This tutorial is a means to that end and lists the process I follow in getting my S5e working as fast as a custom ROM, and I can attest to that having also tried Lineage OS on this device. The good thing is that Samsung has stepped up its game in terms of updates. This doesn’t imply you will always get the latest updates for your region, but there is a way around it and that is by flashing the firmware manually which in the case of this device can be tracked over here. However, I would recommend downloading the firmware itself at full speed from Samsung using tools like Frija or Samsung Firmware Downloader.
The other thing to note is that you will need to root your device to access it at the lowest level and I wouldn’t describe that process in detail since it is already well-documented. However, what I would like to clarify is that although rooting along with unlocking the bootloader permanently trips Knox on the device and thus renders it useless for any functionality utilising Knox (like Mobile Device Management by corporates), the device itself can still be operated without root and will thus run enterprise apps managed by Microsoft’s Intune Portal.
The first thing I do towards speeding up the device is to flash Multidisabler. Hit up the link to read more about it but be aware of what it does. On the whole, it has the largest impact on speed since it disables file-based encryption, besides addressing some hijinks resulting out of rooting the device.
The next important file to flash is the BluetoothLibraryPatcher. Samsung devices stop retaining paired devices when rooted and this comes in real handy, especially if you are using wireless earbuds and fitness trackers. Although you could use the Magisk module, I flash it using TWRP as I don’t use Magisk for day-to-day stuff.
Now we come to the meat of changes, moving from generic to specific changes. This is simply about deleting apps that you won’t be using at all and hence, by definition, this is a personal list. I have listed the apps which I have observed as being unessential to my need, but your needs may differ and thus will require some experimentation on your part. You could delete these apps using a file manager with root access or create a script to this effect.
These systems apps are essentially distributed across two partitions – system/app/ and system/priv-app/ and may vary depending on the region. In my case, I always use the latest release from any region and thus the list may be cumulative in that regard. As of writing this, it is based on the UK release as it was the first to receive Android 11. The ones highlighted in “cream” indicate new additions to Android 11 whereas the Android 10 apps that are no longer in 11 are highlighted in “red”. I have kept them in the list for posterity but will remove them in the near future once I am convinced I don’t have any reason to ever go back to Android 10. With that, I present you with THE LIST.
