One of the most impressive ways to customize your smartphone is to install a launcher. Launchers provide tons of options, themes and icons for your handset, as well as offering near complete control over how your phone performs when switching screens, launching apps and more. Here are the best Android launchers for your smartphone or tablet.
Action Launcher 3
[Price: Free / $3.99]Action Launcher has long been a favorite of our readers and it deserves a spot on this list. It comes with a stock Android kind of look but with several unique features baked in. Some of these include Quicktheme which uses your background to determine the theme accents, Covers which is a unique take on folders, Quickpage which is like a hidden home screen you can access almost anywhere, and plenty more. It has a long history of being stable with frequent updates. You can also follow developer Chris Lacy on Google+ by clicking here for news about updates.
Apex Launcher
[Price: Free / $3.99]Apex Launcher has been around for a very long time and remains one of the most iconic Android launchers ever. Like Action Launcher, it aims to give a stock Android look and feel with a few extra features thrown in for good measure. Among those include the ability to alter things like transition animations, scrolling habits, and there is even a scrolling dock where you can lay plenty of icons. Apex Launcher also includes a theme engine with many themes available on the Google Play Store and it also supports icon packs. It’s also quite stable on pretty much any device.
Buzz Launcher
[Price: Free]Buzz Launcher is an intensely popular launcher with a different kind of theming. Buzz Launcher utilizes something called Homepacks which allows you to not only customize and theme your home screen, but actually change the entire home screen itself. There are over 800,000 downloadable configurations and that means you can literally play with this thing all day long and still have new themes to check out. Other than theming, it’s a fairly solid Android launcher but it is complex so be prepared for that.
CM Launcher
[Price: Free]Despite it’s name, CM Launcher has actually no ties to CyanogenMod whatsoever. The app is done by the same developers who did CM Security which adorns our best Android Antivirus apps list right now. The app focuses on creating the smallest conceivable footprint and the download itself is only 2MB and uses only a small amount of system resources. It’s a light, fast, and stable launcher. Its biggest feature is the direct integration with CM Security so this one has a built-in antivirus. Of course, we know not everyone wants that but this is a fairly good option for those that do. There is also a contextual element that tries to guess what apps you need based on your location and the time of day.
GO Launcher EX
[Price: Free with in app purchases / $5.99]GO Launcher is among the most popular Android launchers out there with well over 100 million installs to date. This is likely thanks to its simplicity and extensive theming options. It comes with a fairly vanilla set of features that allow for slight customization but the biggest feature is the theming. There are a metric ton of GO Launcher themes and you can also use icon packs with this launcher. It’s easy to use and works rather well, even if some believe it to be a tad overrated.
Google Now Launcher
[Price: Free]Google Now Launcher is the the go-to launcher for fans of Google and Android. It is essentially the stock launcher experience with built-in Google Now. It features simplicity, “Okay, Google” hotword integration, translucent theming elements, and more. It’s not overly powerful or customizable, but it is slim, quick, and built-in Google Now is a must have for Google Now fans. It’s a great launcher that doesn’t use a lot of resources and this is what Nexus owners see when they turn on their devices for the first time.
Launcher 8
[Price: Free]Launcher 8 is a unique launcher because it looks nothing like Android. In fact, this launcher’s sole purpose of existing is to make your phone look like a Windows Phone. Using this, you can convert your widgets into Windows Phone style live tiles and create virtually the same experience you’d find on Windows Phone, but with Android instead. It also comes with a handful of other features making it a very solid Android launcher app.
Next Launcher 3D Shell
[Price: Free / $16.99]Next Launcher is among the most unique Android launcher apps on this list. It also happens to be developed by the GO Launcher developers so you know there’s some experience there. Next Launcher features a 3D style home screen layout that utilizes a scroll tab on the right side to quickly switch to any home screen you’ve created. It also features unique icon layouts, themes, a unique set of widgets (separate download), and those who pay for the app will get a lot more. You can also pick it up for cheaper than the list price if you buy it using the in-app purchases of the free version.
Nova Launcher
[Price: Free / $4.00]It doesn’t get too much better than Nova Launcher. Like Apex Launcher, Nova has been around since “the good old days” and remains not only relevant, but one of the best Android launcher app options available. It has a laundry list of customizable features that include gesture support, the ability to customize the look and feel of the app, icon pack support, themes, and much, much more. It also gets updated at a fairly rapid pace which means bugs generally get squished quickly. It also comes with the ability to backup and restore your home screen layouts for when you eventually switch to a new phone.
Smart Launcher 3
[Price: Free / $3.99]Smart Launcher 3 is another unique take on the Android home screen. This one has one single home screen with a number of shortcuts arranged in a flower-style pattern. The idea is to give access to apps quickly while using as little resources as possible to keep your device running quickly. It features notifications on the home screen, tons of available themes, security features like password-protected applications, and there are even plugins. It may be a bit simple for some, but it’s powerful and works very well.
Themer: Launcher
[Price: Free]Themer is a launcher where pretty much everything can be customized. This app works similarly to Buzz Launcher where you download a theme that changes almost everything about all of your home screens. Each them is then individually customizable which gives you a virtually unlimited number of themes and combinations to work with. Themer developers also give this app away for free and all themes are free which makes it a lot of fun to goof around with without worrying about spending too much money. It’s powerful, has icon pack support, and is integrated with Zooper Widget.
Yahoo Aviate Launcher
[Price: Free]Aviate Launcher has had quite a history. It started out as a startup project by a handful of developers before Yahoo! bought it out a couple of years back. Like EverythingMe Launcher, Yahoo Aviate has some contextual elements to try to deliver the apps you need when you need them based on location and time of day. It also comes with a sleek, simple layout along with Smart Stream which is kind of like Google Now. It’s a powerful launcher and quickly becoming a go-to solution for a lot of people. It’s also totally free.
Z Launcher by Nokia
[Price: Free]Z Launcher by Nokia is last on our list and this is one exceptionally minimal launcher. It features one home screen, an app drawer, and then an area where you can actually write out what you’re looking for. It’s a unique premise that’s great for those who enjoy something more minimal and slick and those who don’t need anything complex. It’s still in beta, but surprisingly stable and a worthy option. Check out our hands on video below to see exactly how it works!
Which is your favorite Android launcher? If we missed any launchers that you think should be in this list let us know about them in the comments below!
No comments:
Post a Comment