Database Develop

Improved performance with MIUI6

Guys, Yesterday I updated mu MIUI from v5 to v6. The Antutu benchmark was around 32,000 with v5 and it has how jumper to around to 43,000 after the update to v6!
That is one massive improvement in the ROM kernel it seems.
What are you experiences?

my experience? MIUI v6 sucks. big time.
they wanted to make it simpler, in my opinion its way more complicated now.
they took away many features of v5
apps keep crashing, google stuff doesn't work at all.
camera app is useless.
and so on.
that the whole UI looks like IOS now doesn't help either. every time you pull up the toggles i nearly puked. - ok -than can be fixed down the road with a decent theme but right now there ain't any.
back to v5 and .22 - if you ask me, the performance gain is NOT worth all the hassle.

vivzek said:
Guys, Yesterday I updated mu MIUI from v5 to v6. The Antutu benchmark was around 32,000 with v5 and it has how jumper to around to 43,000 after the update to v6!
That is one massive improvement in the ROM kernel it seems.
What are you experiences?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The huge difference comes from the fact that you used Antutu 4 final on Miui5 and Antutu 5 beta on Miui6. Try installing Antutu 4 on Miui 6 and then see what scores you get.
linr76 said:
my experience? MIUI v6 sucks. big time.
1. they took away many features of v5
2. apps keep crashing,
3. google stuff doesn't work at all.
4. camera app is useless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. That's true
2+3. I don't have those problems, maybe you should try clean install. In fact, I don't get any force closes and Gapps works just like they did in v5
4. That is also true
Also, we need to keep in mind that is a developer version. The stable version appears only in October.

reneftw said:
Also, we need to keep in mind that is a developer version. The stable version appears only in October.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure, but i doubt the ipone look will go away...
this release is hardly fit for a daily driver, just too much not working or constricted - go look at all the bug reports etc.
as i am playing with it some more, even the MIUI5 is still full of bugs, some of them have been around for a long long time and i doubt they will ever be fixed.
Lets hope the kernel source is available soon, as promised, then AOSP / CM/ here i come.

Personally its not the iphone look that pisses me of the most. But the feature loss is absolutelly unexcusable. I feel like i have a crappier phone now somehow...
Go CM11

The RAM Optimization is helping the UI is future ready for Android L hence ditching the menu button to recent with was irritating.
The Battery is still not optimized and I really want the Auto-Brightness like the CM11.
The iOS look is good using most of the 1080p resolution they have done a good job.
I now have 1GB of free RAM now but I never got any problem with RAM even if it was at 400MB free or 200MB.
My hopes for future updates are:
1.Auto-Brightness like CM11
2.Less resource usage more leading to more Free RAM.
3.Power Saver Mode and Battery Optimization.
4.English Themes,Mi Store,Games,etc
5.And something unexpected
Overall Happy with MIUI v6 than MIUI v5
---------- Post added at 05:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 PM ----------
reneftw said:
The huge difference comes from the fact that you used Antutu 4 final on Miui5 and Antutu 5 beta on Miui6. Try installing Antutu 4 on Miui 6 and then see what scores you get.
1. That's true
2+3. I don't have those problems, maybe you should try clean install. In fact, I don't get any force closes and Gapps works just like they did in v5
4. That is also true
Also, we need to keep in mind that is a developer version. The stable version appears only in October.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see the tips of MIUI v6 you have to slide left and right to get more options like HDR etc

vivzek said:
Guys, Yesterday I updated mu MIUI from v5 to v6. The Antutu benchmark was around 32,000 with v5 and it has how jumper to around to 43,000 after the update to v6!
That is one massive improvement in the ROM kernel it seems.
What are you experiences?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, you have the new Antutu app, i'm on miui 23(stable international version) V5 and score 44000.It's not related with the version of miui, In fact V6 is not as stable and functional as v5.

To my AnTuTu not have reliability scores vary in each update.
Important to see the fluidity and functionality of the phone, not your score in an application.
A greeting.

