The smartphone has
a stock app drawer that does not let users to create folders or sort app icons.
Not exact matches
The Android experience on the E4 Plus is incredibly close to
stock, including features like your Google Feed cards on your left-most home screen, swiping up to access your
app drawer, and even the Pixel animation when pressing the home button.
The
app drawer is accessed by swiping up on the dock since I'm using the
stock Pixel launcher.
While Sony's UI still contains a fair amount of bloatware, overall the manufacturer's skin seems toned down from previous versions, and fairly close to
stock Android, including swiping to the right from home to get to Google Now and a pre-installed
app drawer (unlike LG).
It's one of the most radical departures from
stock Android available today, with its rounded notifications cards, lack of an
app drawer and iOS - style Share menus.
And although the launcher can be changed, the
stock launcher's lack of a dedicated
app drawer (a possible shot for former iPhone users can be a tad startling to anyone in the U.S. who has used basically any other Android device.
Additionally, an
app drawer has been added in case you prefer the feel of the
stock Android experience.
Next, Huawei has caved and finally provides users the option to have an
app drawer on the
stock launcher.
The launcher,
app drawer, notification menu, dialer, and other such programs still look different than those of
stock Android.
Sony's launcher is effectively a lightly themed
stock Android launcher, even going so far as to integrate the Google Now feed on the leftmost pane, though it hasn't quite jumped up to speed with the more modern Pixel - style
app drawer or long - press shortcuts for
apps — I would expect that to come soon enough.
YU also seems to have stepped away from Cyanogen and «Android on Steroids» and now has opted for a relatively close to
stock Android experience, with not too many preinstalled
apps and no
app drawer.
The G5's Android skin, while sleek, can't match the power of
stock Android (not sure power is the right word here), and even lacks the standard
app drawer featured in almost every other build.
And while manufacturers like Samsung and LG have
stock options to simplify home screens and the
app drawer, many others don't have a built - in way to do this.
Overall, the software is very different from
stock Android: there's no
app drawer, the UI is iOS - like, and there are a great number of additions.
If you'd like to give the
stock launcher a go but want the
app drawer back, LG actually included a way to add an
app drawer to its launcher via a separate download.
Stock Android doesn't come with a whole lot of bells and whistles, and apart from a few aesthetic changes, such as the now vertically - scrolling
app drawer, the most notable additions with Android 6.0 Marshmallow are Doze, more granular control over
app permissions, and Google Now on Tap.
It feels exceedingly close to
stock right out of the box, with an
app drawer and Google Now positioned to the right of home.
LG did something weird with the G5: it completely removed the
app drawer in the
stock launcher, and tossed all
apps on the the home screens, like in iOS.
You can also change wallpapers by simply flicking the top right corner of the display, and we saved the best for last — if you do not like Lenovo's interface (it is the Vibe UI, with no
app drawers, which it unveiled last year), you can simply activate developer mode and boot the device into a
stock Android one.
For example, EMUI removes the
app drawer completely, which considering that it is a key navigation tool in most other Android UI variants, including
stock, feels very weird.
But at its core, the
app drawers, notification dropdowns, multitasking via the recent
apps screen, and Google Now elements are totally functional and easy on the eyes because they are
stock and pure.
While other key Android manufacturers either plump for
stock Android or increasingly try and skin in a very restrained fashion, Huawei's EMUI still feels like it lags behind even if it has come on a lot in terms of usability over the last couple of years - the
app drawer is back if you want it.
With Android M it will be native in the
stock Google Now launcher giving users the option to remove them from the homescreen, or uninstall them completely from the device without having top travel to the
app drawer to do it.
If you do stick with the
stock launcher, know that its way of organizing your
app drawer can be frustrating.
Sony has improved the look of
stock applications a lot in recent years, but most still look old - fashioned within the
app drawer.
To be fair, EMUI is more reserved than ever with the Oreo refresh, as menus in the Settings
app are now far less convoluted, and enabling the
app drawer reveals a pretty reserved and close - to -
stock home screen, complete with the Google Feed.
For some people the lack of a
stock Android experience will be a stumbling block, especially since EMUI doesn't include an
app drawer.
One of the biggest changes is that there is no
app drawer on the
stock launcher.
It's very streamlinedand close to
stock, but with key improvements (such as the ability to organise the
app drawer).
EMUI 5 will then also feature an
app drawer on the
stock launcher.
Not to mention that MIUI doesn't exactly offer an
app drawer, and looks considerably different than
stock Android.
My only issue with the S6 is the size of the icons in the
Apps drawer but it's the same issue with
Stock Android anyways.
The most obvious difference from
stock Android is the missing
app drawer, which is something of an acquired taste and definitely makes things look cluttered.
More than that phone offers the
stock Android experience except for the no
app drawer and iconography change.
The Acer Launcher is very similar to the old
stock Android launcher found on devices such as the Nexus 4 and features separate tabs in the
app drawer for
apps and widgets.
The settings and notification shade are the same as
stock, the only major interface tweak in this version is the fact that you swipe up from the bottom dock to open your
app drawer.
The absence of
app drawer could be an issue for few who have always been seeing them on
stock UI or the ones from Samsung, LG and such, but Lenovo hasn't limited the UI with the home screens having just the
app icons.
There's a swipe up gesture to access the
app drawer, Google Now occupies the left-most pane, and all interface elements are unchanged from
stock Android.
The homescreen is a neat 4x5 grid with an
app drawer, while the notification pane is the version found in
stock Android, complete with handy quick toggles.
We didn't have any issues or sudden crashes if you're worried about; it was rather quite promising experience, one which is quite equal to having a
stock Android but expects for the fact that there was no
app drawer in this interface.
You'll also notice it in the
app drawer, which despite its selectable categories located at the bottom of the screen is also identical to
stock Android.
For example, the
app drawer still houses all the widgets, which we haven't seen on
stock Android since the Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean days.
The icons in the status bar however, as well as the
app drawer design, the design of the settings menu, and the design of the quick settings menu all look like they should for a phone running on what is mostly
stock Android with little adjustment.
That widgets are in
stock Android's
app drawer but wallpapers remain elsewhere was another cause for concern for Lacy, and so they're in the customization pane as well.
It's one of the best third - party user interfaces out there, with the biggest change over
stock Android being the lack of an
app drawer.