When picking between the new Google Pixel phone and last year's LG Nexus 5X, the buy decision is likely to gravitate in favor of the latter. For one, the 5X is certainly cheaper and it is now on Android 7.1 Nougat through the official CyanogenMod or CM 14.1 release.
The custom ROM will transform the Nexus 5X into a full-fledged 7.1 Nougat experience, which for the handset presently remains in beta build. According to WCCFTech, CM 14.1 for the 5X is the latest and official version but users are reminded that the ride is not entirely smooth.
"You might experience some features not working properly," the report said.
Nonetheless, when all things considered jumping in should be worth the try and getting the 5X to the latest Nougat build is quite easy.
First things to consider are a few things on the check list. A backup is important in the event the CM 14.1 installation goes awry. This ensures that users have something to go back to. Then the Nexus 5X has to be rooted, the bootloader unlocked and the USB Debugging activated for the whole process to run as expected.
The installation will also require a recovery tool and users can pick from CWM or TWRP but the latter is what WCCFTech recommend. And before firing up the whole thing, one will need to make sure that the Nexus 5X battery meter is no less than 80 percent but full power juice during installation is preferred. This minimizes or eliminates the likelihood of bricking.
All things set, users can now head to head to these links (here and here) to download the CM 14.1 custom ROM designed for the Nexus 5X and the Google Apps (GApps) that will be installed following the flashing. Save everything on a PC.
Then hook up the Nexus 5X on the same machine where the files have been downloaded to transfer them the internal storage of the device. When done copying, power down the 5X and unplug from the PC.
For the remaining part of the installation procedure, simply follow the guide shared by WCCFTech. Take note that it is the same process when installing CM 14.1 and GApps. And be advised that the initial boot will take longer than usual, which WCCFTech assures is but normal.
But from there, everything will be relatively smooth, even the succeeding CyanogenMod updates, which will behave like the normal OTA update deployments.