I think the benchmark scores dont really matter as much as the user experience. The benchmark scores might be lower but i'm getting a bit more lag around the interface, maybe the new apps just arent optimised yet. What do you guys think? Plus I dont think the Mi3 has any problems with gaming performance so any improvement wouldnt be very noticeable
Sent from my MI 3W using XDA Free mobile app

MIUI V6 looks more heavier skinned compared to the V5. Not really surprised if perfomance turned into a crawl. Im getting the MI3 and won't update it to the V6 version. Its still new. Maybe give some time and the bugs shld be gone
Via the Internet

Been using v6 for quire some time now. IT does has some limitations like some less options in the notification pane and some awkward menu options, ok a ****ty camera app, but still it is preety smooth. ITs a beta version and new developments will keep coming as the devs keep on progressing... The interface is smooth just like v5 but if you want to keep progressing then u got to start using it as it will be the standard later on.

I personally like the MIUI 6 look...It has the polished look of iOS with the functionality of Android...
Admitted a lotta features are still missing, but I am assuming they will be added in final builds...(if they are not, then yeah, dual boot AOSP ROMs for me too...)
And when you got 32000ish scores in Antutu, did you have Performance mode ON?

I'm glad that I'm not alone (hugs) . This V6 is a flat fiasco, a dull imitation of the f..g Iphone
linr76 said:
my experience? MIUI v6 sucks. big time.
they wanted to make it simpler, in my opinion its way more complicated now.
they took away many features of v5
apps keep crashing, google stuff doesn't work at all.
camera app is useless.
and so on.
that the whole UI looks like IOS now doesn't help either. every time you pull up the toggles i nearly puked. - ok -than can be fixed down the road with a decent theme but right now there ain't any.
back to v5 and .22 - if you ask me, the performance gain is NOT worth all the hassle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TiTAN-O-One said:
MIUI V6 looks more heavier skinned compared to the V5. Not really surprised if perfomance turned into a crawl. Im getting the MI3 and won't update it to the V6 version. Its still new. Maybe give some time and the bugs shld be gone
Via the Internet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Well thats true seem ppl finding the os an ios replica are correct as the main stuff we are actually looking for is the ram and battery optimisation.
Moreover it seems to be screwed up with the new ui hope they come up with something solid till the official

I reverted back to 4.8.22 I've got a lot of problems on v6 dont like the camera,browser,battery life it messed up my root access,messed up also my touch screen, I've got ghost touches everywhere.

My personal opinion is that i m in love with the ui performance and what not.
Its buttery smooth, no lag, and it feels pretty awesome to use such a beautiful UI.
Ya but its true the camera app is a bit f***ed up but nevermind its just a beta one. Its going to get updated in a much better way so keep updating.
- Sent via cool MiUi v6.

mjames.abordo said:
I reverted back to 4.8.22 I've got a lot of problems on v6 dont like the camera,browser,battery life it messed up my root access,messed up also my touch screen, I've got ghost touches everywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whew! Glad to hear the ghost touch thing is a MIUI 6 bug...
I updated to MIUI 6 as soon as I got my Mi3 and get ghost touch too (mostly while charging)...

Stop Blaming For FC and other issues like some missing features in MIUI v5 and etc in Beta release of MIUI v6:silly:
Because its still in Beta test so when it comes in Stable State talk about it more..

Miui laaagggggs?
Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

Is the Note 4 really this laggy?

