Software & AI

The overhauled Arrow Launcher, with strong phone-to-PC syncing and a smooth high performance mode.

A simple, one-handed launcher for people who find the fancier options too much.

His number one pick, a much-improved launcher with exclusive wallpapers, a newsfeed and deep customisation.

A returning veteran launcher that is fluid, up to date and hugely customisable.

Offers lots of control but looks laughable out of the box; good with time.

Not the neatest and has an intrusive ad, but the swipe-up widgets and wallpapers are good.

An odd single-vertical-feed launcher that makes some settings quicker to reach.

One of the best launchers on Android, built around getting things done in a swipe or two.

A seriously amazing Pixel-inspired launcher that is deeply customisable, fast and clean from install.

Fast launcher similar to Mint, with a customisable dark mode and colour grouping.

Beautiful and needs the least work to look good, though app sorting made some mistakes.

A free Pixel-inspired launcher with the important features and an optional Google feed plug-in.

A fast launcher with a lot of control over colour.

Second place: polished and slick with refreshing attention to detail, vast customisation and long-press commands.

One of his favourites: different from Pixel style, clean and practical, with fast access to everything.

Shows apps as words sized by usage; a novelty but an interesting one.

Looks good and is customisable, but stability is a concern and an update wiped his layout.

The absolute king of customisation with one huge scrollable page, but rough looking out of the box.

Clean and colourful with a handy wallpaper shuffle, but spammy recommendations and sponsored posts.

A Pixel-style launcher whose themes and Smart Unread notification feature set it apart.

A great concept for minimising distractions, with no icons and battery savings on OLED in the pro dark theme.

A light, snappy launcher for lower-end phones that is clean with an icon pack but offers limited control.

Lets you draw on photos and turns them into looping animations, good for Instagram stories.

A pastel icon pack with a subtle glow that balances material design with a fresh look.