These devices are carrier unlocked and GSM-based, and have been offered exclusively through Google's Play Store. Because of this, the software includes slight, under-the-hood changes to function on the original manufacturer's hardware. Unlike the standard versions of Android on these devices, which have received 'skins' from the original equipment manufacturer, such as Samsung One UI or HTC Sense, they run a 'stock' version of Android, without any manufacturer or wireless carrier modifications, making them essentially like Google Nexus and Google Pixel devices in terms of software but they do not carry the Google Nexus branding, nor does their hardware differ from that of the original devices upon which the Play editions are based. The Google Play edition devices ( GPE) is a series of consumer mobile devices sanctioned by Google that run the Android operating system.
Not to be confused with Google Nexus or Google Pixel.