I just picked up a flawless T-Mobile Note 4 to test out (can't live without root/twrp). I had a Note 3 and used the multi window and pen quite a bit so missed it somewhat. Since last November I have been using a Nexus 6 exclusively. Considering that both phones had the same hardware, I expected similar performance. I know TouchWiz is heavy but I figured with a rom and a kernel it would be at least acceptable. This is not the case.
Unless I am doing something wrong, this phone is unbearably laggy. The first thing I noticed was that scrolling through google maps has stutter no matter what settings I use or what ROM I flash. It's not so choppy that I can't use it, but enough to bug me. This phone is supposed to have the best hardware out there and that's how I expect it to perform. The nexus 6 does not do this. Also I read on another forum that when you flash an aosp rom to the note that specific maps stutter is gone. I don't want to run an aosp rom on my note because it eliminates the features I am looking for in the first place.
Other things such as titanium backup taking almost an hour to restore my apps, whats that all about? I then tried to run a nandroid backup with encryption enabled and that was a huge mistake. The phone almost locked up and took like 2 hours to make a backup. General moving through the UI and multi tasking back and forth is just generally laggy an unnacceptable. It's BAD. It's as if the phone is stuck in power saver mode or something. I tried two roms (pop rocks and tekxodus) and got the same results between both and stock. Also tried emotion kernel and bioshock and flashed them to both roms seperately. All with the same results.
I went into the store to check out a floor model to confirm I don't have a bad unit and they performed the same. While I was there I looked at the s6 and it seemed noticeably better. Maybe this version of TouchWiz really is that heavy and I just don't remember what it was like using the note 3 now that I've had a nexus for so long.
My question is, is this happening to everyone else? Please only respond if you have used a nexus or another phone to compare it to. I'm sure 10 people will be lining up to tell me how fast and smooth their note 4 is and that I'm crazy... but unless you compare it to something else you don't know any different. To me it's a lag fest.
This is NOT a nexus vs note debate. I genuinely would like to solve this issue and keep the Note 4 in anticipation for the Note 5. However I can't live with the way the phone sits right now.

My fiance has a nexus 6, and i find this phone laggy as hell. Flashing any custom rom made it worse. I've done everything i could think of..

Are you saying you find the Nexus or the Note laggy?

HearMeWhisper said:
My fiance has a nexus 6, and i find this phone laggy as hell. Flashing any custom rom made it worse. I've done everything i could think of..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying you find the Nexus or the Note laggy?

The phone is much snappier on aosp ROMs.

kchino said:
The phone is much snappier on aosp ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know but then I lose what makes a note a note. Its a shame. Hopefully they can get it ironed out with the Note 5. Maybe I should go poking around in the S6 forums to get some info.

Well its definitely TW, I've tried just about every ROM in the forums for Note 4 and all the TW ROMs have significant lag in scrolling, recents, etc. The aosp ROMs are significantly faster but like you mentioned you lose some of the functionality that makes the Note the Note. There are 3rd party add-ons that can substitute TW stuff pretty well though.

kchino said:
Well its definitely TW, I've tried just about every ROM in the forums for Note 4 and all the TW ROMs have significant lag in scrolling, recents, etc. The aosp ROMs are significantly faster but like you mentioned you lose some of the functionality that makes the Note the Note. There are 3rd party add-ons that can substitute TW stuff pretty well though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So sad. I will give it a few days and if I can't get past it, this thing will be on swappa. If I wanted aosp I would use my nexus 6 with dual forward facing speakers.

Can't compare it to aosp / nexus lol don't get me.wrong love my note but next to aosp /nexus 6 it crawls...if you flash aosp on this thing you realize the potential of the specs. On another note, welcome to the note 4...lol its not snappier than the note 3 can tell you that lol. As for titanium that's titanium issue nothing to do with note 4

mgbotoe said:
Can't compare it to aosp / nexus lol don't get me.wrong love my note but next to aosp /nexus 6 it crawls...if you flash aosp on this thing you realize the potential of the specs. On another note, welcome to the note 4...lol its not snappier than the note 3 can tell you that lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I was right then! I didn't remember my note 3 being this bad. I don't get it lol What happened.... Maybe they didn't get the drivers right for the GPU and all those pixels are crushing it. Or maybe they just added too much crap to TouchWiz.

seh6183 said:
So I was right then! I didn't remember my note 3 being this bad. I don't get it lol What happened.... Maybe they didn't get the drivers right for the GPU and all those pixels are crushing it. Or maybe they just added too much crap to TouchWiz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's touch wiz lol...but there are few batches of note 4 with pure on lag issue...should make sure yours isn't one of those. We had a lot of complaints initially here but they have all been exchange. So look into

seh6183 said:
So I was right then! I didn't remember my note 3 being this bad. I don't get it lol What happened.... Maybe they didn't get the drivers right for the GPU and all those pixels are crushing it. Or maybe they just added too much crap to TouchWiz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TW had form worse not better. However there is still quite a but of functionality with the spen on CM 12.1 now. The TW lollipop update was a disaster in my opinion. The phone was barely noticeably faster and it crushed the once great battery life.
I finally gave up on it this week. The AOSP ROMs are just so much faster and I get better battery life to.
However if you compare the Note 4 running CM 12 to the nexus 6 I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The note 4 has a few great things going for it comparatively. Better screen, better camera, etc.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app

I've never had a better phone and I have a nexus 6.

