Android 12 AOSP on the Galaxy S9? Project Elixir 1.2 Rom Review! | S9/S9+/Note9 (Exynos Only)

I finally did it. Hadn't really looked much down the Custom ROM rabbit hole but decided I'd give it a shot, so here's my take on the Project Elixir 1.2 software itself (showcased on the Galaxy S9+).
**This ROM is for Exynos devices only!**
______________________________________________
Links as promised:
‪@channel48‬
channel48's video: • First Android 12 ROMS ...
XDA Thread - (forum is for v2.0 now (!) but v1.2 still available to download): forum.xda-developers.com/t/ro...
Downloads:
S9 (all A12 builds): sourceforge.net/projects/proj...
S9+ (all A12 builds): sourceforge.net/projects/proj...
Note9 (all A12 builds): sourceforge.net/projects/proj...
GCam: linktr.ee/koopah94 (build 3415)
(Better version: t.me/AndroidSageCom/524)
Also, all music is from Pixabay, genuinely a high recommendation of mine!
______________________________________________
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:58 - UI & aesthetics (incl. animations), overview of features
3:37 - Performance & benchmarks
5:15 - More features
6:08 - Samsung compatibility issues
6:43 - Battery life
7:20 - Security
7:43 - Bugs & nitpicks
9:33 - Conclusions & outro

[@mformetro]

Quick notes which I left out of the video: - The haptics when using the phone are not quite as good as OneUI, and they don't cover the gestures, selecting text, keyboard etc. as extensively. - The brightness slider isn't linear so mine's usually above 80% most of the time. The peak brightness is slightly lower than OneUI since there's no extended brightness. - Call quality and call connections are fine, microphone quality is good but Whatsapp mic quality isn't great. -------------------------------------- All Wallpapers: Majority are from Abstruct (Pro), Backdrops (Non-Pro) and Stokie on the Play Store: 0:23, 3:24 - Search for 'Pixel 3' on Stokie 1:14 - Search for 'MIUI 12' on Stokie 2:06, 5:27, 8:45 - Search for 'Pixel 6 Pro' on Stokie 2:30 - 'Lost Levels' on Backdrops 2:50 - 'Day in Dreamcanyon' - Mountains of Madness (Pro pack) - Abstruct 3:13 - 'Curve Crush' on Backdrops 3:27 - 'Candyland Express' - Mountains of Madness (Pro pack) - Abstruct 4:30 - 'Land Escape' on Backdrops 7:37 - can't find the app :/ 9:05 - 'Strained Terrain' on Backdrops Check out the updated 1.8 video here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIXaopJqqa2Yq7M

[@jedvaulten02]

Pixel OS , haptics work and feel the same as a real pixel 6, brightness slider is smooth and linear and has extended brightness it's applied above 80%, Microphone quality is amazing and banking, streaming apps work perfectly. If you set the DPI to 432 on Samsung S9 it feels like a pixel 5.

[@jedvaulten02]

And boot time is about 18-19 secs

[@mformetro]

@@jedvaulten02 yeah I don't know whether I'm gonna switch back to 1.5 or even try something completely different, I might stick with it for a bit but it seems to have some of the visual bugs from 1.2 again which were fixed in 1.5..

[@jedvaulten02]

@@mformetro and latest update was June 25th 2022.

[@jedvaulten02]

Version 1.9 has released.

[@timmy2835]

thanks man again

[@Limeruai37]

Need more vids on your s9 associated with custom roms👍

[@mformetro]

Yeah I'm considering making a playlist 🤞

[@twylichfx938]

How did You get Those ikons? And relly good video keep it up

[@mformetro]

There's an option in most of these ROMs to enable themed icons, been using those 👍.

[@hdjdjvsjjdvdvd6420]

finaly somebody made a professionnal vidéo of galaxy s9 custom rom 🤌 great job.

[@mformetro]

Appreciate it!

[@SaudiShanab]

Thanks

[@rishisen2424]

i got a s9 plus (Exynos version) i get a battery life of 4 hrs sot. can u make a video on how to flash the costom rom

[@TheSurfs]

Man I wish I bought Used S9 Plus this rom looks very beatiful

[@mformetro]

Yeah it was a nice experience 👌

[@ThomasCollectables]

The notification centre looks terrible, I think I'll keep android 10 for a good while yet.

[@baji-vb3sb]

Thanks for showcasing this beauty rom, how did you change the font color to white? i cannot find it.

[@mformetro]

Thanks! Also, I don't know what you mean about changing the font colour, I think it changes automatically based on the theme.

