realmex2pro
Realme X2 Pro

Realme X2 Pro (RMX1931) is an excellent budget phone and it’s fairly recent having been launched just towards the end of 2019. If you own this phone and are toying with the idea of rooting it but don’t know which Custom ROM to install then you’ve come to the right place because we’ll explore options currently available for this device, their pros and cons, known issues and lastly provide a download link where you can get each. 

In order to install any of these GSI images, first you need to unlock the bootloader, install recovery software like TWRP and finally flash the firmware with a root solution such as maGSIk. Custom ROMs open up a world of performance and aesthetic improvements but the process of installing them has the potential to brick your device and render it unusable, and if done with utilities not supported by the device manufacturer, then you risk voiding your warranty and I’m sure you know what that means. 

First let’s define and differentiate between Stock ROM and Custom ROM and their benefits as well as drawbacks then look at available ROMs for the Realme X2 Pro, that way you start from an informed point of view to avoid any surprises along the way.

Stock ROM

When you purchase your Android device, it comes with what’s called a Stock ROM also known as the stock firmware. This is the preinstalled mobile operating system and two widely popular are Android and iOS though many more exist. This stock ROM usually has limited functionality as defined by the phone’s manufacturer. 

Benefits of Stock ROM

  • Usually very stable upon release.
  • Known bugs are patched during the extensive beta testing phase prior to release.
  • Carries official support by the firmware vendor, device manufacturer and the mobile service carrier.
  • Software updates are pushed automatically to the device by the carrier.

Drawbacks of Stock ROM

  • Updates aren’t frequent due to companies adhering to strict release cycles.
  • Not easy to give feedback to the manufacturer in case of any issues, sometimes feedback frowned upon esp. with Apple devices.
  • Getting official support can be a tall order due to bureaucracy.
  • Incase device manufacturer and firmware developer are different, case in point Android and the now defunct Windows Phone 7, any updates released by the firmware vendor need to be edited by the device manufacturer or mobile carrier to add compatibility and additional software before release. This can result in delays that go into months.
  • Sometimes manufacturers may choose to no longer release official updates for their older devices in favor of newer ones, their users are essentially stuck with old versions of the operating system. This case is evident with many Android devices barely a year and a half old.
  • Several OS developers, device manufacturers or mobile service carriers add restrictions in the stock firmware ranging from locking the use of the device with one network/region to disabling sideloading of apps AT&T for example, not available in the official app market, to advanced restrictions removing any chance of getting root access.

Custom ROM

Custom ROM refers to a phone’s firmware and in our case based on Google’s Android platform. Android is open source and therefore any developer can edit the code, recompile it, and re-release for a wide variety of devices. Users can install custom ROMs for many reasons which might include changing a device’s appearance and behavior. 

The Android developer community design the Custom ROMs. Most of the time by a group of core developers who do this purely out of passion and most are completely free. Custom ROMs are available for many devices ranging from phones, tablets, media players, smartwatches, and almost any type of device running Android.

Benefits of Custom ROM

  • Customization: Custom ROMs come with custom themes that might include modified system colors and icons, startup screens, etc.
  • Root access.
  • Minimal provider installed bloatware.
  • Improved battery life because custom ROM allows you to underclock the CPU leading to lower battery usage.
  • Useful utilities for the kind of person who flashes custom ROMs ie ROM Manager.
  • Additional UI tweaks ie LineageOS allows users to place on/off controls in the status bar instead of using widgets.
  • Additional options in menus ie LineageOS allows a user to reboot to recovery or fast boot mode instead of just rebooting the device normally.
  • Timely updates: You no longer have to wait for the manufacturer to push an update to enjoy the latest features.

Drawbacks of Custom ROM

  • In order to install Custom ROM, you need to root, this can brick device and void warranty.
  • You can compromise device security by rooting.
  • Rooting wipes all data from the device, you might suffer data loss if you do not back-up prior.
  • You might install custom ROM only to find that some phone functionalities are not working.
  • Lack of extensive testing prior to release might result in buggy firmware with diminished functionality leading to poor user experience.

