Google Play Edition phones were the peak of Android, and I desperately want them back

Published Aug 22, 2026, 9:45 AM EDT Ismar is a Senior Author at How-To Geek. He previously worked as a writer, editor, and general manager at a content agency before joining the team in 2023. He began his writing career in 2021 after completing a BA in English Language and Literature. Beyond How-To Geek, Ismar has contributed to Red Stag Fulfillment and Authority Hacker. He has also worked on various SEO projects to help clients improve their search visibility. Ismar has been around Windows PCs since the age of three, so friends and family naturally chose him as the resident tech support. His projects often involve tinkering, such as disassembling mechanical keyboards and gaming mice to mod his beloved gear. He also enjoys pushing hardware to the max through overclocking while staying on a reasonable budget. An avid gamer, Ismar has logged thousands of hours across various genres, including first-person shooters, RPGs, racing games, and roguelites. When he is not at his desk, he is probably exploring other people’s phones to discover their quirks and features or experimenting with the latest AI tools. In his free time, Ismar enjoys spending time with his wife, working out at the gym, playing guitar and bass, cooking gourmet meals, and traveling. Above all else, he’s a proud cat owner. Back when Android phones were still establishing their core identity, and Google was still a bright-eyed company mostly focused on software, Google came up with a brilliant idea, and, surprisingly, its partners played along. It was called "Google Play Edition" phones. While Nexus devices featured Google software and Google branding, Google Play Edition phones took a different approach. They were stock Android variants of phones that had already been released with custom manufacturer skins. I desperately wish they still existed. Google Play Edition phones were the Android dream Android without the baggage If you have never heard of Google Play Edition (GPE) phones, I wouldn't blame you, as these devices were the result of a short-lived collaboration between Google and a few Android brands that took place in 2013 and 2014. Only a handful of these so-called "Google Play Edition" phones were ever produced, and they weren't even all that popular outside enthusiast circles. In essence, a Google Play Edition phone is a regular Android phone from a manufacturer, but it runs a stock version of Android instead of the manufacturer's skinned software. For instance, the regular Samsung Galaxy S4 ran Samsung's TouchWiz UI, but the GPE Galaxy S4 was released with the same stock Android version found on the Google Nexus line. Everything else was essentially the same: the design, processor, cameras, battery, and so on. GPE phones were sold unlocked and even had an unlocked bootloader, which was a massive hit among enthusiasts who liked experimenting with alternative ROMs. Google would handle the major updates, with the individual manufacturers responsible for adapting the drivers and serving said updates to phone owners. Interestingly, only a handful of phones ever saw a GPE release. I've already mentioned the Samsung Galaxy S4, but there was also the HTC One M7, One M8, Motorola Moto G, and Sony Xperia Z Ultra, as well as a tablet, the LG G Pad 8.3. Each device had some unique hardware features and quirks that people bought them for, and since the software was no longer an obstacle, you were free to pick your favorite. In short, the whole concept behind GPE was amazing. You got a phone with the exact hardware you wanted while leaving the bloated software behind. And considering how vastly different and often underwhelming these skins were, it made perfect sense. Unfortunately, the market for unlocked flagships running a stock version of Android was rather slim, which is part of the reason Google shifted its focus to the Android One program (but that's a story for another day). Some of the best Android hardware still comes with software I don't want I want a Samsung phone, but I don't want One UI Credit: Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek It's been more than a decade since Google Play Edition phones came and went, and a lot has changed since then. LG is gone, HTC is gone, and, perhaps most importantly, Samsung's awful TouchWiz software is gone. It was replaced by One UI, which is much cleaner and more polished. Given the popularity of Samsung phones, there's a good chance the phone in your hands is running One UI right now, and you probably never think much about it. It looks professional, it's stable and fairly bug-free, and there are even some neat Samsung-exclusive features, like pop-up windows, split-screen multitasking, a highly customizable Quick Panel, and the nifty Now Bar. While I can agree that One UI is good now, I personally just don't like it. Maybe it's the general look and feel, or maybe I've just grown used to the aesthetic of a mostly stock version of Android over the years. The worst part about One UI, though, isn't the look, animations, or unwanted features—it's the performance issues it can sometimes cause. Each new version tends to add more stuff rather than remove it, which can make older and less powerful devices feel sluggish. If you've ever used a Samsung Galaxy A-series phone that's a couple of years old, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Apps open more sluggishly, the gallery takes forever to load, and the phone is filled with pre-installed apps that take up space you don't want to give them. Many of these issues could be fixed if we still had Google Play Edition phones. You would get the choice to buy the Samsung hardware you like without having to accept Samsung's software along with it. Android manufacturers can't stop messing with Android Everyone has their own version now Credit: Goran Damnjanovic / How-To Geek Apart from Samsung, other major Android brands have their own skins that I'm not a big fan of. Xiaomi phones are an even better example of hardware that I love, but software I just can't stomach. Both Xiaomi's new HyperOS and the MIUI that came before heavily borrowed from iOS, which is an aesthetic I'm not a fan of. It's a shame because Xiaomi makes some of the best-value devices in the industry, but the software doesn't make me want to touch them with a ten-foot pole. Even Google's own Pixel UI heavily focuses on on-device AI and Gemini features, and it's far from the stock Android we used to associate with Google's phones. The only truly stock version of Android that exists now is AOSP, but no major brand actually runs it. Google doesn't need Play Edition anymore, but I wish it did Google Play Edition phones marked a truly special era of Android. Brands as big as Samsung were willing to set their egos aside and sell a device running "clean" Android. Unfortunately, stock Android hardly exists anymore, and given how much the hardware gap between phones has closed, the software is the real meat now. And while a return of Google Play Edition phones is more unlikely than ever, I just can't help but wish they would make a surprise comeback that nobody saw coming.