Google "Developer Edition" flash? - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Instead of paying $700 for the developer edition, can I simply buy a "regular" one and then flash it with the pure Google ROM? More importantly, will doing so allow it to receive all the OTA updates? Are there any hardware differences that would prevent me from doing this?

webmaster said:
Instead of paying $700 for the developer edition, can I simply buy a "regular" one and then flash it with the pure Google ROM? More importantly, will doing so allow it to receive all the OTA updates? Are there any hardware differences that would prevent me from doing this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing detailed is sure atm:
- Will Google do the updates or Samsung (like on some Galaxy Nexus devices)
- Will the bootloader be accepted by the regular S4
And many more questions that we may get an answer to June 26 th. I hope we can flash this rom too, especialy for extra storage space.

We will need to wait until June 26, however from the screenshots of the Google IO conference I have seen it will be Google providing the OTA updates. Samsung is going to be totally out of the loop! Basically it appears to be just an unsubsidized Nexus phone.

S4 Google edition will ship with Exynos Octa or Snapdragon 600?
Would you think that the S4 "Google Edition" will be the Exynos Octa variant or the one with Snapdragon 600? Honestly I want to buy this device cause of the possible support directly from Google, but in my country I can only buy the Exynos Octa variant, and cannot access to buy one in the Play Store since it is not available in my country. I'll appreciate your advise. Thanks

BlizzardGhost said:
Would you think that the S4 "Google Edition" will be the Exynos Octa variant or the one with Snapdragon 600? Honestly I want to buy this device cause of the possible support directly from Google, but in my country I can only buy the Exynos Octa variant, and cannot access to buy one in the Play Store since it is not available in my country. I'll appreciate your advise. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will be the Snapdragon 600 version and unfortunately it seems it will only be available on the US Play Store for now.

delucz said:
It will be the Snapdragon 600 version and unfortunately it seems it will only be available on the US Play Store for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any chance to be useful the sources of the Google S4 for the development of AOSP roms for the Exynos Octa S4, or even install the Android stock rom from Google on a Snapdragon 600 S4 not bought in the Play Store?
Thanks.

Related

Galaxy S4 Question about US Market

Hello everyone who is eagerly anticipating to get their hands on an S4! I am aware of the fact that the U.S. version of the phone is going to be the quad-core version, but that's only for phones from carriers, correct? I really wanna get the octa-core version, albeit without taking advantage of 8 cores simultaneously. So, can we order the international version from a U.S. online retailer, when it's released?
Its not really known yet because we haven't even reached the pre-order date yet, however, there are several threads that have this question asked in them already. If you keep an eye on those threads I think your question will be answered as soon as someone knows.
Thanks, man! I figured there might be a couple of threads about that, but I didn't look around since it's easier to post a new thread. Anyway, sorry about that.
delstam said:
Hello everyone who is eagerly anticipating to get their hands on an S4! I am aware of the fact that the U.S. version of the phone is going to be the quad-core version, but that's only for phones from carriers, correct? I really wanna get the octa-core version, albeit without taking advantage of 8 cores simultaneously. So, can we order the international version from a U.S. online retailer, when it's released?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Expansys-USA and Negri both have them available for pre-order.
Sent from my HTC One X
Sweet! Thanks! Even though I'm impatient, I'll have to wait for a while because I really don't want to be paying that much. Hopefully it will drop to $640 as it was projected.
I'm going to the US in july, and since here in Brazil we have many taxes, i'll buy my S4 in there. But I would like to know if I will find the octa-core ones on physical shops or they will sell the octa core one just in online shops?
Fezorzo said:
I'm going to the US in july, and since here in Brazil we have many taxes, i'll buy my S4 in there. But I would like to know if I will find the octa-core ones on physical shops or they will sell the octa core one just in online shops?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to find both in shops non carrier shops should have them, if the carriers don't.
Not all customer service may know the difference between phones. So check the phone before buying.
Cosmic Blue said:
You should be able to find both in shops non carrier shops should have them, if the carriers don't.
Not all customer service may know the difference between phones. So check the phone before buying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I always do that, my cousin one bought an iPhone 4 thinking that is was a 4s , but thanks, that made me relieved that I can buy the octa core one
In US markets? Doubt you'll find an octacore. But if you ever do please share where you found it.
j510 said:
In US markets? Doubt you'll find an octacore. But if you ever do please share where you found it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, in July I'm going to the US, and if I find it, i'll come back here and tell u guys where to buy it

S4 i9506 Snapdragon 800 chipset - any dev support?

