At the end of the Android portion of the Google I/O 2013 keynote, Google’s Hugo Barra announced that it will start selling a new Android device on its Play store. Those expecting a Nexus device were in for a surprise though.
Barra announced that it will be selling the Galaxy S4 with stock Android instead of Samsung’s TouchWiz software. This version of the Galaxy S4 will come with all the features one expects from stock Android, and it will receive updates directly from Google.
More importantly, Google’s own version of the Galaxy S4 is sold unlocked, and can be activated on AT&T and T-Mobile. It’s the first official LTE phone to be sold on Google Play. As expected, the bootloader is also unlocked.
Those expecting a subsidized Google Play price are going to be disappointed though. Barra announced that the stock Android Galaxy S4 will be available on Google Play for $649 on June 26.