Galaxy S4 Developer Edition Heading to AT&T & Verizon

Like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 before it, the Samsung Galaxy S4 it seems will be coming in Developer Edition form to AT&T and Verizon, meaning, those who simply want their bootloader unlocked from the get go will be able to buy that feature, straight from Samsung.

Shortly after the AT&T Galaxy S4 arrived, it became clear that its bootloader was locked up tight, thwarting those who wished to install custom software on board. Unsurprisingly, the Verizon Galaxy S4 also arrived with an unlocked bootloader today, again, keeping the device locked down, at least temporarily.

However, it appears that Samsung will be giving prospective AT&T and Verizon Galaxy S4 owners a chance to buy a stock unlocked bootloader as Developer Editions for both the AT&T and Verizon Galaxy S4 have been discovered lurking on Samsung’s website.

The Developer Edition label means that these devices, which are pegged as “Coming Soon”, will be coming without their bootloaders locked up tight. Of course, Samsung will more than likely charge a premium for the privilege, though it’s not clear what that premium might be. These devices, which were first spotted by Phandroid, also may find themselves to be completely unnecessary in the wake of a Verizon Galaxy S4 bootloader unlocked being discovered and the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus which will arrive on the Google Play Store with an unlocked bootloader for AT&T and T-Mobile.

That device won’t work for Verizon though which makes this Developer Edition attractive to those that may be looking to get on board Verizon’s massive 4G LTE network.

From the looks of things, the devices appear to be clones of the other Samsung Galaxy S4 models that have hit other carriers in recent weeks. That means they will have a 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core processor, 13MP, slim form factor, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and Samsung’s all-new TouchWiz features.