Samsung has just officially announced the Galaxy Alpha, the company’s first Galaxy smartphone with a metal frame. It is also the first Samsung device to showcase the company’s new design approach that combines “optimal convergence of style and cutting-edge technology”.
The Galaxy Alpha is poised to take the middle spot between mid-range and flagship, based on its hardware. It is powered by Samsung’s Exynos Octa eight-core processor (4x 1.8GHz and 4x 1.3GHz) with 2GB of RAM, and features a 4.7-inch 720p Super AMOLED display – which should be good news to those who like to use the device with one hand.
Other aspects of the Galaxy Alpha hardware include 12MP rear and 2.1MP front-facing cameras, 32GB of non-expandable storage, LTE Cat 6 support and a surprisingly small 1860mAh battery. The Galaxy Alpha will also run on Android 4.4.4, the very latest version of Android. Besides that, the Galaxy Alpha also takes plenty of features from the Galaxy S5, including 4K video recording, Ultra Power Saving Mode and Download Booster. There’s also a host of sensors embedded in the device, including a hall sensor, geomagnetic sensor, fingerprint sensor and heart rate monitor.
Despite the new metal frame, the overall design language of the device hasn’t deviated much from previous Galaxy devices. This is still a Samsung Galaxy device, perforated back cover and all. That being said, it is also surprising to note that the 6.7mm thick Galaxy Alpha, despite the metal frame, weighs only 115g.
The Samsung Galaxy Alpha will be available in four colours (Sleek Silver, Charcoal Black, Frosted Gold and Scuba Blue), and will be available in various international markets at the beginning of September. Pricing details, as is Samsung’s wont, has not been revealed – though we should be hearing more about the device next month at the company’s IFA 2014 event in Berlin.
(Source: Samsung)
