Got a Galaxy S2, should I Custom ROM or not?

[XCVG]

So, a couple weeks ago I took the plunge and bought a Galaxy S II i9100. So far, I love it. It's more capable than all my other portable devices combined. It's a better music player than my aging Sansa Fuze, more powerful gaming device than my DS Lite (need an iControlPad or something though, touch controls suck), better camcorder than my actual one (embarrassingly), and gets better reception than the J706 it replaced.

I know a lot of people run custom ROMs. I'm thinking about it too, but I'm kind of undecided. On one hand, ICS is really, really nice. On the other hand, stock Gingerbread works mostly fine. And I'm really worried about bricking a super-expensive device.

My main question is this. How dangerous is the flashing process? Am I going to brick it if I breathe on it wrong, or do you really have to work at it? What's the best ROM? I'm looking for ICS (obviously), mostly stock, and based on leaked Samsung firmware, anything else goes. So far I'm oscillating between ICS Resurrection Remix and AndyX ICS, but I've looked at WanamLite and Pure ICS as well. Of course, the most pressing question- is ICS worth it?

On a side note, does anyone else here own a Galaxy S II, or even any Android phone in general? What apps/games do you recommend?

 

[wolborg]

Funny you would make this thread I plan on buying the Galaxy S II, or the Galaxy Nexus here in October upgrading from my Torch 9800. I would leave it stock, but that's just me installing custom ROM's isn't hard, Heck if you have trouble you can just get a tutorial on youtube. If you want the extra customization and perks that take full advantage of the phones power then I think a custom ROM is the route to go for.

 

[bic]

Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure it's safe as long as you have a working recovery image or OS flashed (something to boot into), and don't try to flash the baseband (cell modem).

First, install a custom recovery like ClockworkMod through ROM Manager. Then you can flash custom ROMs (and more importantly, create full backup images of your phone) with ZIPs on the SD card. As long as you have full flashable backups, you can always put it back the way it was.

I think ICS will take better advantage of the dual-core processor than 2.3 does, but make sure whatever custom ROM you use (MIUI, CyanogenMod 7 or 9, wraithbillys31337ICS[DEXOXD]ROM, etc) supports all the hardware you plan on using. Usually, early AOSP ROMs have dodgy support for Bluetooth, 4G/WiMAX, and the camera.

Note: I don't have a Galaxy S II, but I am waiting for my Evo 3D to come in the mail. Its hardware capabilities are very similar.

 

[vskid3]

I have a Fascinate, I've been at least rooted most of the time I've had the phone. I never really appreciate what I can do with it rooted until I use a stock Android device (like my Dell Streak). I have ICS on it, currently. One of my favorite things about ICS is Chrome. I haven't used it a ton, but it seems a lot better than any other browser I've used on my phone. The biggest issue I've run into is app compatibility, so if there is something you absolutely must have, make sure it'll work first.

 

[DK]

I threw a custom rom on my Dell Streak the day I got it. Ran much nicer and had a lot more features. Was easy enough to do and really easy to change back to stock. I say go for it