This posts is two reviews of custom Android roms for the Samsung Galaxy ACE GT-S5830.
Update August 2018: I’ve written a new custom ROM review, which you can read at the bottom of this blog post.
Warning: Installing a custom ROM could brick your phone, and I presume it breaks a warranty! Whilst I’ve never managed to kill my phone, there is a risk when trying to replace your phone’s ROM.
I’m not vouching for any custom ROM mentioned on this blog post. I don’t know if there are security issues.
Therefore you try to install and use a custom ROM at your own risk, and please don’t hold myself or anyone else responsible for any problems or financial costs that occur.
Introduction
Finding a great rom can often be more difficult than you realise. I’ve tested a number of them for the Samsung Ace over the last couple of months. There were some roms that I replaced quickly, as they were just too awful! One rom couldn’t even cope with screen rotation properly, and text messaging didn’t work!
Whether I’ve wanted to make phone calls, browse the web, send texts, use as an alarm clock or other uses, these two roms have had to put up with my everyday use! Each custom rom mentioned has been used for over a month, often much longer, and I hope you find these two reviews useful.
How to install
To install these roms, you can follow my Samsung Galaxy ACE GT-S5830 custom rom installation guide, which you can find here. Please don’t forget to export your contacts, and to backup your original rom before proceeding.
This rom is for those who like the Jelly Bean stock experience. I believe it is based on the CyanogenMod CM7.2 rom.
The familiar stock feel and functionality, means that for many, it is immediately comfortable to use. It is a smooth running OS, that does a great job of not getting in the way of functionality, but providing solid features when required. Though the ‘Torch’ application didn’t work for me, but other than that I was happy using this rom.
The installation of this rom was straightforward, and other than moving my alarm ogg sound file, I was happy with the existing setup. I must also note, that the phone now boots up very quickly!
I’ve been mainly using this OS for ‘light’ use, such as calls, texts, and photos. So taking that into consideration, I’ve found JellyBread to be good for battery life, and I only bother charging every two to three days. Your own mileage on battery life will vary, but for me this is the best custom rom for the ACE GT-S5830!
This rom gives you the look and feel of Android 4.0.x, but most likely without the performance hit and reduced battery life.
This was my favourite rom for the Samsung Galaxy ACE GT-S5830, until I discovered JellyBread! It is stable, fast and running Android 2.3.7 with optimisation, it is pretty good for both performance and battery.
I’ve not come across any bugs, and for everyday use, it has been great. This rom complements the phone’s hardware. It looks good on the eye, runs smoothly and hasn’t let me down.
I use this phone as my alarm clock, and I found the volume levels to be just right with the supplied ‘Xperia’ ring tone. A gentle way to wake up! Sometimes I discover another rom either doesn’t have a good sound file, or I can’t quite get the low volume level I like for an alarm clock, but no such problems with this rom.
I did have a slight problem installing the rom, but that is because I selected the wrong option during installation! You can read more about how I installed this particular rom, in my installation guide linked towards the beginning of this post.
Nougat ME cooper
A ROM with an update released in April 2017,this Android 2.3.7 looks great, but for most users it should be considered for minimal use: phone, text, camera, notes, music and calculator.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m impressed with this custom ROM and like it a lot. I think Zane Kilgor and Ri9000 did a great job putting this together.
At the time of writing this review, I’ve been using the ROM for about a month. I’ve had lengthy phone calls, sent and received text messages and listened to music. It works well with my unlocked phone in the UK.
Whilst gapps is bundled in the ROM, using the Google Play Store often results in “Your device isn’t compatible with this version”. After all, it is using an old version of Android.
The newer version of the ROM does have some problems (I couldn’t get the torchlight to work) and it is a shame the project didn’t continue further. For those looking for something with good performance and basic functionality, you might want to consider this ROM.
You can download version 3 of the ROM from here.
Conclusion
Even at the beginning of 2014, this phone provides the horsepower and functionality that most people I know require. Using a custom rom is a great way to breath new life into an old phone, enabling you to feel like you are getting a new experience, but without upgrading the hardware!
thanks for the reviews 🙂