Best ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S2

Metalloy

Hey there

I am thinking of rooting my SGS2 and the reasons behind it are:
1- well I am curious about how beneficial rooting will be.
2- there are some apps on android market for using wii controller(wiimote) on your android phone but these are not compatible with neither the galaxy family nor with htc handsets because of software modifications that honestly I didnt understand:P.

So I was wondering if any of you has rooted his SGS 2? if yes do you recommend any particular procedure for rooting? any particular rom and why? bare in mind that I am not a progammer and I have never done this before.

thanks for your time :)

babum

I used two roms cm7 and litenin rom. Stick with cm7 it seems to be better though it is still a beta so there are a few minor bugs. try checking xda forum, they have really good info about the galaxy s2

Metalloy

thanks for your comment babum:)

babum

no problem man.

Neoxter

my build number is gingerbread.xwkf3, android 2.3.3 i want to upgrade to 2.3.4 what's the latest and best build number?

djunited

i also want to upgrade to 2.3.4.

Baseband version: I9100XXKG1

Build number: GINGERBREAD.ZSKG2

samsung keis says i have the latest version.

i have found all the available firmware official and nonofficial here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075278

djunited

so i just tried rooting my device but that failed.

i followed this guide: http://samsunggalaxys2review.org/root-your-samsung-galaxy-s2-heres-how/

it says to select an insecure kernel that is closest to your firmware, so i opted to choose this:

GT-I9100M_MKG2_insecure from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1101671.

i chose this because it is the only kernel i could find with KG2 which is the same as my firmware.

i managed to flash this kernel with odinv1.5 and it said passed, but the phone entered a boot loop instead of booting normally,in that it kept showing samsung galaxy s2 and the warning triangle. the phone would not enter recovery mode no matter how i tried, and for the first time refused to reflash to the stock kernel. managed to work the second time i tried and now i have my phone back. i soft bricked it momentarily. now i'm too scared to try again. i followed the correct procedure. could the problem be with the insecure kernel i've chosen, as it is for GT-I9100M while mine is GT-I9100. should i have chosen this GT-I9100_XXKG1_insecure, but that matches my baseband version and not my kernel version. anyone with any knowledge on the subject? thanks

Neoxter

f#ck this shit, why can't they upgrade normally!

I have the GT-i9100, are you experiencing bad battery drain?

I've found this guide, and I'm downloading the files now..will try it soon and let you know.
http://androidflip.com/android-2-3-4-gingerbread-xxkg6-firmware-update-for-samsung-galaxy-s2/

djunited

i don't know man.i'm really hesitant to try anything after what i experienced. i'd be willing to try only if i am directed to the proper version as xda has many.

Baseband version: I9100XXKG1

Build number: GINGERBREAD.ZSKG2

is the baseband version the actual firmware or is it the build number?

battery will last 10 hours average use. if gaming like asphalt 6 hd and modern comb at 2 than 3-5 hours

babum

I could recommend you how to proceed but it is as always under your own responsibility. You need a rooted phone, download ROM manager. Install it and do a backup of your phone. Then go to xda and install the latest baseband compatible with galaxy s2 (search their forum). The Build Number is the firmware and the baseband is related to the phone radio (at least that is what I understood). im using KG6 with cm7 build 39. My battery with edge turned on all day and 3 hours of display lasts 25 hours with almost 50% of battery left (which is kinda of a miracle).

djunited

I am trying to root the phone. the phone is getting stuck in boot loop after i flash the insecure kernel using odin1.5
my question is which kernel should i try next that matches my original? I will be using superclick if i manage to get the phone to boot fine after flashing with insecure kernel. or should i upgrade to a new firmware before rooting? if so i go for the latest kg7?thx

babum

what is your firmware version? 2.3.4 or 2.3.5?

djunited

2.3.3

djunited

after reading alot and knowing a bit more about the subject...

is it better to use a CF kernel or an insecure kernel for rooting?

if i understand correctly, CF kernel comes with superuser,busybox and CWM recovery while they have to be manually installed if using an insecure kernel?

also, CF kernel does not support ROM Manager and insecure kernel does? i would like to have the ability to download custom roms directly on my phone and have them automatically updated by rom manager.

it seems the latest firmware is XWKI4 2.3.4, which i am downloading now.

does it matter if i have
Baseband version: I9100XXKG1

Build number: GINGERBREAD.ZSKG2

do i need to wipe my device before upgrading?

to sum it up, i will update firmware to 2.3.4 using odin ( do i need to back anything up i.e contacts and apps?if so,how?since the device is not rooted yet), root device using CF root kernel, overclock to 1.5ghz, and later on possibly install cm7 or miui preferrably with rom manager. Or if i decide to root and upgrade directly to cm7 or miui, is it better to upgrade from 2.3.3 to 2.3.4 before i do so? does this sound right? or is there a better way to do it such as flashing a custom stock rom that is already rooted such as this one?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1230690

how do i know if it will allow overclock via setcpu?

thx and sorry for the many questions. hope the answers will help many on here

TheStunMan

stick to miui roms they are the best!

more info click me.

djunited

update:

upgraded firmware to GINGERBREAD.XWKI4 (2.3.4) from ZSKG2 (2.3.3) successfully using odin1.5

no data was removed. phone is as it was.
wifi signal is definitly better.
battery looks to be the same,maybe a bit worse even.
phone text is now in bold.
music hub in now installed on phone which wasn't in 2.3.3. can't use though, says not available for this country.
more updates as i discover new stuff.

next step is CF root and then cm7 or miui.still can't decide.
if i choose cm7 which nightly should i go for? latest? are the differences between them major? currently at nightly 60 which was released today.

Update:

browser allows simultanous movement of x and y axis. haven't noyiced this before.
New animation when opening a new window.
Homescreen button has lag when pressed
does not go into recent apps when pressed and held.works sometimes

babum

go always for the latest nightly. though you might wanna check the changelog after having installed for the first time because some of their nightlies either don't improve anything or it is small things that are not worth using your quota.
http://cm-nightlies.appspot.com/?device=galaxys2

djunited

Alright. im not sure i like this new firmware.noticed some lagging between homescreens

Neoxter

what's the difference between KG6, KE7 and KI4 ?! What does these extensions mean?

babum

Not quite sure, sorry. DJunited the lagging could be caused by setting a conservative or minimum power mode in the cpu usage, try putting it higher if its not.