Which processor brand to choose when buying a new device?

Hey XDA Community,

after 3 1/2 years i'll retire my Galaxy S3 and get a new phone. So far so easy.

But as a Android enthusiast, i can't just buy a new phone, it has to be a phone which offers a good hardware base for using custom roms. And what i learned in the last 3 1/2 years is that, for example, Samsungs Exynos processors are NOT a good hardware base and rom developers hate Exynos processors.

So here we come to the magic question: Which is, from a developer view, the best, and what are acceptable processor brands which allow developers to develop a rom (more precisely the "device tree") which can make use of all of the processors features and its performance?

I think the following two brands are well known among all custom rom users and don't need to be commented:

• Exynos -> as described above, "the Antichrist"


• Qualcomm Snapdragon -> as far as i know the Holy Grail for developers

But what about the "underdogs"? How developer friendly are the following processor brands which now appear more and more in (flagship) phones from Huawei, Xiaomi and many other smaller phone manufacturers:

• MediaTek


• Hisilicon Kirin


• Nvidia Tegra

I'm excited about your experience with and recommendations for these "underdogs", especially if you are a developer! :)

Best regards,
Mika