Samsung Galaxy S4 with 'pure Android' will be US-only upon launch

Galaxy S4

The so-called Samsung Galaxy Nexus S4 was launched at Google I/O




British smartphone fans face a wait to get their hands on the so-called Samsung Galaxy 'Nexus S4' which Google announced at its I/O conference last week.


The handset, which runs a stock version of the Android Jelly Bean 4.2 software, will be a US-only launch to begin with, Google has told CNET.


The $649 (around £427) iteration of Samsung's flagship device brings all of the same hardware specs, but will ship with the same version of the software Google places on its LG Google Nexus 4 smartphone.


While the price point seems a little expensive, it is expected to appeal to Android developers and enthusiasts who enjoy tinkering with the software.


The launch announcement was also greeted well by smartphone fanciers who aren't particularly enamoured with Samsung's own TouchWiz skin, which sits on top of the Android OS.


It will mean that the quad-core, 5-inch, 1080p device will not have access to software like Smart Stay, S Voice and all of the other gubbins Samsung revealed to mixed acclaim back in March.


The CNET report says there's no word on whether Google plans to eventually bestow the 'Nexus S4' on Brits, but until then speculation will turn to the Nexus 5 once again.