The Vibe X3 from Lenovo (also called X3c50, X3a40, X3c70, etc. in some regions) was launched in November 2015. Though the phone packed good internals at the time of launching, Lenovo abandoned software development for the phone abruptly, leaving users wishing for newer Android versions and VoLTE (which was promised but undelivered). Though there still hasn’t been a custom ROM that has VoLTE baked in, there are some that definitely let you use newer versions of Android on your Vibe X3. Here are the best custom ROMs available for Lenovo Vibe X3 right now.
1. AOSPExtended Unofficial v4.6 (Android N 7.1.2)
AEX or AOSPExtended was ported for the Vibe X3 in 2018. Though the current builds are far from 100% stable, they still are suitable for daily use. Developed unofficially, the ROM runs on Android Nougat 7.1.2 r36 and has all the goodies of Android Nougat and AEX. Stuff like deep customization from the phone’s settings menu, OMS support (for Substratum), One-handed UI, MicroG support, System-less root support, are all present.
Having said that though, the ROM, like all other ones, can’t make use of the IR Blaster, video recording for most apps is broken, some apps don’t start, some force-stop, the network is unstable until you lock the respective band manually, and there are some other issues. The good part is, this one is a lot lighter and feature-rich than the stock bloated Vibe UI that is still on Marshmallow (and will be on Marshmallow forever).
In our testing (December 2018), most of the stuff worked and we only found the camera and IR to be buggy. The phone handled multi-tasking well, and we didn’t face any battery-drain issue. Of all the other ROMs we tried, this one seemed the best one out there, even better than the popular Mokee ROM (listed below). As we said, don’t expect it to be a 100% stable, but you can expect it to outperform the stock Vibe UI by significant margins.
Check the forum post for discussions and in-depth details before downloading the ROM and appropriate GApps.
2. MoKee OS Official (Android N 7.1.2)
As long as we remember MoKee was the first stable custom ROM for Lenovo Vibe X3, and surprisingly, the ROM is still getting updates through the official channel. Taking about the official channel, MoKee is the only official custom ROM available for the phone. It has all the regular customization and tweaking options you’d expect from Mokee.
The last time we tried it (February 2019), everything except the IR blaster and video recording worked. The only issue we found was random System UI freezes, for which we had to force reboot the phone. That was irritating af, and that is why we put this ROM in the second spot. There was no battery drain, and memory management was good.
Go through the forum post for discussions related to the ROM.
3. Resurrection Remix Unofficial v5.8.5 (Android N 7.1.2)
Made by the same guy who made the AEX ROM, RR 5.8.5 Unofficial is a blend of features and customization options from multiple ROMs like Lineage, Slim and Omni, along with the regular Resurrection Remix tweaks.
Mostly everything worked, but there was one issue in particular which made us switch to other ROMs. There was a call-echo bug, which means though we could make phone calls, there was this heavenly echo that kept intervening and irritating. Except that, the IR blaster and video recording were broken (like all other ROMs).
Here’s the forum post, if you’d like to take part in discussions.
4. Lineage OS 15.1 Unofficial (Android Oreo)
Okay, this one just appeared out of nowhere a couple of months ago, and though we couldn’t test this one personally (because we don’t have the device anymore), we’ve heard that the ROM is able to boot (at least). While most of the stuff doesn’t work (as reported by testers, stuff like WiFi and Mobile Data are broken), the fact that it is able to boot is a good sign. You can expect a stable Oreo ROM for the otherwise abandoned Vibe X3 if developers continue to work on this one.
You can flash the ROM and try to see what works and what doesn’t. If you do, also let us know.
That’s all for this one. Don’t forget to let us know if you have tried any other custom ROM on your Lenovo Vibe X3. Happy flashing!
The Oreo ROM for the Vibe X3 is actually not functional at all. I attempted to install the ROM on the X3a40, and it basically bricked the device, so yeah, the Oreo ROM SHOULD BE AVOIDED for those who plan on using the device for daily use.
The AEX ROM is the most stable, I completely agree. However, the biggest dealbreaker (aside from the ones you mentioned), is the fact that USB MTP does not work in AEX. Windows will display a “This device is not recognizable” warning. RR OS does not have this issue somehow.
I’ve yet to test Mokee ROM, thought the ROM was long lost, until I found out that they have stored in Sourcefourge “HISTORY” folder. Will test that and let you all know how is the experience.
Btw, IR seems to be less of an issue tbh, coz the apps that make use of it are mostly ad-ridden.