Motorola makes some of the best Android smartphones available these days, so it’s no surprise that a lot of people would want to customize them with custom ROMs. While there are some great custom ROMs for Moto X, they are nowhere near as fleshed out as other popular smartphones. Unfortunately, apart from the USA, Motorola phones are not that popular around the world specially in Asian countries. This is a major obstacle when it comes to third-party developer support. Thankfully, I was able to find a few great looking as well as functioning custom ROMs for Moto X. These are ports of highly popular custom ROMs available for Android, so I reckon they didn’t take as much time as making a ROM from ground up. In recent years, I’ve noticed that the less popular smartphones don’t get support from the custom ROM developers a lot, some phones are exceptions but most of them are left to the wind. Despite being a very affordable Android smartphone, the Motorola Moto X was not introduced in a lot of different markets, and as custom ROMs are directly tied to the sales number and popularity of the device, we didn’t see the boom we were expecting. Couple that with odd carrier restrictions that are prevalent in the USA, and we’re left with a lackluster custom ROM support for the Moto X. Note: The ROMs in this list are not in any particular order and all have their plus points. I highly recommend taking a look at all of them before committing to one. I recommend CyanogenMod ROM because I have personally used it on numerous devices and it performs exceptionally well. Let’s start off with the five best custom ROMs for Moto X.
Prerequisite
While custom ROMs are a great way to get a fresh experience on your phone, installing these custom ROMs is a risky process. You’ll need a rooted Moto X and a custom recovery in order to install custom ROMs. For more information on rooting, you can read our guide on rooting Android devices. Keep in mind that if the instructions are not followed properly, you might end up bricking your phone. Therefore, make sure that you follow the developer specific instructions for the ROM you’re installing even if you know the basics of installing ROMs. I’ll add a link to the XDA forums below each ROM for developer-specific instructions and more information. Make sure that your phone is charged at least 70% before installing the ROM and also create a backup of all your important files. Creating a Nandroid backup is the best option if you have storage space available. You can also use your phone’s default backup feature or install a third-party backup app from the Google Play store.
1. Pac Man ROM
Pac-Man ROM comes with its own tweaks and options that stem from other popular ROMs out there. This means that the ROM borrows the good features of others and combines them into one complete package. While this may seem a little bit shady, the Pac-Man ROM developers have gained permission from other developers to borrow the good features. After checking out the screenshots and the attached video, I have to say that the developer has done a remarkable job of completely changing how your Moto X works. From advanced keyboard options to an app bar, and from custom themes to contextual notification headers all are in there. Another good reason to try out this mod is the stellar response time the developer has. They even have a bug reporting system available for you to utilize.
2. Kangakat ROM
Apart from the unusual name, Kangakat has some pretty stable features. The developer wants to keep the ROM as close to stock as possible so you can expect great performance out of your device after installing the ROM. There are a lot of great features available on this ROM from Wi-Fi tethering to add blocking and from quick SMS reply to flashable add-ons. There’s one downside to this ROM though; it is based on another old version of Android, so some of the basic stock features that are now available won’t be on it. However, if you are in need for a simple, fast and stable ROM for the Motorola Moto X, this ROM is made for you.
3. OctOS ROM
If you want to take your Motorola Moto X into the modern era with a relatively newer version of Android, the storm will help you get there. The ROM is based on Android 6.0 so a lot of new features will be available on your slightly aging device. From what I’ve researched, this is a highly stable ROM that brings in a lot of new features to the hardware. I believe when upgrading to a newer Android OS version, stability takes a hit because the hardware is not capable of handling the new functions. However, this ROM is highly stable and works perfectly on the smartphone. The ROM runs on Android 6.0.1 marshmallow and is partially based on code from another ROM. The ROM comes with SuperSU automatically so you won’t even need to install it manually.
4. CyanogenMod 14
I’ve been a huge fan of CyanogenMod ROMs and they have served me really well for the past couple of years. From my first Android smartphone to my last, at one point I have used this ROM to see how well it performs. However, this is not an official port for Moto X, it is developed by another developer. So naturally, I cannot recommend it higher on the list because there are some major features missing from this ROM. For example, voice recording doesn’t work on it, this means the standard microphone app won’t run on it, although it will work fine during calls. Another problem with this ROM is the lack of video recording capabilities on the default, you’ll need to install another video recorder as well. Apart from these problems it is a stable and fast ROM for Motorola Moto X.
5. Resurrection Remix ROM
Resurrection Remix ROM might be based on an older version of Android but it is highly stable. Despite being based on Android 5.0.2, it has some of the best features of stability to offer. Just as the name suggests, it is a remix based on different other ROMs that include CynogenMod, Slim.Omni ROM and previous Remix ROM builds. This results in a great combination of customization, power, and performance. While the Motorola Moto X is not devoid of great features, this one brings in a lot of new exciting features to your device. From material theme to battery mods and from network traffic monitoring to toast animations, all are available in this great ROM. So why is it on the last place? It’s only because the developer has left active development.
Conclusion
These were some of the best custom ROMs for Moto X available easily. While there are many other small ROMs available on the forums, it is advisable to stick with these more popular ones at first. Sure, none of these ROMs are completely robust and provide every feature there is, there are a great way to find what you’re looking for. Do tell us in the comments below what you think about these great custom ROMs for Moto X, and share your valuable opinion. Feature Image Credits
