Galaxy Nexus Release Date: First UK Customer Unsatisfied with Device, Forced to Exchange

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus went on sale at retail stores in the United Kingdom on Nov. 17, and the first customer to receive the device was not 100 percent satisfied.

Alex Ioannou attended the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the U.K. He posed for a photograph with his new Galaxy Nexus at the event, and Samsung mobile U.K. later tweeted the image of the first Galaxy Nexus customer.

However, upon unpacking his new Galaxy Nexus at home, Ioannou immediately encountered issues. Ioannou's Galaxy Nexus was reportedly loaded with an incomplete developer's ROM of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

He found a number of beta options that did not make it onto the final version of Ice Cream Sandwich, including a debug option that allowed users to report indescribable conditions or “WTF” conditions.

Ioannou also reported having issues setting up his Google account. The glitch prompted him to return the device. He was able to replace the Galaxy Nexus and said the new device works "perfectly."

Technology website Phandroid proposed that the incident is isolated and that other customers should not have operating system problems upon booting their Galaxy Nexus handsets.

The website also suggested that Samsung may have set aside a device for the first Galaxy Nexus customer, and the device may have accidentally been packaged without a final software refresh.

While U.K. retail stores are now selling the Galaxy Nexus, recent reports indicate that customers who have pre-ordered their handsets online may not receive them for several days.

In the U.K., pre-orders may not ship until Nov. 22 or Nov. 23.