Google’s big reveal at Google I/O 2013 was not a new phone. Well, it kind of was, but not really. Instead of building a brand new handset of its own, Google decided to instead provide its own take on an existing device. Even though the Galaxy S4 from Samsung isn’t available yet, Google got its hands on it and brought its own flavor to the phone. The Google Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4 won’t be available until June 26, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a look at how the Google-fied phone will stack up against the standard Samsung version with a spec showdown.
Galaxy S4 Standard
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Galaxy S4 Google Edition
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| Price |
$600 (no contract) | $650 (no contract) |
| Availability | AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon | June 26 at AT&T, T-Mobile |
| OS | Android 4.2.2 w/ Touchwiz | Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) |
| Processor | Snapdragon 600 quadcore | Snapdragon 600 quadcore |
| RAM | 2GB | 2GB |
| Display | 5-inch Super AMOLED | 5-inch Super AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 130g | 130g |
| 4G LTE | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n (dual-band) | 802.11 a/b/g/n (dual-band) |
| Rear-facing camera | 13 megapixels | 13 megapixels |
| Front-facing camera | 2 megapixels | 2 megapixels |
| Video capabilities | 1080p recording | 1080p recording |
| Internal storage | 16/32/64GB | 16GB |
| SD card slot | Yes (up to 64GB) | Yes (up to 64GB) |
| Battery | 2600mAh | 2600mAh |
So obviously the internals aren’t all that different between these devices. After all, it’s essentially Google providing its own skin for the Galaxy S4. Or, more specifically, it’s Google stripping away Samsung’s skin and making the Galaxy S4 more of a Nexus S4. That could be a huge selling point, though. The Google Edition of the phone will come bootloader-unlocked and will also have operating system updates pushed out to the device promptly. It’s essentially using the powerful specs of the Galaxy S4 to give users the experience Google believes they want. If there’s a hang up that comes with Google’s Galaxy S4, it’s the price. There’s no subsidized price announced yet, but the unsubsidized price is $50 more than Samsung’s Galaxy S4. Of course, that’s a small price to pay for the full Google experience if that’s what you’re after.