[@baji-vb3sb]

@@mformetro ohh i see. thanks

[@ezekiel0606]

what was your previous SOT? you mentioned it's now 3hrs

[@mformetro]

Used to be anything between 2 and 3 depending on usage but it's definitely better than before.

[@brightm6281]

I have a t-mobile galaxy s9. Can I use this custom rom as well? Help!!

[@mformetro]

If it's T-Mobile then that's a Snapdragon phone. Won't work.

[@lincln9979]

Mine gives an error and says it has to be "star2qltechn" and not "star2lte", does anyone have this version? I can not find. (S9Plus)

[@mformetro]

star2qltechn is one of the Snapdragon versions, this ROM is for Exynos only.

[@maisonkklol]

Camera works fine? Like the original one ui?

[@mformetro]

No, that's why I said I'm using a GCam (2:28). But the support for front and rear cameras is fine for 1.2. I'd recommend the ZGCam I used since it seems to work the best.

[@goingviral8917]

I got an s9 too. Planning on updating this. Any drawbacks like WiFi connectivity or making calls etc?

[@mformetro]

WiFi and calls are absolutely fine, only main drawbacks are those minor visual bugs I mentioned, and the lack of a night light. Other than that, it's a very complete experience. Although I'd recommend having a look at 1.5 too since it fixes most of the issues in 1.2.

[@passthroughbyfarooq]

Try noble Rom

[@imaduddin1154]

Does VoLTE works with this rom?

[@fake.reb129]

hows the battery usage?

[@mformetro]

It slightly improved after I switched from OneUI but the newer versions of Elixir use a lot more power. But on 1.2, maybe 3.5-4 hours SoT.

[@ashotgevorgyan1975]

Can you change the resolution to Full HD from 1440p?

[@mformetro]

Unfortunately not, wish it was a feature though. It's locked at 1440p even in battery saving mode.

[@whitefang6966]

Well while i was using it .... I used the pixels resolution app for changing it back to 1080p and damn battery went📈📈

[@chinagoromibekwe8735]

can I update from android 10 to this one directly?

[@mformetro]

It's not an official update but yeah if you can install a custom recovery it's not difficult 👍. You can jump from 10 to 12 without any issue as far as I know.

[@jedvaulten02]

Elixir 2.0 has released

[@Fern92]

Does the retina scan still works with this ROM??

[@mformetro]

No, the newer versions have face unlock with the front camera only but there's no iris.

[@rez235]

decrease in battery percentage when charging while in use ?

[@mformetro]

I haven't had that personally 🤷‍♂️ battery estimates were usually pretty accurate

[@handpowers]

Did this rom removed the heating and battery issue?

[@mformetro]

1.2 doesn't have any issues like that but the newer versions do have battery issues and worse thermals so I'd look at a different Rom or consider one of the versions between 1.2 and 1.5.

[@RealShadowfiend180x]

Does this allow you to encrypt your phone im on arrow android 12 it loops if i try to encrypt it same as lineageos on android 11

[@mformetro]

I don't know about encryption, but it seems to be pretty stable. Although the base parameters I used for 1.2 were from LineageOS 18.1 (A12) so it might have the same issues as the A11 you used. Not sure though.

[@RealShadowfiend180x]

@@mformetro thank you at the moment I'm running arrowos A12

[@whitefang6966]

Bro can u link the purple black wallpaper at start of video

[@mformetro]

www.setaswall.com/google-pixel-3-stock-wallpapers/google-pixel-3-stock-wallpaper-016-1080x1920/

[@adityarai7742]

Iris scanner work ?

[@mformetro]

No

[@ZeroOMhert]

have you tried Noble ROM?

[@mformetro]

Yeah I've used the latest version but I prefer Pixel Experience so I switched back.

[@Roman.Joshua]

Have you heard of "nova launcher" and "swift installer"?

[@mformetro]

I used to use Nova Launcher Prime a lot on OneUI, it's a great launcher. Definitely the best Pixel launcher out there. I've briefly heard of Swift Installer but can't say I've used it.

[@FredsterOfficialChannel]

Is the Bixby button remappable like the stock rom? With bxactions

[@mformetro]

The Bixby button doesn't have any setting to change the mapped app as far as I know, nor does BxActions seem to work (crashed my UI).

[@FredsterOfficialChannel]

@@mformetroaw man that's a deal breaker for me! I use that button all the time. Do you know any ROM that works with bxactions or has options to remap it? Aside from the OneUI ones like Noble

[@FredsterOfficialChannel]

@@mformetro btw thank you for your hard work! Really appreciate it

[@mformetro]

@@FredsterOfficialChannel gonna be honest I've only really used Project Elixir and I tried Noble ROM a while back but I don't have much experience with others, so I guess only one I know of is Noble.

