Those who are rather displeased with the supposed bloatware that’s bundled with Samsung’s latest flagship device — or those who just want a pure Android experience — may be happy to know that Google has announced during its annual developer conference the Samsung Galaxy S4: Google Edition.
A Samsung Galaxy S4 running on stock Android. With a price of $649, the new device will be available on June 26 via Google Play.
Almost every aspect of the device remains the same: 16GB internal storage, LTE support, etc. On the other hand, the device is set to automatically receive system updates and its bootloader will be shipped as unlocked. The most obvious change is the absence of Touchwiz — Samsung’s custom UI interface — in order to bring a user experience that’s closer to Nexus phones.
The unlocked bootloader easily lets rooting and modifying the device for app development purposes. In the meantime, the system update settings guarantee that every Android platform update that Google releases will arrive promptly on the device. The removal of Touchwiz, along with Samsung apps, frees up some internal storage that benefits both devs and users.
[three_fifth]The most obvious change is the absence of Touchwiz — Samsung’s custom UI interface.[/three_fifth]
With the Google edition of Galaxy S4, purists have at least one more choice for a vanilla Android experience. Traditionally, they can opt for a Nexus device or install a custom ROM, such as CyanogenMod, in smartphones running modified versions of Android. But given that there’s no new Nexus phone announced so far since last year’s LG Nexus 4, users have no choice but make do with this device. It’s given high praises for an incredible 13-megapixel camera and speedy Snapdragon 600 CPU, so what’s there to dislike?
However, please note that this S4 model comes with no Samsung extras so it may also be a problem for some. After all, the added features are largely what made the S4 prominent among other phones. Between vanilla Android GS4 and original, which do you choose?