The Top 5 Phones for Installing Custom ROM

 

1. OnePlus 5

With the death of the Nexus line, there was a void in the market when it came to phones with high-end specs at midrange prices. OnePlus capably fills this space with the OnePlus 5, a Snapdragon 835-powered flagship with a veritable smorgasbord of high-end specs. The company is able to keep its prices down by cutting costs on marketing and shipping directly to the consumer, so in the end, you get great modding value for your dollar.

The OnePlus 5 is a modder-friendly phone by design, as the manufacturer has always embraced Android's development community, starting with its Cyanogen-based ROM on the OnePlus One. They've even gone so far as to explicitly state that unlocking your bootloader will not void your warranty, and doing so is as simple as sending a single Fastboot command after enabling OEM unlocking.

The major kernel developers are committed to supporting the OnePlus 5, as both ElementalX and Franco Kernel are available for every firmware version. And because of its inherent modder-friendliness, the OnePlus 5 has one of the most active development communities out there, which means custom ROMs, as well as root apps and mods, are aplenty.

All of these same points apply to last year's flagships, the OnePlus 3 and 3T. However, OnePlus has stopped selling these models on their official website, so we're recommending the 5 for as much future-proofing as possible. If you can get your hands on one of the 2016 models, though, you could save a little cash and still have a very modder-friendly phone with great custom ROM support to help with the longevity factor.

With a starting price of only $479, the OnePlus 5 is one of the most affordable flagship phones, and that's a great combination when it comes to modding. The phone will have plenty of processing power to spare regardless of what mods you throw at it, and you won't have the queasiness you would have when flashing things on a more expensive device.
  

2. Google Pixel

Google's Pixel phones have been selling very well for a first iteration, to the point where Google has been unable to keep the devices in stock after underestimating demand. The Pixel's marketing campaign tries to position the phone as an iPhone alternative — almost an "everyman" device — but make no mistake, the Pixel, like its predecessor the Nexus, is a modder's dream phone deep down inside. 

As to why the Pixel ranks so highly on our list, let's start with its unlockable bootloader. Every model, with the exception of Pixels sold by Verizon, can have its bootloader unlocked by simply enabling a setting, then sending a single command with Fastboot. And since unlocking the bootloader does not void your warranty, you're free to mod your device's software as you please.

Google publishes all of the Pixel's factory images as soon as a new Android version is released, so if anything ever goes wrong while you're installing software mods, you can easily re-flash your stock firmware to get things up and running again. The Pixel's driver binaries are published, as are the kernel sources, so this makes it extremely easy for developers to create custom ROMs and kernels for the Pixel.  

The Pixel's only real drawback from a modder's perspective is its questionable status with Magisk. Because of the new A/B partition layout introduced alongside the Pixel (in fact, it's still the only available phone to use the new system), official Magisk support is currently unavailable. However, there is a working unofficial version that you can install right now, and Magisk developer John Wu has just purchased a Pixel with the hope of releasing an official version soon.

Cost is also a factor with the Pixel. The 32-gigabyte unlocked Pixel will run you $649, and it only goes up from there. That price tag may make you hesitant to tinker with such an expensive toy, which is why we recommend the Pixel over its larger counterpart, the Pixel XL. Though if you can handle the XL's $769 starting price, it's every bit as good of a pick as the regular Pixel, because everything we've said in this section still applies to the larger model.

On a final note, remember that Verizon variants of the Google Pixel all have locked bootloaders. For this reason, we would only recommend that you buy a Pixel directly from Google if you plan on doing some rooting and modding.

3. Moto G5 Plus

Motorola practically invented the budget smartphone space with its Moto G lineup. Prior to the original model's release in 2013, smartphones that cost less than $400 were looked at as throw-ins when purchasing a cellular plan, but Motorola's refined looks and balanced performance have raised the bar in the budget segment. As it stands, the Moto G5 Plus can go toe-to-toe with phones that cost twice as much, which makes it one of the best value buys on the market. 

