The Google Play Edition lineup has dropped another player, as Google has apparently decided to ditch Samsung Galaxy S4 GPE.
It seems that Google is continuing its summer cleaning, removing older devices from the GPE lineup. The company is likely removing old GOE devices in order to make room for new ones.
Just last month, we reported that Google removed several devices from its GPE lineup. More specifically, Google ditched the HTC One M7, the LG G Pad 8.3, and the Sony Z Ultra from its GPE family of devices in early July, leaving only the HTC One M8, the Motorola Moto G, and the Samsung Galaxy S4.
It now seems that the time has come for the latter as well, as the Samsung Galaxy S4 no longer appears in the Google Play Edition lineup. This means that only this year's smartphones are still available, i.e. the HTC One M8 and the Moto G, which further boosts speculation that new devices may join the GPE family soon.
A Samsung Galaxy S5 GPE, for instance, has been rumored on several occasions recently, but nothing materialized so far. On the other hand, Google may also be looking to make room for its new Android Wear devices, although they are not really Google Play Edition devices. The Android Wear gadgets are more similar to the Nexus line considering that they are available in the Google Play store, but it would not be too surprising if they joined the GPE lineup as well.
The only two gadgets that launched so far with Android Wear on board are the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, but Motorola's highly-anticipated Moto 360 should make its debut soon as well.
Nevertheless, new GPE smartphones are still expected to join the fray this year. In addition to the rumored Samsung Galaxy S5 GPE, Google may also choose to launch an LG G3 GPE variant, although no concrete information is currently available in this regards. Either way, it's unlikely that Google will leave its GPE lineup so empty, with only two devices in store.
With no official information from Google, however, it remains to be seen what the company plans for its GPE lineup.
