Google has been releasing the Google Play Edition of high end smartphones for a few years now and according to reports from this week, the Galaxy S5 is about to go down the same path. In short, the Google Play Edition of a smartphone is one that is unlocked and has the stock Android user interface installed on it, compared to one that is tied to a carrier and comes with a custom UI that is built over the top of the Android software. Google Play Edition smartphones are unlocked, sold in the Google Play Store and typically carry the full retail price tag.
Last year, Google and Samsung brought the Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition to the market and because it offered the stock Android interface it garnered the attention of those that would rather not deal with the TouchWiz software that Samsung adds to the Android software. Shortly after seeing the success of the Google Play Edition of the Galaxy S4, other companies like HTC, Motorola, Sony and LG followed suit and released the same of their flagship devices to very positive support. Those that saw the HTC One (M8) come to the market and eventually released in a Google Play Edition are expecting the same thing from Samsung.
Because the company saw very good results offering the Galaxy S4 this way, there is little reason why they would not do the same for all devices moving ahead. If you like the design of the Galaxy S5, but would rather skip the applications that Samsung adds to the phone, you can put money aside for the Google Play Edition. You will need to save a bunch as the full retail price of the device is closer to the $700 mark.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Google Play Edition will have the same specs of the regular model that that includes the huge 5.1-inch touch screen display with a 1080p HD resolution. The super fast, quad-core processor will be included and hat goes the same for the 2GB of RAM that it offers. The only change that has been reported includes the stock software being pre-installed. The 16MP camera sensor is the same, plus the heart rate monitor and the waterproof design is all included. The original showed up on the 11th of April, so the Google Play Edition should be coming any day now.