I've had the note 3 for a year before upgrading to a note 4. When I tested out the 4 at a store, I immediately noticed laggy performance. Because I wanted a newer phone, I went with the 4 anyway. Once I rooted and flashed a rom, it feels like my old note 3, flawless and smooth. I wouldn't recommend The 4 to anyone if they're not going to root and flash a rom. There's no way this phone should be this laggy with its givens pecs. You DEFINITELY notice performance improvements if set the CPU speed to even 1750. If you root and check CPU speeds on a stock TW rom, you'll notice that it lags because it runs at a very low CPU speed. That is exactly what's causing lags and sluggish perormance. I am running Dynamic pop lollipop TW rom and it is amazingly smooth with great mods.

I think maybe you need a factory exchange.

mgbotoe said:
It's touch wiz lol...but there are few batches of note 4 with pure on lag issue...should make sure yours isn't one of those. We had a lot of complaints initially here but they have all been exchange. So look into
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to be the same as the floor model in the stores. It's not so laggy that the phone is unusable, it just isn't smooth and instantaneous like it should be. The Nexus does it, the S6 seems to do it. The hardware is there, the software is just ruining it.

https://m.reddit.com/r/nexus6/comments/2mlr7d/lag_everywhere_anyone_else_experiencing_this/
---------- Post added at 08:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 PM ----------
We're computer geeks and testing 4 the big companies
---------- Post added at 08:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:54 PM ----------
There's always gonna be something wrong. I still gave my nexus 6 to my mom

mariojp said:
I've had the note 3 for a year before upgrading to a note 4. When I tested out the 4 at a store, I immediately noticed laggy performance. Because I wanted a newer phone, I went with the 4 anyway. Once I rooted and flashed a rom, it feels like my old note 3, flawless and smooth. I wouldn't recommend The 4 to anyone if they're not going to root and flash a rom. There's no way this phone should be this laggy with its givens pecs. You DEFINITELY notice performance improvements if set the CPU speed to even 1750. If you root and check CPU speeds on a stock TW rom, you'll notice that it lags because it runs at a very low CPU speed. That is exactly what's causing lags and sluggish perormance. I am running Dynamic pop lollipop TW rom and it is amazingly smooth with great mods.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean the minimum at?

Karakoram2 said:
https://m.reddit.com/r/nexus6/comments/2mlr7d/lag_everywhere_anyone_else_experiencing_this/
---------- Post added at 08:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 PM ----------
We're computer geeks and testing 4 the big companies
---------- Post added at 08:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:54 PM ----------
There's always gonna be something wrong. I still gave my nexus 6 to my mom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can assure you that my phone does not behave like that. It flies. The only time it was semi laggy was when I first got it with 5.0 installed. I quickly unlocked the bootloader and disabled forced encryption because it wasn't implemented right on 5.0. Now I'm on 5.1 encrypted and its just as fast; except boot up is a long time.
I have not given up on the Note 4 just yet. I will be doing some side by side comparisons of the camera and other software functions. The Note still has a chance.

ShrekOpher said:
TW had form worse not better. However there is still quite a but of functionality with the spen on CM 12.1 now. The TW lollipop update was a disaster in my opinion. The phone was barely noticeably faster and it crushed the once great battery life.
I finally gave up on it this week. The AOSP ROMs are just so much faster and I get better battery life to.
However if you compare the Note 4 running CM 12 to the nexus 6 I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The note 4 has a few great things going for it comparatively. Better screen, better camera, etc.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The whole reason I got the Note is for the spen features and the multi window though.

Smoothest Custom ROM?

Which is the smoothest custom ARM64 Oreo ROM? I don't want much features, just smooth UI and low battery consupmtion.

