Ubuntu en Galaxy Nexus GT-I9250: merece?
First Impressions: A Love-Hate Relationship with the Galaxy Nexus
I received the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (check price on Amazon) about an hour ago. These are my first impressions, and I will add to the review as I become more accustomed to the phone.
Setup: Easy or a Puzzle?
Upgrading from my old HTC/Google Nexus was straightforward. All I needed to do was:
- Take the SIM out of the old phone.
- Snap the back off the Galaxy Nexus (a bit fiddly, but manageable).
- Install the SIM and battery, refit the back cover, and power it up.
The phone immediately began installing apps I had set to auto-update on my old phone. Within minutes, it prompted me for a firmware update, which took about 3 minutes, including a reboot. So far, so good!
The Screen: Gorgeous but Distracting
The 4.65-inch AMOLED screen is stunning—vibrant, large, and easy to read. However, the Ice Cream Sandwich UI introduces a sideways swipe for the app tray instead of the traditional up/down gesture. Muscle memory betrayed me multiple times in the first hour. Thanks, Google, for the unannounced finger gymnastics!
Camera: Great Quality, but Watch Your Fingers!
Taking photos and videos is straightforward, and the quality is impressive. However, I kept accidentally covering the microphone while filming. Pro tip: Learn how to hold your phone properly unless you want your videos to sound like they were recorded underwater.
Updates and Features: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2 Hours In:
- The Portable WiFi Hotspot worked flawlessly, connecting my iPad 2 to the internet.
- Bluetooth pairing with my car’s hands-free system was seamless.
6 Hours In:
- Photos and videos are sharp, but focusing can be tricky. Tap the screen to focus on your subject—unless you’re in camcorder mode, where tapping captures a still instead. Confusing? Yes. Useful? Sometimes.
3 Days In:
- Battery life is decent: 20 hours of normal use (mostly data access) with 34% remaining.
- The auto-dimming screen brightness is too low for my taste. Adjusting it manually is a must.
5 Days In:
- The phone crashed twice and froze once. Stability issues? Definitely. But hey, it’s Android—updates might fix it… eventually.
- Flash support was missing initially, but Adobe later rolled out a fix. Apps like BBC iPlayer now work, but some apps still lack Android 4 compatibility.
Ubuntu OS: A Brave New World?
Fast forward to 2013, and Ubuntu OS released a beta version for the Galaxy Nexus. Intrigued, I decided to give it a try. Spoiler alert: It’s a mixed bag. While the concept is exciting, the execution feels half-baked. If you’re a tech enthusiast, it might be worth experimenting with. For everyone else? Stick to Android.
Final Thoughts: Should You Buy the Galaxy Nexus?
The Galaxy Nexus is a solid phone with a few quirks. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly device to experiment with Ubuntu OS or just want a reliable Android phone, it’s worth considering. Check the latest prices on Amazon.
Legacy and Alternative ROM Scene
The Galaxy Nexus GT-i9250 became a favorite among custom ROM enthusiasts precisely because of its pure Android foundation and unlockable bootloader. CyanogenMod (later LineageOS) maintained active builds for this device years after Google ceased official updates. This extended software support gave the hardware a second life well beyond its commercial lifespan. For anyone still holding one of these devices, flashing a lightweight custom ROM turns it into a functional media player, dedicated navigation unit, or home automation controller. The 1 GB RAM limitation means modern apps struggle, but for single-purpose use cases the hardware remains perfectly adequate. The TI OMAP 4460 processor, while underpowered by current standards, runs efficiently at lower clock speeds for basic tasks, extending battery life considerably when not driving the high-resolution display at full brightness. The Nexus program’s philosophy of developer-friendly hardware with timely updates set the standard that the Pixel line would later continue, making the Galaxy Nexus an important milestone in Android’s evolution from fragmented carrier builds to a cohesive platform experience. The device also served as a testing ground for NFC-based Android Beam, a feature ahead of its time that saw limited adoption but paved the way for mobile payment systems. The 720p Super AMOLED display, while modest by later standards, represented the best screen technology available on a mobile device at its price point in 2011 and remained perfectly usable for everyday tasks like reading, navigation, and media consumption. Battery replacement was straightforward thanks to the removable back cover — a design choice that Samsung and other manufacturers later abandoned in favor of sealed unibody construction. For anyone curious about mobile operating system experimentation today, the Galaxy Nexus remains one of the easiest devices to unbrick after a failed ROM installation, since its fastboot mode is extremely resilient and well-documented across developer forums.
Rating: 4/5 Verdict: Great for tech enthusiasts, but casual users might find the quirks frustrating.