[@mformetro]

@@FredsterOfficialChannel no problem 👌

[@jhenardpelle1650]

is VOlte functioning?

[@mformetro]

Yeah 👍

[@JoshBoadu]

Does the play store and Google services work on it

[@mformetro]

Yeah Google Apps are all preinstalled

[@victorcabrera8018]

Cameras its working?

[@mformetro]

Yeah unfortunately the camera built in is really basic, but you can download a GCam alternative which works fine. Look at 2:17

[@techinsider195]

Volte works??

[@mformetro]

Yes

[@cocolemon1213]

is this good for netflix? how bout security level?

[@mformetro]

I don't use Netflix on the go but the security is pretty solid, there's also integration of the fingerprint for verification of purchases (Play Store etc.). The newer versions of Elixir do have more security options though (I'm doing a video on v1.8).

[@emmanuelmorales9896]

does this rom work on s9 sm-g9600?

[@mformetro]

Nope, only on Exynos variants. G9600 is one of the international versions.

[@metintaskb5081]

Can you still change the Resolution from settings?

[@metintaskb5081]

and iris sensor?

[@mformetro]

@@metintaskb5081 no iris scanner, no resolution changer.

[@khay6439]

can i flash this rom on my S9 G960U pls?

[@mformetro]

No that's a Snapdragon model.

[@nazahrock]

Hdmi support?

[@mformetro]

Sorry, I haven't tested that. Might be in the features list on their XDA forum.

[@matheusdiassoares3574]

if i do this with my s9, does the green burn-in go away?

[@mformetro]

What do you mean by green burn in?

[@matheusdiassoares3574]

@@mformetro when the screen turns green

[@mformetro]

@@matheusdiassoares3574 then I don't know, never had that happen to my phone. But the status bar icons shift around so you won't get any major burn in.

[@BINUKA]

No. Because green issue is a hardware issue.

[@subkarpaty]

Bro looks nice but stock camera must beeee i chose noble rom 1.7 best ver of all

[@mformetro]

I tried Noble ROM 1.3 and the camera was suuuper grainy, so I switched back. But I'd be willing to try 1.7

[@morbyageng3142]

Apakah custom rom ini bisa menghilangkan penyakit green screen samsung s9?

[@davidthreshyr3734]

Just install oled saver and get out of the sun

[@mohamedsalhi9737]

g960j SCV38 Convert to G960F global rom

[@AnimeworldYT2]

Can we install it on s8

[@mformetro]

Think it's for the S9 and newer unfortunately.

[@MoJiTo.APC0703]

I need wallpaper green 😮

[@mformetro]

www.peakpx.com/en/search?q=pixel+3 Scroll down and you should find it 👍

[@agushlami3777]

Bro is there a chance to do this in snapdragon version, i love to have stock android on my s9

[@mformetro]

No mate sorry, can't unlock the bootloader on the Snapdragon variants. It's annoying, cause the Snapdragon chip is better, but the Exynos phones get the ROMs 🤷‍♂️.

[@agushlami3777]

@@mformetro yeah i tried berofe to install the one ui 4 but its no way, i thought stock android will be easier. Thnx bro👍

[@mformetro]

@@agushlami3777 yeah I managed 3 days with Noble ROM before I went back to Pixel Experience, it's so much nicer

[@xayannmaybe]

Is there 4g support?

[@mformetro]

👍

[@jedvaulten02]

Project Elixir is now discontinued for the s9 and s9+ latest is 1.5, you now have to use latest pixel experience or pixel os. Edit no longer discontinued..

[@mformetro]

Pretty sure it's not discontinued, the download links for 1.2 through to 1.5 are still on their website. When I made the video I wasn't planning on upgrading from 1.2, but I'm now on 1.5.

[@jedvaulten02]

@@mformetro the latest is 1.8 for other phones..

[@mformetro]

@@jedvaulten02 well let's hope they'll be doing OTA updates for the future

[@jedvaulten02]

@@mformetro and I noticed sound quality is way better than Android 10, One UI 2.5 especially with wired headphones.

[@mformetro]

@@jedvaulten02 oh for me one thing about 1.5 that is genuinely tragic is the audio, the Dolby Atmos does next to nothing and the mic quality took a huge hit for some reason. 1.2 is fine though.

[@sumberpangan7849]

What name that game car ?

[@mformetro]

Smashy Road: Wanted 2

[@BINUKA]

1.8 Just released with bunch of new features

[@mformetro]

Already using it 👍 so far it's good but a few nitpicks here and there.