After doing some research, it's likely that Samsung will release another S4 variant with Snapdragon 800 internationally. Currently, that top-of-the-line model is restricted to Korea, but i think that come IFA in September, things might change.
http://www.gsmarena.com/snapdragon_800_samsung_galaxy_s4_benchmarked_vs_octa_model-news-6284.php
There are already several sellers on eBay supplying the S800 version. For example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Korea-Editi...1265240201?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item3cd49f3089
So, what do you guys think? Are we going to get dev support on that S800 if it's released internationally?
In case it's not released internationally, will XDA bother to create a developer forum for it (since quite a few people might be tempted to import their own S4 S800 from eBay sellers)?
My predictions for IFA 2013; Samsung will introduce Note 3 (nothing new here, as it's all been confimed with leaks) but then we might be surprised to find an international release for an S4 S800 variant as well as an S4 Active S800 variant.
electronical said:
After doing some research, it's likely that Samsung will release another S4 variant with Snapdragon 800 internationally. Currently, that top-of-the-line model is restricted to Korea, but i think that come IFA in September, things might change.
http://www.gsmarena.com/snapdragon_800_samsung_galaxy_s4_benchmarked_vs_octa_model-news-6284.php
There are already several sellers on eBay supplying the S800 version. For example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Korea-Editi...1265240201?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item3cd49f3089
So, what do you guys think? Are we going to get dev support on that S800 if it's released internationally?
In case it's not released internationally, will XDA bother to create a developer forum for it (since quite a few people might be tempted to import their own S4 S800 from eBay sellers)?
My predictions for IFA 2013; Samsung will introduce Note 3 (nothing new here, as it's all been confimed with leaks) but then we might be surprised to find an international release for an S4 S800 variant as well as an S4 Active S800 variant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think yes, but for gn3 I prefer t4, because is more Power. Rumors said, 3g=exynos 5420 4g=s800
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app
I was just about to make this thread, I'm glad someone is having the same thoughts as me.
Yeah I'm somewhat worried about the recent news regarding the AOSP maintainer who recently resigned over Qualcomm being extremely protective over the GPU driver sources for the new Nexus 7. Correct me if I'm wrong, but so far haven't Qualcomm been very good to the developer community regarding source code etc?
With the Snapdragon 600 version of the S4, there is always the Google version to fall back on. I remember having the first SGS and having a Nexus device (I know the S4 G isn't a Nexus device), that was so close to the SGS in hardware really helped kernel developers out.
At the moment, I'm erring on the side of caution with regards to the S800 version. I'd much rather have a slightly slower device in synthetic benchmarks (almost unnoticeable in the real world) and excellent dev support backed by a very clean version of the OS, from the Google Edition phone, than a slightly faster device with buggy rom and poor dev support.
I'd really like to hear from an android developer here as to quite what the problems with the S800 version might be. It is hard for me to give a fully reasoned judgement when I know little about what precisely is required to port something like AOSP / CM to a device.
I think the S800s real asset is the adreno 330. Otherwise, the cpu difference is probably even less than what you see from S3 exynos 4412 to snapdragon S4 pro.
If gaming is very important for you, then go for the S800. It will very likely receive less dev support (see galaxy S plus vs galaxy S), but has a stronger CPU/GPU combination. Unless you want to test out AOSP some point in the future, I do not think you would lose much from S800. Besides, why would you want to mod the S4 that much anyway, it's already pretty sick running stock.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4
Finally, here is the confirmation that something is indeed happening (for international release) with the S4 and S800:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Inte...E-A-and-Snapdragon-800-visits-the-FCC_id46502
Watch out for the announcement around IFA 2013.
In the coming weeks and especially after launch, the debate will gain momentum about buying better specs (i9506) v/s better dev support (i9505).
I think that the S600 variant remains more suited - it has more direct support from the AOSP ROM of the i9505G (S4 GE) and i highly doubt that the S4 GE ROM will work directly on the S800 version. The S800 architecture is different/improved on S600, and the Adreno 330 is an entirely different beast altogether. So, unless Samsung releases an i9506G (S800 GE variant, which i doubt will happen as there is already one S4 GE variant and it wouldn't make any sense to release more GE of the same phone!) i would still bet my money on the i9505. And you should prefer the better dev support model too, since you're reading this off of XDA!
In my opinion, the S800 is just a publicity stunt as the original S4 no longer has the fastest chipset, so Samsung is making up for it against its competitors by releasing an S800 variant. Most countries don't have LTE-A and there's always going to be a better, faster, more power-efficient device. IFA will continue this legacy (other than S4 variants, we'll get the Note 3 and Sony's Honami).:cyclops:

Between buying the I9505 or waiting for the I9506

Hello guys, how are you?
I am doing a little research around the web because I need a smartphone and came to some devices, such as the Nexus 4, LG Optimus G, Moto X and the Galaxy S4, which I'm very tempted to get.
Some time ago I saw that the S4 variant were going to get another model with the Snapdragon 800, but I don't know if it will compensate the price, as I think will be higher than the current model with the SD600.
Does anyone know the price of the SD600 equivalent in Korea and the subsequent SD800 model? Did the SD800 replace the older one? Does it have the same price of before or was actually higher?
Also, what are you guys opinion about buying the SD600 or waiting the SD800?
Thanks!
btk97 said:
Hello guys, how are you?
I am doing a little research around the web because I need a smartphone and came to some devices, such as the Nexus 4, LG Optimus G, Moto X and the Galaxy S4, which I'm very tempted to get.
Some time ago I saw that the S4 variant were going to get another model with the Snapdragon 800, but I don't know if it will compensate the price, as I think will be higher than the current model with the SD600.
Does anyone know the price of the SD600 equivalent in Korea and the subsequent SD800 model? Did the SD800 replace the older one? Does it have the same price of before or was actually higher?
Also, what are you guys opinion about buying the SD600 or waiting the SD800?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If i were you i would just get the LG G2 or the Xperia Z1 (honami) they are the same price as the i9506 and have better hardware. they also don't have crapwiz software that lags like crazy and hogs battery life. just my .02
crzykiller said:
If i were you i would just get the LG G2 or the Xperia Z1 (honami) they are the same price as the i9506 and have better hardware. they also don't have crapwiz software that lags like crazy and hogs battery life. just my .02
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't chose LG, i already had a optimus 3d, the LG don't update his smarphones... btw the G2 has a great hardware!
btk97 said:
Hello guys, how are you?
I am doing a little research around the web because I need a smartphone and came to some devices, such as the Nexus 4, LG Optimus G, Moto X and the Galaxy S4, which I'm very tempted to get.
Some time ago I saw that the S4 variant were going to get another model with the Snapdragon 800, but I don't know if it will compensate the price, as I think will be higher than the current model with the SD600.
Does anyone know the price of the SD600 equivalent in Korea and the subsequent SD800 model? Did the SD800 replace the older one? Does it have the same price of before or was actually higher?
Also, what are you guys opinion about buying the SD600 or waiting the SD800?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u can spend your life waiting for the next new phone, there will always be a new version or new phone coming. if you buy the top it wont be top for long, its just the way the tech market works! id say just jump into S4 its got a good dev community!
Wait for Samsung galaxy s5
Verstuurd vanaf mijn GT-I9505 met Tapatalk 4
btk97 said:
Hello guys, how are you?
I am doing a little research around the web because I need a smartphone and came to some devices, such as the Nexus 4, LG Optimus G, Moto X and the Galaxy S4, which I'm very tempted to get.
Some time ago I saw that the S4 variant were going to get another model with the Snapdragon 800, but I don't know if it will compensate the price, as I think will be higher than the current model with the SD600.
Does anyone know the price of the SD600 equivalent in Korea and the subsequent SD800 model? Did the SD800 replace the older one? Does it have the same price of before or was actually higher?
Also, what are you guys opinion about buying the SD600 or waiting the SD800?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest you to wait for the i9506, because of the Adreno 330. But if you are into installing custom firmwares , the i9505 is going to have more developers.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
popab said:
I suggest you to wait for the i9506, because of the Adreno 330. But if you are into installing custom firmwares , the i9505 is going to have more developers.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem I see with the 9506 is ominously forshadowed in the most recent developments with the 9505: Knox
I can virtually guarantee that it's going to ship with some form of f'd up bootloader that will attempt to take away your choice in how you want to use your device. Under the guise of safety, freedom is sacrificed. (Not trying to be political, but it does ring true)
I swear this is the last Samsung device I'll ever buy. I said that after getting burned on the 9300 with Samdung's broken promises to the dev community, and I won't do it again.
Nexus devices for me from here on out. No doubt about it.
crzykiller said:
If i were you i would just get the LG G2 or the Xperia Z1 (honami) they are the same price as the i9506 and have better hardware. they also don't have crapwiz software that lags like crazy and hogs battery life. just my .02
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ewerthon_jp said:
don't chose LG, i already had a optimus 3d, the LG don't update his smarphones... btw the G2 has a great hardware!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hawke84 said:
u can spend your life waiting for the next new phone, there will always be a new version or new phone coming. if you buy the top it wont be top for long, its just the way the tech market works! id say just jump into S4 its got a good dev community!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oMaRcO said:
Wait for Samsung galaxy s5
Verstuurd vanaf mijn GT-I9505 met Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
popab said:
I suggest you to wait for the i9506, because of the Adreno 330. But if you are into installing custom firmwares , the i9505 is going to have more developers.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
donalgodon said:
The problem I see with the 9506 is ominously forshadowed in the most recent developments with the 9505: Knox
I can virtually guarantee that it's going to ship with some form of f'd up bootloader that will attempt to take away your choice in how you want to use your device. Under the guise of safety, freedom is sacrificed. (Not trying to be political, but it does ring true)
I swear this is the last Samsung device I'll ever buy. I said that after getting burned on the 9300 with Samdung's broken promises to the dev community, and I won't do it again.
Nexus devices for me from here on out. No doubt about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People, I really appreciate your help with my questions regarding the I9505 and I9506.
Also, I wasn't completely aware on the Knox subject and will think and get all my questions answered before doing my next purchase!
Thanks a lot again!

