The Galaxy Alpha is the latest Samsung handset, and the very first to use their new metal design language. We’ll have the handset in stock, sim-free and unlocked, very soon. In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at the next big thing from Samsung.
Design
The Galaxy Alpha sports an interesting look, with a chamfered metal frame with Samsung’s typical plastic front and back. The back cover feels similar to the Galaxy S5, with that dimpled look. The overall look is somewhere between the Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 5S, and it’s a huge improvement over the purely plastic designs we’ve seen from Samsung in the past.
The phone is incredibly skinny too, measuring just 6.7mm – about a millimetre thinner than the iPhone 5S – and weighs about the same, despite a much larger 4.7-inch 720p display.
The phone comes in four colour variations: dazzling white, charcoal black, sleek silver and frosted gold and scuba blue. Knowing Samsung, we’ll see additional colours if the phone proves a success.
Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy Alpha with a nice hardware specification; not quite at the top of the pile like the Galaxy S5, but still perfectly respectable for a mid to high-end device.
The heart of the phone is its Exynos 5430 octa-core processor, which is the first mobile SoC built on a 20nm process. The CPU uses around 25% less power than before, while also including a new audio co-processor. The new CPU is powerful too, scoring higher marks than the Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8 in the AnTuTu benchmark.
The CPU is backed with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage, although there’s no microSD card slot to add more. A 12-megapixel rear camera and 2.1-megapixel front-facer are also included. Everything runs off a 1860mAh battery, thanks to the more efficient CPU.
Software
The Galaxy Alpha will come with the latest version of Android to be fully released, which is 4.4 KitKat. An upgrade to Android 4.5 L seems a given, judging by Samsung’s past record in upgrading their mid-range and high-end handsets.
The phone will run the same TouchWiz UI as the Galaxy S5, with a number of nifty features added on top of the stock Android experience. You’ll get the ability to run two apps side-by-side, a comprehensive camera app loaded with modes and more Samsung apps than you can shake a stick at. The built-in fingerprint sensor is another nice feature, allowing you to sign into your phone with a (careful) touch of your finger.
It’s a strong selection, and while some might prefer a cleaner experience, if you’re looking for features then you can’t do much better than Samsung’s latest.
Summary
The Galaxy Alpha looks to be a surprisingly capable phone, and one of the best looking handsets that Samsung have ever released.
Links
- 32 GB SIM-free Samsung Galaxy Alpha – Dazzling White
- 32 GB SIM-free Samsung Galaxy Alpha – Charcoal Black
- 32 GB SIM-free Samsung Galaxy Alpha – Sleek Silver
- 32 GB SIM-free Samsung Galaxy Alpha – Frosted Gold
- 32 GB SIM-free Samsung Galaxy Alpha – Scuba Blue
- Samsung Galaxy Alpha accessories
- Samsung Galaxy Alpha cases
Signing off
Thanks for checking out the article and the phone! Be sure to let us know if you’re going to pick up the Galaxy Alpha, or tell us why not! You can reach us in the comments below, or on Twitter @mobilefun.