A few months after Samsung released the latest phone in its Galaxy S lineup, the Galaxy S5, the company came out with yet another device, the Galaxy Alpha, deemed as Samsung's offering to compete against the recently unveiled iPhone 6.
Having been developed as a high-quality premium device, the Galaxy Alpha addresses the weaknesses that have been found in the Galaxy S5, with which Samsung has been widely criticized for.
In terms of design, positive reviews have been raked in by the Galaxy S5 because of its polycarbonate materials and the company's efforts in making the phone more lightweight at 150 grams.
However, the Galaxy Alpha was also developed as one of the lightest smartphones at 115 grams, despite being designed with metal around its edges.
The Galaxy Alpha comes with a 4.7-inch display, similar to iPhone 6 but smaller than the S5's 5.2-inch display, although its 720 x 1280 pixels resolution is lower compared to S5's full HD resolution.
When it comes to the phones' cameras, the Galaxy Alpha comes with a 12-megapixel camera whereas the Galaxy S5 features a 16-megapixel camera. Despite a reduced megapixel count, photo and video capture quality is still strongly similar, particularly due to certain features that have been incorporated into both phones. These include their ability to take QHD videos and slow motion video recording.
While the Galaxy S5 has a 2.5GHz Quad-core processor, the Galaxy Alpha comes with a powerful Octa-core processor. Both devices run on the latest Android OS, and updates to the forthcoming Android L are expected for the two phones.
Because of a smaller size, the Galaxy Alpha is powered with a 1,860 mAh battery, although it does have the Ultra Power Saving feature, whereas the larger Galaxy S5 includes a 2,800 mAh battery cell.
Interestingly, only 32 GB of internal storage is being supported by the Galaxy Alpha as its main option. On the other hand, the Galaxy S5 allows support for external memory cards and provides different internal memory options.
According to the Business Insider, the newly unveiled Galaxy Alpha is now being made available in the U.S. only by AT&T Mobile, offering the device for $200 with a two-year contract, or $613 without any deals. The Galaxy S5, which was launched earlier this year, comes with a price of $550.
