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GS4 with stock Android

Technarchy

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
This would have been a game changing phone for me 2 years ago.

I wanted a Samsung phone with flagship specs, pure android, with speedy updates.
 
KentuckyHouse

KentuckyHouse

macrumors 68030
Jan 29, 2010
2,723
998
Lexington, KY.
Another thing about this...

Remember the HUGE problems LG had with producing enough Nexus 4's? I was one of those that got backordered on launch day and cancelled and never got one.

Well, with Samsung producing it and the S4 already out there, there shouldn't be any shortage issues. While it may sell out on day one, there shouldn't be the weeks of backorder that lots of people saw with the Nexus 4. That's a huge plus.
 
K

Krimsonmyst

macrumors 6502
Dec 18, 2012
302
1
I wonder how long it'll be before the S4 optimised Stock Android is available for flashing on original S4's....
 
jamezr

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,077
19,072
US
Krimsonmyst said:
I wonder how long it'll be before the S4 optimised Stock Android is available for flashing on original S4's....
Click to expand...
My feeling is not long......
But the Google S4 will still get all the updates first.... Maybe ship with KLP?

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ajumbaje said:
Subsidized contract price with two year agreement
Click to expand...
yes....but the conversation was around off contract pricing.
 
J

jeffe

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2008
601
50
jamezr said:
My feeling is not long......
But the Google S4 will still get all the updates first.... Maybe ship with KLP?
Click to expand...

First..but maybe only by a few hours..If the hardware of the Google S4 is the same as the carrier versions then you should in theory be able to turn any touchwiz phone to the AOSP version.

If the hardware is not the same then hopefully we'll be able to just swap some drivers and compile it from source. That's what I'm hoping.
 
WoodNUFC

WoodNUFC

macrumors 6502a
Apr 30, 2009
641
68
A Library
I nearly fell out of my chair when I read about this on 9to5google. I really really liked the SG4 when I used it in the stores, but wasn't crazy about Touchwiz. I'll have to do some sweet talking to get approval from the wife, but I really want to buy this phone!
 
jamezr

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,077
19,072
US
jeffe said:
First..but maybe only by a few hours..If the hardware of the Google S4 is the same as the carrier versions then you should in theory be able to turn any touchwiz phone to the AOSP version.

If the hardware is not the same then hopefully we'll be able to just swap some drivers and compile it from source. That's what I'm hoping.
Click to expand...
But the problem with that theory is Google will most likely put some kind of differentiator in the phone. They know there is a large Dev community that will get an image of the phone on release day and have that image in the wild in a matter of hours. So then potentially any/every S4 could become a straight Google GS4. They would not want that and Samsung would not either.....

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Krimsonmyst said:
True, but to be honest waiting a few weeks for a new update isn't a dealbreaker for me.
Click to expand...
I think it is longer than just a few weeks for the carrier versions of Android phones to get the Android updates......If 4.3 is released today it will take the rest of the year at least before Samsung and the carriers to push it out to their handsets....and then only to their flagship smartphones.....
 
T

torana355

macrumors 68040
Dec 8, 2009
3,633
2,734
Sydney, Australia
This is great news because it shows Google is heading in the right direction. I will keep my Nexus 4 and wait and see what the Nexus 5 has to offer but getting vanilla android on flagship phones is a good thing, hopefully they do a similar thing with the HTC one.
 
K

Krimsonmyst

macrumors 6502
Dec 18, 2012
302
1
torana355 said:
This is great news because it shows Google is heading in the right direction. I will keep my Nexus 4 and wait and see what the Nexus 5 has to offer but getting vanilla android on flagship phones is a good thing, hopefully they do a similar thing with the HTC one.
Click to expand...

I doubt the One will get the same treatment. Google and Samsung have a long history of working together and are far cozier with each other than Google and HTC.

Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 10, not to mention the integration the 2 companies have on other appliances like TV's and laptops (chromebooks).
 
S

strausd

macrumors 68030
Jul 11, 2008
2,998
1
Texas
With the inclusion of an unlocked phone straight from Google that has LTE, doesn't that give us hints at what the Nexus 5 could do? Obviously this will be the phone to beat if they are both sold through the play store. So I am definitely looking forward to the Nexus 5 even more now.
 
T

torana355

macrumors 68040
Dec 8, 2009
3,633
2,734
Sydney, Australia
strausd said:
With the inclusion of an unlocked phone straight from Google that has LTE, doesn't that give us hints at what the Nexus 5 could do? Obviously this will be the phone to beat if they are both sold through the play store. So I am definitely looking forward to the Nexus 5 even more now.
Click to expand...

Yeah i cant wait for the Nexus 5 and LTE would be a great addition, i love the development community that comes with owning a Nexus device. So many great AOSP/AOKP roms to choose from aswell as some awesome kernels.

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Krimsonmyst said:
I doubt the One will get the same treatment. Google and Samsung have a long history of working together and are far cozier with each other than Google and HTC.

Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 10, not to mention the integration the 2 companies have on other appliances like TV's and laptops (chromebooks).
Click to expand...

You may be right and its a shame but stranger things have happened.
 
onthecouchagain

onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
Technarchy said:
This would have been a game changing phone for me 2 years ago.

I wanted a Samsung phone with flagship specs, pure android, with speedy updates.
Click to expand...

Two years ago? I recall you having serious reservations (I'm putting that very politely) about Samsung hardware two years ago. All that stuff about terrible pentile screens, cheap plastic, etc.

If you mean literally this exact phone should've been released two years ago, well, yeah... technology just wasn't like that two years ago so that's an impossible request to fulfill.
 
I

irDigital0l

Guest
Dec 7, 2010
2,901
0
skratch77 said:
its unlocked bootloader so you should be able to flash the modems from the Verizon gs4 onto the nexus gs4
Click to expand...

I have no idea what that means. Some of my friends who are into Android told me I just need a Verizon SIM card. Too bad I don't have one on my iPhone 4.

Guess still one of the reasons I go with the iPhone. Its pretty straight forward, just buy and use and its on all 3 major US carriers. Really wanted the HTC One but it wasn't on Verizon.

I'll wait for the Nexus 5 and iPhone 5S.
 
S

skratch77

macrumors 65816
Mar 20, 2013
1,241
5
irDigital0l said:
I have no idea what that means. Some of my friends who are into Android told me I just need a Verizon SIM card. Too bad I don't have one on my iPhone 4.

Guess still one of the reasons I go with the iPhone. Its pretty straight forward, just buy and use and its on all 3 major US carriers. Really wanted the HTC One but it wasn't on Verizon.

I'll wait for the Nexus 5 and iPhone 5S.
Click to expand...

Just get the regular gs4 on Verizon and wait for someone to dump the Odin image of the Google gs4 and flash it on the Verizon one.

It will be a simple flash depending if or how fast the boot loader is cracked on the Verizon gs4
 
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