The smartphone will land with a pure Android experience

May 16, 2013 07:35 GMT  ·  By

Just as rumored yesterday, Google and Samsung announced a new flavor of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 smartphone at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, one that would land on the market with a pure Android experience loaded on top.

Make no mistake about it, this is not a Nexus device, though it is destined to meet the needs of a growing number of users looking for the stock Android experience on their smartphones.

However, the same as all devices in the Nexus line, the new Galaxy S 4 Google Edition will receive its software updates straight from Google, Android Police notes.

At the same time, the Google Edition handset will be released with an unlocked bootloader, which should enable users to easily tweak its software, something that is not available on all current Galaxy S 4 flavors out there.

The rest of the smartphone’s hardware specifications remain unchanged, and users will still be able to enjoy its 5-inch full HD touchscreen display, along with the performance capabilities of its 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 processor.

The flagship device also sports 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory, microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes, a 13-megapixel photo snapper on the back with full HD video recording capabilities, and a front camera for making video calls.

At the same time, it comes with WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC capabilities, built-in GPS receiver, and the entire set of sensors that today’s high-end smartphones sport.

The Galaxy S 4 Google Edition is set to become available for purchase in the United States on June 26 in a white flavor, priced at $649 (€504), contract-free, through the Google Play Store.

Furthermore, it will offer support for 4G LTE networks – a feature that Nexus 4 does not provide –, though it will be compatible only with the networks of AT&T and T-Mobile. Unfortunately, no details on its international availability have been provided as of now.