Can i buy Samsung Galaxy s4 for 16K?

S4 is an old phone. I saw it today for the price of 16K in online site.
Is it good choice to buy that old phone for 16K?
Please advice
16K in Indian currency
A little high compared to prices on Swappa, but not bad. However, I don't believe you have access to Swappa in India so it's really not a bad deal.
If it is brand new, buy it otherwise not.
Sent from my GT-I9505
myawan said:
If it is brand new, buy it otherwise not.
Sent from my GT-I9505
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am planning to buy it from flipkart.
They have mentioned one year warranty for phone and six months for accessories.
If you have a warranty, ₹16000 (US$252.23) isn't bad at all. I'd get it, simply because it will be quite useful for several years to come, even with its older specs.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
If you have a warranty, ₹16000 (US$252.23) isn't bad at all. I'd get it, simply because it will be quite useful for several years to come, even with its older specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My friend is telling me that zenfone2 is best choice for this price range.
He said, the processor in India is exynos, not snapdragon.
Is exynos not a good processor?
I checked the details. It is octo core. Not eight cores work on the same time.
Please advice.
If the phone being offered is an I9505, then it has a quad-core Snapdragon processor. The I9500 is the one that has the Exynos processor. The I9505 has better custom ROM support, so it will be more likely to get the next version of Android when it's released, even if Samsung will no longer provide updates. So your friend is right, if the S4 being offered is an I9500. So what model number is the S4 you're looking at?
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
If the phone being offered is an I9505, then it has a quad-core Snapdragon processor. The I9500 is the one that has the Exynos processor. The I9505 has better custom ROM support, so it will be more likely to get the next version of Android when it's released, even if Samsung will no longer provide updates. So your friend is right, if the S4 being offered is an I9500. So what model number is the S4 you're looking at?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sir,
This is the model id
Model ID GT-i9500DKYINU
Your friend, as I said, is right. The one thing he probably forgot to add is that the I9500 does not have LTE capability. In India I don't believe the lack of LTE matters at this time, but if traveling abroad, the LTE is a plus.

