The list of phones running the pure Google version of Android is about to increase by one as Samsung prepares the Galaxy S4 “Google Edition”.
Google’s big developer conference, I/O, is often the stage for new products, and this year is promising to be bigger than any other. Despite shifting from two smaller keynotes to one larger keynote, Google is ready to put on quite a show tomorrow. Part of the big day will be to announce a new version of Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S4. While Samsung’s phone is an incredible piece of hardware, many users find themselves less than pleased with Samsung’s version of Android. To resolve this once and for all, we’ve learned that a pure AOSP (Android Open Source Project) version of the Galaxy S4 is being prepped for launch and will be unveiled during the I/O keynote.
Not to be confused with a Nexus phone, which is a piece of hardware made with Google’s guiding hand, the Galaxy S4 GE will feature stock Android inside Samsung’s familiar plastic casing. According our sources on hand at Google I/O, this Google Edition phone is a collaboration between Samsung and Google to address a growing group of users that prefer stock Android on something other than a Nexus. In order to accomplish this right now, users would need to install custom versions of Android like CyanogenMod. Complete with removable battery and expandable storage with the MicroSD card slot, this phone could certainly address this growing niche.
This Google Edition S4 is expected to be made available starting in June and will be available on T-Mobile bands. At this time we are unaware of pricing or whether more bands will be made available. It’s also unclear if Samsung will be selling the phone or if it will be available through the Google Play Store.
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