SUVI ROM V12 Pulsar Review for Micromax A110

SUVI ROM V12 Pulsar Review for Micromax A110

SUVI ROM series really keeps Micromax Canvas 2
alive, developmentally speaking. 

One of the greatest things that make SUVI ROM series worthy of being mentioned again and again is its steady continuity. Its developer bsuhas actually interacts with admirers and fanboys of the series, and this leads to quicker and more population-oriented development of the ROM. And the recent addition to the prestigious series of ROMs is SUVI V12, codenamed 'Pulsar'.

First look at the ROM 

Pulsar is really very smooth, and shares much in common with V11 Orion and V10 Neptune in this regard. The default wallpaper has been changed, and the Samsung Touchwiz launcher has been integrated more with the SystemUI, otherwise the ROM doesn't seem to be much different from its predecessors. However, a great addition to this ROM is the new unlock feature, which needs us to swipe our finger across the screen creating a virtual ripple, that unlocks the screen.

So, without much ado, let us delve into the pros and cons of this version of the ROM.

Pros

1. Battery backup

This must be mentioned at the beginning. The battery drain has been majestically minimized, and especially compared to V10 Neptune, this is a grand achievement. And inevitably, better battery management means better performance on the part of the device, including longer working hours, making the planet greener etc. In my case, the battery lasted for more than a day, after a little bit gaming, reading news on Flipboard and Times of India, watching videos for a couple of minutes (the Epic rap battles series) and listening to music and FM for more than 2 hours. Thus, as I said, this is a great advancement.

2. Fancier effects and display

The much adored series

It may just be me, but compared to many other ROMs, display seems to be better in SUVI series, and this is especially evident in V12. A possible reason might be the intelligent dpi changer included with the ROM, and changing the dpi to 200 from 190 gives us more screen area for daily tasks.

The effects are worthy of being mentioned as well. The first one has already been talked about above, the new swipe feature adopted from Samsung Galaxy S4. In addition, opening and closing of windows is smoother and fancier than before, especially with 200 dpi setting.

3. More free RAM

Lacking GAPPS, the ROM has more than 150 MB of free RAM, as per the developer. Although I didn't come close to this, still the ROM is absolutely smooth and runs most games, programs and apps flawlessly. After installing GAPPS, the performance doesn't degrade in any way.

More effective memory management means better performance as a whole, and this is true for the ROM. However, in this regard not much is to be expected by a person migrating from V10 Neptune. Compared to many other ROMs though, V12 Pulsar is much more flexible.

4. Built-in 12 MP primary camera 

The camera quality is something to boast about,
in the prestigious SUVI ROM series. But it's better
than ever in Pulsar. 

Although many ROMs feature this configuration, SUVI V12 makes the best use of the camera. I have never seen such camera performance with any ROM on Micromax A110, save and except the official ROMs. Autofocus is very speedy, and screen preview framerate is superb. But in one area where Pulsar beats the official ROMs is that, it sports a 12 MP primary camera (and 1.3 MP front). This makes images sharper and clearer, because a 12 MP image captures more detail than an 8 MP image.

In one line, SUVI V12 has the best camera configuration possible for any ROM on Micromax Canvas 2 as of now.

5. Superb audio quality 

Like most other SUVI ROMs, Pulsar sports excellent audio playback. But if you have a pair of decent headphones, this is especially enhanced. With my Phillips GoGear headphones, the audio quality is as nice as can be expected from even a high-budget smartphone. Even without 3D effect, audio quality is wonderful.

FM quality is quite appealing as well. FM Radio app is very responsible and quickly picks up your favourite stations at once.

6. Excellent video playback 

I personally use MXPlayer, and it runs flawlessly on Pulsar. Video playback has been improved a little bit over that in the previous ROMs. All 720p videos play flawlessly on the device.

7. Better and crisper display

This is the result of 60 FPS setting. It is especially evident for people migrating from older ROMs. Everything on the screen appears sharper and cleaner, and reading text is really a breeze with 200 dpi density setting. However, if you'd prefer a 'tighter' display, easier to use, 190 dpi can do the job easily.

8. Responsive GPS lock 

The SystemUI has been largely improved. 

Unlike most ROMs which boast the same feature, at least on my device I've found that the GPS works really fast on this ROM. It takes around 30 seconds to marks my initial position outside. What is sad is that, most people usually try to lock their positions inside, which is utterly wrong. GPS devices of this kind are not powerful enough to lock your position indoor, so best step outside to get a reading.

9. Samsung Galaxy S4 Digital clock widget 

In addition to the AccuWeather widget built-in, this nifty widget makes your homescreen more informative, and ready with the supply of latest weather data of your hometown. This widget works smoothly without any lag, but it requires a stable internet connection.

10. Improved SystemUI 

Many small features make the SystemUI more useful. For example, you can drag the brightness measure from the notification area right away, without requiring additional widgets.

Cons 

Like many good things coming with this ROM, there are several problems, minor and major alike, as well. Some of these are:

1. Flawed Wifi tethering 

Wifi tethering is activated, but can not be used by your laptop or any other device. This is a major disappointing feature for the likes of those who prefer to use their phone's connection for powering their laptops' connectivity. Mr. Suhas is trying to overcome the problem, but as of now it still persists. No fix has been released yet.

2. USB tethering is flawed as well

Many apps have been adopted from
the Canvas Music A88 ROM. 

USB tethering can not be enabled most of the time, and even when it is, the computer simply does not get online. This is another disheartening feature of this ROM, especially since this leaves us with no connectivity option using the phone. However, Mr. Suhas has kindly pointed out that an application, ClockWorkMod Tether, that can be downloaded freely from the Playstore, solves the problem of tethering.

But tethering this way is difficult. You'd need to download an additional client for your computer, and in my case it has been the Linux client in the form of a 20.7 MB .tgz archive. Compiling it from the source has been difficult. If you use Windows, you'll have to download the ADB drivers additionally.

3. FM recording fails 

This bug has haunted SUVI V10 as well, and continues to haunt V12 as a minor annoyance. Whenever you try to record FM streams, it simply declares that an error has occurred and resumes playback.

4. Default launcher problems 

The primary Touchwiz launcher often fails when you're trying to delete a screen. However, there's a quick fix, which can be found HERE.

5. USB On the Go (OTG) cable doesn't work 

The title says it all. If you plan to use this feature, better wait for the next version.

Final verdict 

SUVI V12 is indeed a major advancement upon the previous ROMs of the series, but it isn't without its fair share of problems. Many of the bugs have been fixed in SUVI 12.1 Quasar, which is a fan-made flashable zip that updates the base ROM, but still a couple more persist.

If you use your phone for your computer's networ connectivity, it's better to wait till a solution to the tethering problems has been found. Other than that however, there is no reason to stay from upgrading your ROM. Indeed, most of the features and especially the battery backup of V12 is indeed superb.

Installation and download 

All required instructions and download URLs can be found on the XDA page of the project. Be sure to thank Mr. Suhas in the case that you find his creation useful.

XDA link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2142284

Precautions 

1. Be sure to take a Titanium backup of all your apps and their data. This is a must, when you intend to flash a new ROM.

2. Take a CWM backup of your previous ROM before flashing any new ROM.

3. Take IMEI backup of your SIMs using MobileUncleTools MTK, so that you can use it to get your SIM cards working after flashing new ROMs.