow.
This POST is disappointing.

I'm on the same boat as you OP. When time comes for a new phone, my next phone will never be another Samsung phone again. I will only consider phones that are close to stock. Most likely Motorola X or Sony Z3 Compact or similar.
TouchWiz is so disappointing. It's slow and creates lags even for just checking what time it is.
Fortunately I have some time so unlike OP, I tried debloating stock rom, tried at least 5 custom roms. Most of the custom roms have either too much theme customization (really not my taste) or something else doesn't work (NFC payment or deep sleep or some other thing). And they all claim super duper fast and rock stable, but those are hyperboles. The only time I experienced one rom being faster than the other was with Galaxy S5 port rom, but that was most likely due to the fact that standby mode is disabled because we have no way to update the firmware. In other words, uses more battery but still lasts a day. Also, I never seen the battery last exceptionally longer than the stock rom, so don't trust the super long lasting battery claims.
The easiest way to get your phone run smoothly is to factory reset it, and then only install select apps that you really need and know that it won't be a resource hog reporting your every move.
Oh, and last year's Moto X (dual core) feels faster than a quad core Note3 for everyday task in my hands. I wish we had a google experience rom for n900a.

brisinger08 said:
The Odin files in that thread are for stock NC2 and unless you flashed a rom after your second post you're still on stock...it's the exact same AT&T stock build...flashing it won't really benefit you at all unless you rooted and made changes to your system. I assume by internal updater you mean the OTA updates that get pushed out from AT&T then yes since that is the official AT&T build if you flash it you will still get those updates provided AT&T is your carrier. There may not be a lot of roms but the ones we have are great I'd encourage you to try one or two there are a couple "debloated" stock roms I think would give you what you're looking for in terms of stability but of course it's up to you if you just want to stay stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you link me to some stock roms? I lost my game in rom finding and can't seem to get a good running/looking rom.
RErick said:
Wow... just... wow.
This POST is disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most useless post of the year goes to......

joshlete said:
Could you link me to some stock roms? I lost my game in rom finding and can't seem to get a good running/looking rom.
Most useless post of the year goes to......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UR Droid is probably the closest to stock...Knox removed, sd card write permissions fixed, etc. are the only mods...that said carl's made a ton of flashable zips too so if you did want to start making mods yourself chances are you won't have any problems while running his rom
FireKat is one you've probably run across. That is a stock rom all of the mods/optimizations/etc mega makes are from other stock builds. There's no theming or anything like that it's more like "TouchWiz optimized"...again nothing extraneous added if you want to add tethering, call recording, etc you'll have to do it yourself. FireKat is geared towards speed and battery life but it's rock solid with no known issues. All of the rom updates you see are for performance improvements as opposed to the majority of the aosp-hybrid or heavily themed roms where updates are for bug fixes.
Both devs are really helpful and responsive definitely check out their threads though since I'm not up to date with both roms. I have flashed both of them at some point and both are significant improvements over stock...of course no one can tell you what roms you'll like or should flash but I'd be pretty surprised if you have a better experience on stock than either of these roms.

I've been running a stock rooted 4.4.2 for months and it was not laggy at all.
In the application manager settings I turned off all bloatware apps that I did not use. I froze (with titanium backup) all bloatware that could not be turned off in settings and also froze anything that says "knox" in the title. I used xposed installer to install many modules that allowed me to tweak my stock rom... including greenify to auto hibernate apps, smart booster to manage ram, boot manager, and also Wanam xposed for ui customizing...
My phone has run extremely well.
I just made the jump to 4.4.4 and got it rooted (thanks to @muniz_ri and a few others).... exact same setup again... stock rooted... turn off and freeze un-needed apps... xposed modules... and again it is running nice and smooth.
I also use nova launcher prime because it feels more responsive and does more things that I want (like a home screen that will autorotate to landscape mode).

Wow, that's a lot to have for being stock .
The only way to get rid most of your concerns is to root your phone. Then you can delete all other useless apps that you don't need and slow your phone down a bit.
But installing a new Rom is the best way to have a peace in mind I think. Dynamic KitKat is one of the best roms for our phone. I've been using it for months and there is nothing I can say how much I like it. Sometimes I experience lag, but that is to be expected because of Android's ability to do multitasks.
Just my 2 cents.

Extreme lag stock 7.1.1

Hi, I have been seeing significant lag of my phone and various times to the point that my phone becomes inoperable for a period of time and after the phone recovers it never goes back to full speed., I have to restart. I'm stock not rooted anymore and recently formatted and started from scratch but see no improvement. This is especially annoying when running android auto at which point the phone and the app barely work. Any suggestions? I don't think its a better thing because i had it happen at 60 and at 40 though definitely see it more at 40 or less. Is there a good way to see what app might be causing this?

Install a different kernel. Stock is garbage
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I don't think k I want to root again.

You don't need root to install a custom kernel. In fact you don't even need to install TWRP. Using ADB you can flash the custom kernel. Just make sure you have USB debugging enabled in Developer Options and make sure your bootloader is unlocked.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
You don't need root to install a custom kernel. In fact you don't even need to install TWRP. Using ADB you can flash the custom kernel. Just make sure you have USB debugging enabled in Developer Options and make sure your bootloader is unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same exact issue here. F*** Google for screwing up our stock phones and not fixing them. What would you suggest for a kernal and rom. It has been a long time since I was rooted with a custom rom but I can't take this for another day.

jspector said:
Same exact issue here. F*** Google for screwing up our stock phones and not fixing them. What would you suggest for a kernal and rom. It has been a long time since I was rooted with a custom rom but I can't take this for another day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello... I think all ROMs perform the same in term of fluidity and speed. Some have different features and customization options. I run Pure Nexus on my N6, N6P and Pixel XL. All use ElementalX kernel. I like this configuration. But there is a lot of different possibilities.
I suggest you to look at the forum and read a little bit the first posts of the different ROMs/kernels and see what they have to offer. :good:
Good luck...

I've had this same exact issue. I thought about switching back to MM because I had great battery life on MM. I also thought about flashing Franco Kernel and go from there. It is one that has the option to hide that the bootloader is unlocked. I don't really want to have my bootloader unlocked, and I don't think I can make changes to the kernel easily without having it rooted, something else I also don't want to do. Maybe MM is the best option. Google is still sending out security updates for MM.

Well problem solved I should say. Used nexus root kit to root and install Pure nexus. Only issue I had was I had a gapps from 2015 that crashed everything so I reinstalled with a new gapps. Working great and the speed is back.

Then unless you wanted an old copy, you downloaded the wrong version of Pure Nexus. The latest version includes the Google apps in the ROM, eliminating the need to flash a GApps package.