The big Google I/O keynote is still going on, but one piece of news deserves its own news item: Google just announced the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition. This is a Galaxy S4 with completely stock Android, the same you’d find on a Nexus 4. The bootloader is unlocked, it is carrier unlocked, and will receive update straight from Google. It’ll be available from Google Play 26 June. Now – let’s hope this comes to all popular Android phones. I’m throwing money at my screen for an HTC One Google Edition.
In an earlier headline you were saying Samsung was bad for Android, does this change your mind?
Edited 2013-05-15 17:18 UTC
He’s saying he’s throwing money at his screen for an HTC One Google Edition. That should answer your question.
So if like me you already own a Galaxy S3, can I root it and turn it into a Google S3?
http://galaxys3root.com/
Too bad my Motorola Defy is only 2 years old, and I guess I won’t be buying a new phone for some years, because I’d really like to support this product. Stock Android for everyone!
The way updates should have been done from day one – both Samsung and HTC have done a horrible job when it comes to supporting their customers long term thus giving me a bad taste in my mouth after using a Samsung Galaxy SIII.
Lets hope that Google recognise that there are people out side of the USA and other major countries who are interested – hint, hint, we in NZ have money and able to buy your products if you actually allowed us to buy them directly from Google.
I don’t know, my galaxy tab 7.7 got upgraded from honeycomb to ice cream sandwich and samsung is starting to roll out jellybean for it. I haven’t check if there its available for me yet though.
Just started? You do know how long Jellybean’s been out, don’t you? And, which version of jellybean? There will be three versions at least that have that code name (4.1, 4.2, and the upcoming 4.3). So far I’m not impressed with your description of the updates you’ve received and how long it took to receive them.
Man, how awesome is this for those of us in the US, even if you stick with carrier versions? Assuming that the following are true:
1. All the carrier versions get unlocked bootloaders, AND …
2. The Google version has pretty much identical hardware to the carrier versions
When Google updates their unlocked version, you should be able to flash the carrier versions with the same update, like you could with the VZW Gnex. It’ll be like having a Nexus device on every carrier, just without the shitty radio of the VZW Gnex
Sure, it won’t be a ‘real’ Nexus, but for ‘enthusiasts’, there won’t really be any difference. You’ll get a choice whether to use the Touchwiz stuff (which I might actually stick with) or just go with stock.
Edited 2013-05-16 01:43 UTC
me = wet blanket?
Didn’t see any announcement of carrier versions. Just that it would be available from the Play Store June 26th.
This doesn’t mean there won’t be any carrier versions but but carriers use locked phones and subsidies to ensure customer fidelity and normally only sell unlocked phones at retail price, thus channeling most consumers to the locked handsets.
No reason not to hope though. There’s always T-Mobile with their ‘uncarrier’ initiative.
When I said ‘carrier versions’, I meant the ones that our out now, not the ‘Google Edition’ carrier versions. The T-mo one is already unlocked, and they claim to have the AT&T one unlocked as well.
IMO, it seems like an unlocked carrier version would be just as good as the Google Edition, assuming you don’t mind flashing your own roms. And how many people buy a Nexus phone and don’t flash custom roms anyway?
Since it supports AT&T and T-Mobile LTE in the US, I’m guessing this is the version with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 SoC, and not the International version with the Samsung Exynos SoC.
Would have been fun to get drivers for the Exynos, and to play around with the scheduler. Maybe disable the A15 cores and see how it runs with just the 4x A7s. Or get the fine-grained core activation going (where you can swap individual pairs between A15 and A7, instead of the whole quad-core chunks). Etc.
But, this will be just another Qualcomm device, not really that much difference from the Nexus4/Optimus G (slightly faster SoC, but still the same platform).
As someone who has only purchased Google phones (Nexus One and now a Galaxy Nexus) I can’t personally comment on carrier skins. I can however observe that it isn’t in the best interests of carriers to update the OS on phones after they’re released simply because customers would hang onto them longer. The carriers are in the business of making money. If they can get their users stuck on Gingerbread or older versions of Android to buy a new phone just to get a newer version of Android, they will make more money. My sister had a powerful LG phone (I forget the model) whose specs were well within those specified for Jelly Bean yet her phone never got updated beyond Gingerbread 2.3.4. Her carrier, Verizon gave her nothing but the runaround. I recommended that she purchase a Nexus 4 and then Google phones thereafter. She did eventually get a new Nexus and loves it. Sure, Google phones are expensive at the outset but since they’re unlocked, can be moved to any carrier and receive the latest Android builds fairly quickly they’re worth the price.