Those who make it a habit to root and make other software modifications to their smartphones are aware of that evil thing called a locked bootloader, which prevents users from making system-level changes unless they are okay with voiding their warranty. Samsung devices don't typically have a locked bootloader, but carriers like Verizon make exceptions in order to “protect the user experience.” Thankfully, Verizon has offered developer editions of flagships with unlocked bootloaders in the past, and the carrier is about to do the same with the Galaxy S5, which went up for sale globally today.
The Galaxy S5 Developer Edition for Verizon has showed up on Samsung's website, hinting that it could be made available to consumers soon. The price tag isn't mentioned, but you can expect to pay anywhere between $599-699 for the device. As usual, an unlocked bootloader will be the only difference on the developer edition compared to the standard model, meaning things like the 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 801 processor, 16MP camera, fingerprint scanner and Android 4.4 KitKat will remain intact.
Anyone looking to pick up the Galaxy S5 Developer Edition?