If at this point you’re still sold on the idea of installing a custom ROM on your Realme X2 Pro then let’s explore the next step which is deciding the proper custom ROM and this is often the most interesting part. Still remember what it’s like to have fun? Hahaha! Let’s start.

Btw if you’ve been to the XDA forum and elsewhere online, then you might have noticed that there’s very little information about device-specific custom ROM specifically for Realme X2 Pro, that’s likely because this is a fairly recent device – it’s only a couple months old, so it’s likely that ROM cookers are still exploring it.

We found some interesting Generic System Images (GSI) for Android Pie (9) and Android Q (10). The GSI’s are device-agnostic therefore will work on the Realme X2 Pro just like on any other smartphone.

Beware though that generic system images, unlike device-specific custom ROMs sometimes have a lot of bugs and especially beta versions, so if you’re keener on a bug-free experience then you might want to wait until a specific ROM for the X2 Pro is created. We cannot guarantee that all of these GSI’s will work so proceed with caution. 

Best Custom ROMs for Realme X2 Pro

Lineage OS 

Lineage OS succeeded CyanogenMod. It brings a number of enhancements such as privacy guard which you can use to control permissions of installed apps, as well as set permissions for new apps. It’s got no bloatware, super-user access with root permissions into Android settings screen, UI tweaks such as the ability to reorder buttons on the navbar, profiles, etc. 

This particular LineageOS GSI is an extension of the LineageOS 16.0 GSIs from the developer @phhusson.

Version Status: Beta

Type: Official Android 10 GSI

Download Lineage OS (GSI) Android 10 

NB: Extract first.

AOSP 9.0

Android Open Source Project (AOSP) 9.0 is another GSI (Treble) version from developer team @phhusson. The developer says the goal of this ROM is to provide maximum hardware compatibility inside a generic system image, thus no additional features will be added in the future. This ROM is experimental, which means it works as a base for developers of other ROMs to build on.

Version Status: Beta.

Type: Official Android 9 (Pie) GSI

Download AOSP OS (GSI) Android 10 

ArrowOS 9.0.0. GSI

ArrowOS is an AOSP based open-source project. The objective of the developers was to keep things simple, clean and neat in this Android ROM, they struck just the right balance in order to deliver a firmware with functionality that users will actually find useful at the end of the day. 

Version Status: Beta.

Type: Official Android 9 (Pie) GSI

Download ArrowOS (GSI)  

Bliss OS

Bliss ROMs brings a wide selection of customization options from the Android developer community as well as unique options developed by the BlissROM team. With so many options available, you’ll find it hard not to enjoy the Bliss experience.

Version Status: Beta.

Download Bliss OS (GSI)  

Descendant

Descendant is another open-source OS based on AOSP. It was founded in 2018 and is led by  Dil3mm4, Descendant can be installed on various platforms. It comes preloaded with a number of applications that include Kiwi Browser, Open Camera, AmazeFileManager and Markup among others, for a full list of features you might want to check out the gallery.

Version Status: Stable.

Type: Official Android 9 (Pie) GSI

Known Issues: The problems you will face with Descendant are the same that you may face with any other ROM based over phhusson’s work according to the developer.

Download Descendant OS (GSI) 

Paranoid Android Pie Beta – QSSI 8998

This GSI officially supports OnePlus 5/T but can theoretically work on any other device that comes with OEM stock ROM version Android Pie, is treble-ready, has msm8998-based chipset and not using A/B partitioning scheme of which Realme X2 Pro is. It comes with a beautiful Hampus Olsson wallpaper and adjustments and improvements on top of the stock Android CAF base. The developers also added further UI touches to enhance the overall user experience. 

Version Status: Stable.

Type: Official Android 9 (Pie) GSI

Download Paranoid Android Pie Beta (GSI)  

Resurrection Remix v7.0 GSI

Resurrection Remix the ROM is based on LineageOS, SlimRoms, Omni and original Remix ROM builds, this creates an awesome combination of performance, customization, power and the newest features, brought directly to your Device.

Version Status: Beta.

Type: Official Android 9 (Pie) GSI

Known Issues:

Low brightness in Realme X2 Pro (Fixed)

Download Resurrection Remix v7.0 GSI

Download Gapps

We can only cover a few GSI ROMs in this article, get a full list here.

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