Let’s see together how to change the launcher to install the fastest and lightest, especially if the smartphone is slow
If after a few years of use we notice that our Android smartphone slows too much and has unbearable freeze and slowdowns, maybe we can show you how to fix it without having to buy a new smartphone and without making changes too deep to the system.
To speed up the smartphone we can focus on a faster and lighter launcher, which will allow you to manage the various screens of the phone in an optimal manner and will allow you to open the various apps that install faster.
In this guide we will show you the best Android launchers for performance and impact on the system, so you can continue to use phones a few years ago without losing anything from the point of view of design and functionality.
1) Evie Launcher
Among the lighter and more immediate launchers we can use Evie Launcher, available for free download from here -> Evie Launcher.
This launcher combines speed of use with a very minimal and precise design, with a management of apps and services of the smartphone slightly different from that of the basic launcher: the menu of the app is open scrolling and the app can be searched quickly from the search bar together with contacts and widgets, in a style that recalls the old Lumia (nothing to do anyway, since this feature is integrated much better).
Definitely recommended if we want to increase the speed of our Android smartphone with just two clicks and modernize the way we use the phone.
2) Lean Launcher
Another very light and powerful launcher to try on old Android smartphones (less than 3 GB of RAM) but also on the newest terminals is Lean Launcher, free download from here -> Lean Launcher.
The minimal design inspired by the latest versions of Android, the icons adjustable in size and the menu of the app available scrolling are the main new features of this launcher, which will allow you to replace the default launcher in a simple and fast retrieving most of the speed execution lost with the original launcher.
3) Apex Launcher
If we want more customization in a launcher but we do not want to give up the performance, we will have to focus with our eyes closed on Apex Launcher, available for free download from here -> Apex Launcher.
With this launcher we will have all the new graphics introduced with the latest versions of Android, combined with enviable performance and numerous customization menus, with which you can give a touch of personality by changing icons, folders, the layout of icons, bars of search and style of the app menu.
Definitely one of the best if our smartphone is not new but not very old (we say that on 2-3 GB of RAM should always run very well).
4) Smart Launcher 5
Among the new launchers that we can try on Android smartphone we mark Smart Launcher 5, available for free download from here -> Smart Launcher 5.
This launcher allows you to customize every aspect of the screens and icons, also offering useful automatic grouping of icons for functionality or affinity, also adapting the size of the icons.
The ultra-immersive mode is also excellent that removes all the bars and allows you to enjoy the full screen of the smartphone without the need to use app or system changes.
The launcher includes the gesture, the hotkeys and the Smart search bar to search both on the phone and on the Internet.
5) Nova Launcher
Nova Launcher is without a doubt the most famous alternative launcher for functionality and support for themes and icon packs.
We can download it for free (trial version with limited functionality) from here -> Nova Launcher.
By installing this launcher we will have a multitude of different options to customize the screens, widgets, icons, folders and the menu of the app, with the possibility to use the packs available in the Google Play Store to create a unique style.
From the performance point of view, Nova is without a doubt one of the fastest, but if we install too many different icon packs and themes, we run the risk of weighing it down, especially on smartphones a few years ago: to keep performance always at best we recommend leaving default themes and icon packs and customize using the default tools provided by Nova.
The free version is good but many features can only be exploited by buying Nova Prime, which unlocks all the otherwise inaccessible gestures and menus.
6) Lawnchair Launcher deserves an honor of mention in every article of this type, because it is not just a clone of Pixel Launcher, the default of Google Smartphones, but is also open source completely, without ads and without ads.
The launcher is faster and lighter than Nova and Evie on all phones, fluid without requiring much memory (just 60 MB) even on older smartphones.
Key features include Google Now integration, Oreo-style Android notifications, cabio icons, icon and grid size customization, adaptive icons on Android Nougat & above.
7) APUS Launcher is one of the best especially for slower Android smartphones, old or cheaper, that suffer from slowdowns.
APUS states that its app is very light, small in terms of size, with a memory consumption even lower than 80% compared to other launchers.
To give more boost, there is also a button to clean up the RAM memory that has been occupied by applications that are not being used.
However, the best part of APUS is its quick command button that you can move to the left or right and that you can touch with your finger to show the most used switches and apps.
From this screen that looks like a hive of buttons very nice to see you can turn on or off the wifi, data connection, GPS, bluetooth etc.
This button can also be maintained using another launcher, keeping the Apus app installed.
A bar of switches is also visible on the notification bar, for quick and easy access.
If you preferred a more minimalist and light appearance, in the application settings you can disable the switch button, the buttons on the notification bar, the news screen that compare by swiping the main screen to the right, the search bar and other promotional features such as radar and ‘other apps’ icon present in each folder, which recommend other applications to install.
The defect is the advertising that must be accepted to use Apus.
7) How to manage one or more launchers
On our Android smartphone we can install any launcher, but we can use it only one at a time.
If we do not know which one to choose our advice is to install them all, then enter the Settings menu of Android and go to the menu Launcher or Home (varies depending on the model): we will find all the installed launchers, we will only have to check what we want to try or keep active in memory.
Once selected, click on the home button of our smartphone to immediately load the launcher into memory.
To improve the performance of the smartphone we also recommend closing all the apps in memory (among these we could also find the old launcher) and reboot the device: having two launchers in memory is not really the best for those who aim at the speed of execution, and by doing the recommended steps we will delete every trace of the old launcher in memory.