Where to buy Snapdragon variant

Hi.
Could you please advice me where to buy a Snapdragon variant online in Europe?
Thank you very much!
Idk what country you live in, but in Romania for example there is a site (quickmobile.ro) which sells the snapdragon version of this phone too. If you don't have such stores in your country you can try Amazon I guess.
thanks for the reply.
I live in Italy, I would like to buy a G9750 version.
I've seen it's expensive than the Exynos one
try tdimension on ebay have bought few sd models from them , everything went fine no problems at all
Guagno_ said:
thanks for the reply.
I live in Italy, I would like to buy a G9750 version.
I've seen it's expensive than the Exynos one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because Samsung has to pay licencing fees to Qualcomm for the Snapdragon processor and Exynos is in-house from Samsung.
Samsung cannot sell phones with the Exynos processor in the United States because of a licensing agreement with Qualcomm but Samsung and Apple are both suing Qualcomm over their licencing practices so that might change.
If it does Samsung will probably ship all their phones with Exynos and ditch the Snapdragon.
jhs39 said:
That's because Samsung has to pay licencing fees to Qualcomm for the Snapdragon processor and Exynos is in-house from Samsung.
Samsung cannot sell phones with the Exynos processor in the United States because of a licensing agreement with Qualcomm but Samsung and Apple are both suing Qualcomm over their licencing practices so that might change.
If it does Samsung will probably ship all their phones with Exynos and ditch the Snapdragon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting. Other than the unlocking bootloader benefit, I believe SD is more powerful and a better chip overall. So a G750 is the most ideal but carrier aggregation sucks.
dalle3 said:
try tdimension on ebay have bought few sd models from them , everything went fine no problems at all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
How warranty works?
without any problem, but knox must be 0x0 and device needs to be shipped to uk for repair.
tip best price from same firm will you get on ebay.es i dont know why it's so, search for g9750
dalle3 said:
without any problem, but knox must be 0x0 and device needs to be shipped to uk for repair.
tip best price from same firm will you get on ebay.es i dont know why it's so, search for g9750
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great. Thanks again!
Last question: will there be any problem with my carrier in Italy about the connection and signal?
Thanks!
daniel4653 said:
That's interesting. Other than the unlocking bootloader benefit, I believe SD is more powerful and a better chip overall. So a G750 is the most ideal but carrier aggregation sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on tech reviews I think you're right about the Snapdragon providing better performance than Exynos chips but that might be partly due to the licensing practices Qualcomm is being sued over. Huawei's in-house chips are as good as the Snapdragon--Exynos would probably be a much better chip if Samsung was allowed to use it everywhere but the fact that they need Qualcomm chips in the market where they sell the most devices seems to be a drag on development.
jhs39 said:
Based on tech reviews I think you're right about the Snapdragon providing better performance than Exynos chips but that might be partly due to the licensing practices Qualcomm is being sued over. Huawei's in-house chips are as good as the Snapdragon--Exynos would probably be a much better chip if Samsung was allowed to use it everywhere but the fact that they need Qualcomm chips in the market where they sell the most devices seems to be a drag on development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well from personal experience having used a exynos & SD model S9, 9+, and Note 9. I had better performance and battery life on the Snapdragon variant of all devices. Many Also report the same.
Don't buy from the sh**y store Quickmobile from Romania. They import stuff as grey as can be and warranty is a huge hassle.
Better check the eBay store never-msrp or something like this. They're reliable and warranty is OK.

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