Google Announces Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S4

At Google I/O in San Francisco on Wednesday, Hugo Barra, Android's VP product management announced an unlocked "Google Edition" of the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone.

"What you're seeing here is real," Barra said. He showed the user interface of the smartphone (pictured below), which he says is the same as the interface Google sells on its Nexus devices. "It's Google's take on Android," Barr added, noting that it will be available directly through Google Play in the U.S.

He announced the unlocked model will be available on AT&T and T-Mobile, will have LTE support, 16 GB of RAM that's expandable with an SD card, and its most appealing feature is that it's bootloader unlocked. The crowd of developers erupted in applause when he announced that this new Galaxy S4 will receive system updates "promptly with every Android platform update."

Barra said the device will be available starting June 26 on Google Play for $649.

When Barra announced that $649 price, the crowd laughed, apparently noticing the drastic difference between the price of an unlocked phone, and a Galaxy S4 that's purchased as part of a two-year contract with the cellular providers.

What do you think, readers? Is it worth it to spend $649 to get an unlocked version of the Samsung Galaxy S4?

Source : mashable