Users often confuse the term custom kernel with custom ROM. These two terms are different from each other. A ROM contains everything that is needed for your phone to run properly, launcher, apps, basically everything.
A kernel is responsible for anything that happens on your Nexus 6P. For everything that hardware needs to do, it sends a request to the kernel. Basically, the kernel controls and approves everything that happens on your phone.
That is why you can benefit a lot from a custom kernel. Since it is responsible for everything that happens on your phone, you can increase performance by overclocking the processor (CPU), improve battery life by disabling unnecessary activities and much more. To overclock the chipset, you need root access. But even with root access, you cannot overclock on a stock kernel. You need a custom kernel with overclocking capabilities. Here’s how to install one on your phone.
How to install custom kernel on Nexus 6P
To install a custom kernel on your Nexus 6P, you need a custom recovery and the kernel file itself. You can find a variety of Nexus 6P custom kernels. As for the kernel, you can install it by following this guide.
- Download your preferred custom kernel. It needs to be a zip file type so it can be flashed through recovery.
- Download the kernel and move it to the internal storage of your phone.
- Turn your phone off. Boot into fastboot mode (volume down + power) and select recovery.
- In recovery, select install and chose the kernel file to flash.
- Wait for the kernel to flash and reboot your phone.
With a custom kernel installed on your Nexus 6P, you can overclock, undervolt, change governors, change I/O schedulers, screen color calibration, sound calibration and much more.