Does a theme/launcher slow down an android phone

[coolkenny13]

so my new shiny s7 edge has been with me since weeks now. been seen how all these reviewers have been putting a stock/nova launcher theme on their phone.

Question: Do themes or launchers slow down or reduce the performance of the phones in any way?

 

[mitul_mehta]

Nova rocks. Do install it and don't worry abt performance.

 

[SpookDroid]

Most of the time, they improve it... but that's not always the case and it depends on the launcher itself. GoLauncher isn't known for being speedy, but it does have a lot of customization options. Themer is AWESOME for customizing your phone, but it's less than perfect when it comes to overall performance. Nova is pretty much a compromise with good customization options and good performance, but you won't find the same themeing capabilities of Themer or even TouchWiz (the stock Samsung launcher).

It will also depend on just how much you have going on in your launcher. More widgets will definitely impact performance, just as a live wallpaper will have worse performance than a static one. Usually icon packs will not cause a difference other than the specific launcher you're using.

 

[digitalbreak]

Short answer: Yes, they can.

If you are new to launchers, best is to try a few that are on top, like: Nova Launcher, Action Launcher 3 and Google Now Launcher, Aviate etc.,

It depends on what the launchers do and how much they customize out of the box vs. how much freedom they give the user to customize from vanilla settings.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[chanchan05]

The question is too broad. As digitalbreak said they CAN. But that's very different from answering a question as whether they actually DO.

A light launcher like Google Now or Nova or Apex won't, if the setup is not too heavy on resources.

A 3D animation heavy launcher like Go or Next is more likely to slow down the phone.

Of course this is also related to the phone itself and its capabilities. Something that slows down an S3 does not necessarily mean it will slow down an S7.