Chirag Kalra said:
Which is the smoothest custom ARM64 Oreo ROM? I don't want much features, just smooth UI and low battery consupmtion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's a myth. Every custom ROM becomes slow after few months or weeks of use unless you've a hefty of RAM.
The closest to stock i heard is Pixel Experience.

geekychandu said:
Well that's a myth. Every custom ROM becomes slow after few months or weeks of use unless you've a hefty of RAM.
The closest to stock i heard is Pixel Experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using pixel experience only, yeah Its performance faded in 1-2 months and some bugs started pooping up. So I had to go back to stock. The moto G5S Plus has 4GBs of RAM, so it shouldn't jave been a problem.
So can reinstalling a ROM (plus full data wipe) make it as fast as it is newly installed?

Chirag Kalra said:
Which is the smoothest custom ARM64 Oreo ROM? I don't want much features, just smooth UI and low battery consupmtion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xtended 2.5
When no customization dot/du/pex
---------- Post added at 07:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:48 AM ----------
geekychandu said:
Well that's a myth. Every custom ROM becomes slow after few months or weeks of use unless you've a hefty of RAM.
The closest to stock i heard is Pixel Experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On 3gb phones sometimes will lag,but dev made Kernel with this fixed need only test

Adi5 said:
Xtended 2.5
When no customization dot/du/pex
---------- Post added at 07:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:48 AM ----------
On 3gb phones sometimes will lag,but dev made Kernel with this fixed need only test
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah installated it, it is pretty smooth. And battery life is comparable with stock. Thanks

Proper Guide. Guidance. Quick Answer much appreciated!! Upgrading to Android 10 OR ??

Hello, I have not been on this site in YEARS!! Much love and respect community. I just got my first ever Asus Rogue 2 and it is a WW model.
Is it as easy as downloading a rom, zip file, reboot? Does the majority recommend the android 10 rom.... or please, if their is someone that done a lot of work and they have a killer rom.... please. save me some time.
I wanna get a new fresh vibe on the device. Thanks in advance

Mr.Kakarot said:
Hello, I have not been on this site in YEARS!! Much love and respect community. I just got my first ever Asus Rogue 2 and it is a WW model.
Is it as easy as downloading a rom, zip file, reboot? Does the majority recommend the android 10 rom.... or please, if their is someone that done a lot of work and they have a killer rom.... please. save me some time.
I wanna get a new fresh vibe on the device. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As of now, A10 latest is 2004.60 for WW.
Stock Android 9 on this device has the best battery and least temperatures. You can get 15-20 hours SOT (at 60hz) depending upon your usage. Is also really stable. Games work perfectly on A9. This is the best ROM for endurance and gaming on this phone.
Stock A10 has kinda worse battery and heats up more. SOT is like 11-15 hours (60hz) depending upon usage. Games are slightly less optimised, but nonetheless you get all the features this device provides.
Coming to custom ROMs, Omni ROM (A10) has excellent battery life. Almost as good as A9. Excellent stable UI. But you loose air triggers, and it isn't good for gaming.
HavocOS has battery life similar to Stock A10, and has the best aesthetics. More customisation than Omni. Again, no air triggers and not so good for gaming.
Choice is upto you.

It is recommended to stay at a9 i have tested all android 10 and a9 is much more better a10 sucks for this phone unfortunately.

On A10 I'm taking like 10-15% less battery than A9, winning some different things like Quickswitch (if you are rooted) and the traditional patches and features, so I'm staying in A10. But A9 is a bit better in battery, yep.

Just to add my two cents to confuse the OP even more over which rom version to use...
I'm also on A10 latest 2004.60 and don't have any heating issues, never have A9 or 10. I don't really monitor battery much at all but there's not much difference between A9 and latest 10 with my usage. With a battery this big it isn't a concern of mine. With my average usage lasting 2 days (I mainly only play Bike Race for games).
So yeah, I'm happy to stay on A10.
It's probably also worth noting (although I've not tried any custom rom on this device, so you'll need to check), if you are gonna use Havoc or Omni, you will need to have latest stock build flashed before flashing those roms.
Let us know what you decide... Good luck

