If after a few years of use we notice that our Android smartphone slows down too much and presents unbearable freeze and slowdowns, perhaps we can show you how to fix it without having to buy a new smartphone and without making too profound changes 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 phone screens optimally and will allow you to open the various apps that we install faster.
In this guide we will show you the best Android launchers for performance and impact on the system, so that you can continue to use phones from a few years ago without losing anything from the point of view of design and functionality.
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1) Evie Launcher
Among the lightest and most immediate launchers that we can use we recommend 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 the apps and services of the smartphone slightly different from that of the basic launchers: the app menu opens scrolling and the apps can be searched quickly from the bar of research together with contacts and widgets, in a style reminiscent of the old Lumia (nothing to do anyway, since this function is much better integrated).
Definitely recommended if we want to increase the speed of our Android smartphone with two simple clicks and modernize the way we use the phone.
2) Lean Launcher
Another very light and performing launcher to try on old Android smartphones (less than 3 GB of RAM) but also on newer terminals is Lean Launcher, downloadable for free from here -> Lean Launcher .
The minimal design inspired by the latest versions of Android, the size-adjustable icons and the scrolling app menu are the main novelties of this launcher, which will allow you to replace the default launcher quickly and easily, recovering much of the speed execution lost with the original launcher.
3) Apex Launcher
If we want more customization in a launcher but do not want to give up on performance, we will have to aim with our eyes closed on Apex Launcher, available for free download from here -> Apex Launcher .
With this launcher we will have all the graphic innovations introduced with the latest versions of Android, combined with enviable performances and numerous customization menus, with which it will be possible to give a touch of personality by changing the icons, folders, the arrangement of icons, the bars of search and app menu style.
Definitely one of the best if our smartphone is not new but not very old (let's say that on the 2-3 GB of RAM it should always run very well).
4) Smart Launcher 5
Among the new launchers that we can try on Android smartphones we point out 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 groupings of icons by functionality or affinity, also adapting the size of the icons.
Excellent also the ultra immersive mode that removes all the bars and allows you to enjoy the full screen of the smartphone without the need to use apps or system changes.
The launcher features the gestures, the quick keys 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 an infinite number of different options to customize the screens, widgets, icons, folders and the app menu, with the possibility of using the packs available in the Google Play Store to create a unique style.
From a performance point of view, Nova is undoubtedly one of the fastest, but if we install too many icon packs and different themes, we run the risk of weighing it down, especially on smartphones of a few years ago: to keep the performance always at its 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 be exploited only by purchasing Nova Prime, which unlocks all the gestures and menus otherwise inaccessible.
6) Lawnchair Launcher deserves an honorable mention in every article of this type, because it is not only a cline of the Pixel Launcher, the default one of Google Smartphones, but it is also completely open source, without advertising 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, Android Oreo-style notifications, icon cabio, icon and grid size customization, adaptive icons on Android Nougat & above.
7) APUS Launcher is one of the best especially for slower, older or cheaper Android smartphones, which suffer from slowdowns.
APUS states that its app is very light, small in size, with even 80% less memory consumption than other launchers.
To give more push, there is also a button to clean the RAM memory that has been occupied by applications that are not being used.
The best part of APUS is however its quick control button which can be moved to the right or left and which can be touched with the 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 activate or deactivate the wifi, the data connection, the GPS, the bluetooth etc.
This button can also be maintained using another launcher, keeping the Apus app installed.
A switch bar is also visible on the notification bar, for quick and easy access.
If you prefer a more minimalist and light look, in the application settings you can disable and make the switch button disappear, the buttons on the notification bar, the news screen that compare by swiping the main screen on the right, the search bar and other promotional functions such as the radar and the "other apps" icon in each folder, which recommend other applications to be installed.
The flaw is the advertising that must be accepted to use Apus.
8) Lens Launcher is inspired by the layout that can be found on an Apple Watch, putting all the icons of the installed apps on a single screen, even if these were 200, they remain visible, with the smaller icons to get space.
There is nothing else in the launcher, which is clearly the simplest and lightest that can be found, done from a single screen.
While you cannot use widgets in this launcher, all the apps are immediately available and to find them just touch the screen and hold in order to zoom and display the large icons with a very special effect.
To launch an app, just go with your finger on it and release the screen.
Conclusion: How to manage one or more launchers
On our Android smartphone we can install any launcher, but we can only use it one at a time.
If we do not know which to choose, our advice is to install them all, then enter the Android Settings menu and go to the Launcher or Home menu (varies depending on the model): we will find all the launchers installed, we will only have to tick what we want to try or keep active in memory.
Once selected we click on the Home button of our smartphone to immediately load the launcher into memory.
To improve smartphone performance, we also recommend closing all the apps in memory (among these we may also find the old launcher) and restarting the device: having two launchers in memory is not exactly the best for those aiming for execution speed, and carrying out the recommended steps we will eliminate all traces of the old launcher in memory.
If RAM is not a problem for us, we recommend trying the other Android launchers, available in the Best Android Launcher guide and free themes to change the appearance of your mobile phone.