[@BrandonSV]

Snapdragon?

[@mformetro]

Exynos. I found a video of Project Elixir 1.5 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnXUq4qNmbiCmpo on what I thought looked like a Snapdragon S9, but it is a European model (G960F). Unfortunately the majority of these ROMs are for Exynos only, so I wouldn't risk trying it.

[@shreyasdas2749]

Can you make volte calls on this rom ?? I use a sim which solely relies on volte to make calls, if not, Can you suggest me some one UI based custom roms ? I am using Hades os but the phone literally won't turn on sometime (it eventually will after 10-60 sec)and it really gets in my nerves.

[@mformetro]

My network doesn't use VoLTE, so I'm not 100% sure, but the XDA Thread says VoLTE doesn't work. If you wanna try out a OneUI ROM, go for NobleROM 2.4 (OneUI 4.1), which just got a patch this month: forum.xda-developers.com/t/noble-rom-2-4-oneui-4-1-full-port-06-22-patches-18-06-2022-sm-n960f-fd-n-sm-g96xf-fd-n.4253997/ (From what I tried on NobleROM for Android 11, it's very close to what you'd get on an S10, Note 10 etc.)

[@mohamedsalhi9737]

This rom work s9 japon g960j scv38

[@mformetro]

No, sorry. Exynos only

[@bravokarthik4329]

You can flash dolby atmos using magisk root

[@mformetro]

Yeah I forgot to mention I did that after using this Rom, much better audio.

[@allthingsuseless4707]

can you please drop the link of the dolby module? @@mformetro

[@hdjdjvsjjdvdvd6420]

i wonder if the pixel expérience rom is better than project élixir ?

[@mformetro]

I haven't tried Pixel Experience yet 🤷

[@nhantruongtrong8987]

there are not alot of ROMs for the S9/S9 Plus, but in my experience the best custom ROM out there for the S9/S9 Plus are Evolution X, it has more features than PE and also has a better performance + battery life ( about 5h37 on my S9+ with Evo X compare to just 4h24 on PE )

[@edysutz]

​@@nhantruongtrong8987 my s9 gets 2 hour battery on evox even stock better

[@nhantruongtrong8987]

@@edysutz yeah my bad i forgot to mention that i have done some tweaks to my S9+ and a battery change, and also some custom has a lot of google services running in the background so thats why sometime the battery is worse compare to stock rom

[@edysutz]

@@nhantruongtrong8987 is your s9 overhat on evox? Mine yes but i think only after flash

[@ziayanali8022]

Battery drain problem is rom

[@mformetro]

Not an issue in 1.2, but the newer versions have drain

[@AndersonVieira-ss4sj]

Bom dia da pra instalar no s9 spragragom

[@abdelalimchicha7189]

Hello, could tell me about the iris scanner, your haven't mention it. Thanks man : )

[@mformetro]

I mentioned it at 7:36, but yeah it's not included unfortunately :/ I doubt they'll add it cause I'm using v1.8 at the moment and there's no option for iris scanning, but they did add face unlock (not very secure tho).

[@abdelalimchicha7189]

@@mformetro thank you so much, i liked your fast reply, you gain new subscriber ; )

[@mformetro]

@@abdelalimchicha7189 ayy, thanks mate!

[@dosailepp40]

Yo u do dofe, same

[@syedmeheraj6656]

Phone is great but the battery 🔋 is serious issue nowadays

[@mformetro]

Yeah it's horrendous

[@jadenlinreall]

Wallpapers, please!!

[@mformetro]

You can find all of these on Abstruct (Pro), Backdrops (Non-pro) and Stokie on the Play Store: 0:23, 3:24 - Search for 'Pixel 3' on Stokie 1:14 - Search for 'MIUI 12' on Stokie 2:06, 5:27, 8:45 - Search for 'Pixel 6 Pro' on Stokie 2:30 - 'Lost Levels' on Backdrops 2:50 - 'Day in Dreamcanyon' - Mountains of Madness (Pro pack) - Abstruct 3:13 - 'Curve Crush' on Backdrops 3:27 - 'Candyland Express' - Mountains of Madness (Pro pack) - Abstruct 4:30 - 'Land Escape' on Backdrops 7:39 - ? 9:05 - 'Strained Terrain' on Backdrops

[@Sam7z.]

for Snapdragon:'(

[@mformetro]

Don't know, sorry :/

[@wainerolaya1925]

pls snapdragon version S9+😢

[@mformetro]

They don't make it for Snapdragon cause the bootloaders are usually way harder to unlock :/ sorry bud.