vygneys_vyg said:
As of now, A10 latest is 2004.60 for WW.
Stock Android 9 on this device has the best battery and least temperatures. You can get 15-20 hours SOT (at 60hz) depending upon your usage. Is also really stable. Games work perfectly on A9. This is the best ROM for endurance and gaming on this phone.
Stock A10 has kinda worse battery and heats up more. SOT is like 11-15 hours (60hz) depending upon usage. Games are slightly less optimised, but nonetheless you get all the features this device provides.
Coming to custom ROMs, Omni ROM (A10) has excellent battery life. Almost as good as A9. Excellent stable UI. But you loose air triggers, and it isn't good for gaming.
HavocOS has battery life similar to Stock A10, and has the best aesthetics. More customisation than Omni. Again, no air triggers and not so good for gaming.
Choice is upto you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to be clear, the stock asus experience.... is the best overall experience? Thanks!

reg66 said:
Just to add my two cents to confuse the OP even more over which rom version to use...
I'm also on A10 latest 2004.60 and don't have any heating issues, never have A9 or 10. I don't really monitor battery much at all but there's not much difference between A9 and latest 10 with my usage. With a battery this big it isn't a concern of mine. With my average usage lasting 2 days (I mainly only play Bike Race for games).
So yeah, I'm happy to stay on A10.
It's probably also worth noting (although I've not tried any custom rom on this device, so you'll need to check), if you are gonna use Havoc or Omni, you will need to have latest stock build flashed before flashing those roms.
Let us know what you decide... Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am high darn, so.... I have no problem trying things... and I expect the usual bumps..... but if it changes or ruins the experience, why would I do this?
That being said, how do I get stock 10 on my device then boys?? thanks again

I tried a few things but when I get to recovery there is NO options aside from reboot, wipe.
I did the unlock tool. I put files on root of phone, but I cannot see or access them. What am i missing

Mr.Kakarot said:
I tried a few things but when I get to recovery there is NO options aside from reboot, wipe.
I did the unlock tool. I put files on root of phone, but I cannot see or access them. What am i missing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude you're gonna have get used to reading up on stuff. It's been posted tons of times on updating to this version or that version

reg66 said:
Just to add my two cents to confuse the OP even more over which rom version to use...
I'm also on A10 latest 2004.60 and don't have any heating issues, never have A9 or 10. I don't really monitor battery much at all but there's not much difference between A9 and latest 10 with my usage. With a battery this big it isn't a concern of mine. With my average usage lasting 2 days (I mainly only play Bike Race for games).
So yeah, I'm happy to stay on A10.
It's probably also worth noting (although I've not tried any custom rom on this device, so you'll need to check), if you are gonna use Havoc or Omni, you will need to have latest stock build flashed before flashing those roms.
Let us know what you decide... Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thinking exactly the same right here. Small differences between both just to downgrade. For me, as I said, 10-15%. If I want that % loosing the smoothness of A10 with Quickswitch, I will return to A9 some day

Mr.Kakarot said:
Just to be clear, the stock asus experience.... is the best overall experience? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. But for me I got like 50% more battery on A9 than A10 stock. A simple comparison with other phones suggests only A9 truely gives you 6000mah feel. A10 is more like 4000mah phones. I did quite a lot of testing too.

USA Android 12 update - good or not good?

I've seen many threads about people asking how to go back to A11 on their phones from A12... in many cases, this should be possible since the BL version hasn't changed on the latest A12 update (versus the previous A11 one).
That said, has anyone taken the update to A12, and are they reasonably happy with it? I imagine it has been a while, so maybe it's not that bad (and maybe there are just a few people who are unhappy with it - complaints often are louder than complements, as we know).
Lastly, is there a way to block the update popup on a stock un-rooted phone? I worry that eventually it will popup and I'll mistakenly click the download button...

I know at least 3 People with Android 12 on Samsung Devices and they say it runs great. Two of them are Galaxy s20FEs with Snapdragon Chipsets and one is an S10e with Exynos.

I've S10+ and A12 works good.
The downgrade is possible, I've already done it to test performance.
It seems that A12 is more conservative to performance, when it's like 40%underbattery I ran Geekbench and obtained much less big scores. On Android 11 it's better, and all the games works ok without the Optimization by Samsung on A12 and One UI 4