With a starting price of $229, the Moto G5 Plus simply can't be ignored here. Think about it this way: You could buy a G5 Plus, brick it, buy another, brick that one, too, then buy a third, and you'd still be paying less than a single LG G6 or Pixel XL.

 It's easy to unlock the G5 Plus' bootloader using Motorola's official site to generate an unlock code. However, the company states that as soon as you get a bootloader-unlock code, "your device is no longer covered by the Motorola warranty." The account-based bootloader unlock method also ensures that Motorola can keep track of whether or not you've modified your firmware, regardless of tamper flag state. To put it simply, you'll need to be comfortable with losing your warranty if you want to root the Moto G5 Plus.

However, there are a few downsides when it comes to rooting and modding the Moto G5 Plus. For one, there aren't any noteworthy toolkits available, so you'll have to do most of the initial modding in a command prompt. It can also be hard to find stock firmware downloads for the G5 Plus, since Motorola doesn't offer an official factory images download page. All factors considered, though, the Moto G5 Plus is a solid pick if you plan to mod your next phone.

4. LG G6

LG's latest flagship isn't selling as well as the company would like, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best phones on the market. The Korean manufacturer's latest flagship has been met with near-universal acclaim from reviewers, and as the latest iteration in a series that has seen some of the best-selling Android phones, the LG G6 has a solid cult following from fans who owned previous LG devices and have been thoroughly satisfied.

LG allows you to generate a code that will unlock your device's bootloader through Fastboot commands. This process voids your warranty, but at least LG gives you the option. It's also worth noting that most carrier-branded variants of the G6 have double-locked bootloaders, so the only model we recommend is the US997 SIM-unlocked version that you can purchase directly from LG.

TWRP recovery is officially available for the G6, as is Magisk, which means you can have full systemless root if you want to pass SafetyNet. And while Xposed isn't supported because of the G6's Android Nougat-based firmware, Rovo89 should have that sorted out fairly soon.

The main reason that the G6 makes this list is the fact that is has a very active development community, so you should never be hard up for cool mods and root apps. Custom ROM and kernel selection is merely decent, but this is mainly due to the device being fairly new at the moment, so give it time.

Keep in mind that none of this applies to carrier-branded variants of the LG G6, as these have extra security measures that prevent you from easily unlocking the device's bootloader. In fact, developers are still struggling with root for carrier variants of the G6 as of this writing, so we'd suggest that you only buy directly from LG if you want to root and mod the G6.

5. Huawei Mate 9

Even though they're the third-largest smartphone maker on the planet, most folks in North America never heard of Huawei until they partnered with Google to make the Nexus 6P. But now they seem hell-bent on making waves in the US market, so you'll probably want to learn how to pronounce the name — it's said "wah way." So far, our favorite phone from the Chinese manufacturer has been the Mate 9, and when it comes to rooting, it's a great option.

Huawei lets you unlock the Mate 9's bootloader with a code-based system, but this alerts the manufacturer that you've done so, which voids the device's warranty. This is the case with almost every phone out there, so it's par for the course, but something you should be aware of.

The Mate 9 has an active development community and decent custom ROM support, though most ROMs are based on Huawei's EMUI skin. This means that, with most ROMs, you won't get very far away from the stock interface that came with the phone, but some of the many great root mods and themes available for the Mate 9 should help on that front.

The custom kernel selection for the Mate 9 is decent at best, as most of the options are simply modified stock kernels. But this ties back to the custom ROM support — since most ROMs are based on EMUI, you'll want a kernel that matches. There aren't any notable toolkits for the Mate 9, but the phone does come with a full Fastboot interface, so you shouldn't be hindered.
If you're satisfied with the Mate 9's ROM selection and you don't mind EMUI, there are plenty of root mods available to help scratch your itch to tinker. When you combine that with Huawei's up-and-coming status and the phone's reasonable price tag, the Mate 9 is a solid buy.