Samsung Galaxy Alpha will go up against the Xperia Z3 Compact

Samsung has unveiled a new phone today called the Galaxy Alpha. It is an important phone for Samsung in many respects as it is the first model adopting “a fresh approach to design”, which we expect to be replicated in future models. The Galaxy Alpha eschews the full plastic body of past models in favour of a metal frame, combined with a soft back cover (minus the stitching effect) and curved corners.

Samsung has launched the 4.7-inch handset to go up against the upcoming iPhone, rumoured to be larger in size. However, it will also go head-to-head against the upcoming Xperia Z3 Compact in the Android segment.

We’ll wait for official Xperia Z3 Compact details before doing a spec comparison, but we already have a good idea of what to expect (4.6-inch display, Snapdragon 801, 3GB RAM, 16GB storage and 20.7MP camera). All of this sized into a package very similar to the 4.3-inch Xperia Z1 Compact.

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha has a 4.7-inch 720p display, Octo-Core processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage, but no memory card support. It has a 12MP camera on the front and 2.1MP camera in the rear. The handset is let down by a paltry 1,860 mAh battery and offers no water resistance (unlike the Galaxy S5).

The Galaxy Alpha has relatively small dimensions of 132.4 x 65.5 x 6.7 mm, weighing just 115 grams. With a thickness of just 6.7mm it is also one of the slimmest phones on the market. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha will launch in early September in five colours (Charcoal Black, Dazzling White, Frosted Gold, Sleek Silver, and Scuba Blue).

Do you like Samsung’s ‘new’ design with metal sides? Would it make you think twice about an upcoming Xperia model? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha Specifications

Display: 4.7” HD Super AMOLED (1280 x 720)
Chipset: Octa-Core Exynos 5430 ( 4 x A15 cores at 1.8GHz and 4 x A7 cores at 1.3GHz) and Mali T628MP6 GPU [2.5GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 801 will be used in select countries]
RAM: 2GB
Internal Memory: 32GB (no micro SD Slot)
OS: Android 4.4.4 (KitKat)

Battery: 1,860 mAh
Dimensions: 132.4 x 65.5 x 6.7 mm
Weight: 115g

Camera
12MP (rear) + 2.1MP (front)
Camera Features: Beauty Face, Dual Camera, HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama, Selective Focus, Shot & More, Virtual Tour
Video capture: UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) @30fps

Connectivity
WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2×2)
Bluetooth 4.0 BLE
ANT+
USB 2.0
NFC
LTE Cat.6 (300/50Mbps)

Sensors
Accelerometer
Gyro Sensor
Geomagnetic Sensor
Hall Sensor
Light Sensor
Proximity Sensor
Gesture Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
HR Sensor

Additional Features
Ultra Power Saving Mode
Download Booster
Quick Connect
Private Mode