Samsung launches the Galaxy Alpha
by Andrei Frumusanu on August 13, 2014 4:51 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Samsung
- Mobile
- Galaxy Alpha
Samsung today announces the new Galaxy Alpha, a mid-range "premium" built device that creates a new range in Samsung's lineup. The Alpha totes a 4.7" 1280x720 AMOLED screen, coming with either a yet unnanounced Exynos 5430 SoC with 4 A15 cores running at 1.8GHz and 4 A7 cores running at 1.3GHz and a Mali T628MP6 GPU for the international market, or with a Snapdragon 801 SoC for select markets such as the US. Both versions come with 2GB of memory on board.
A new 12MP rear sensor and a 2.1MP front camera can be found.
The device comes in a new aluminium frame, marking this as a change in build material from Samsung's usual plastic. The phone is extremely thin at only 6.7mm and weighing a lightweight 115g. The footprint of 132.4 x 65.5mm matches the 4.7" screen format of the phone. The back cover is removable and sports a 1860mAh replaceable battery. Strangely, Samsung omitted a microSD card slot in this device which comes at a standard 32GB of internal storage space. We find the same fingerprint and heatbeat sensor as on the S5, however it lacks the waterproofing of the former. It's shipping with Android 4.4.4 KitKat version with the same TouchWiz iteration as the S5.
More interestingly the international version of the device should sport LTE-A category 6 with help of an Intel XMM7260 modem. This would be the first device announced with Intel's new LTE modem and mark a break from Qualcomm's dominance in the sector.
The Alpha is an intriguing device that apparently to wants to fill in a gap in Samsung's lineup which has seen device size go up with each iteration of the S-series. The 720p screen, its slimness and design seems to target directly the iPhone instead of other high-end Android handsets, pricing should also end up in the higher end.
Source: SamsungTomorrow
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danbob999 - Wednesday, August 13, 2014 - link
The CPU is much faster than the one in the 5S. Don't base yourself on javascript benchmarks, in which the browser makes a larger difference than the CPU.lilmoe - Friday, August 15, 2014 - link
I was playing around with Sunspider on my laptop (the one Anandtech uses for measure "CPU performance"), because I recently downloaded the 64bit version of Chrome. Here are the results:http://s2.postimg.org/w1tbyde15/Untitled.png
Two browsers, two vastly different results (IE being ~1.8x faster) in this particular benchmark. Browsers tests are NOT good metrics in comparing different CPU speeds, especially when the OS AND the browsers are different. They might be of somewhat relative usefulness in measuring CPU speed if you're comparing two Android phones, running the same version of Android and the same browser. But the primary function of these tests is to benchmark the browsers themselves, not a platform.
It would be nice if Anandtech stops using those metrics in comparing CPUs from different platforms. It's creating a LOT of confusion.
My specs: Core i7 4702MQ, 16GB RAM (LPDDR3), Samsung 840 Pro SSD (not that the SSD matters here).
erikiksaz - Wednesday, August 13, 2014 - link
Apparently the screen is a pentile arrangement. Junk.bigstrudel - Sunday, August 17, 2014 - link
5430 is built at 20nm. Which means its 30% more efficient to start with already.robertkoa - Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - link
I agree with most of this.Benchmarks are fast with Alpha-and I really like the size of the Device screen is nice , practical NOT super spec (which slows performance to have high pixel Density).
Where this Alpha Design frustrates me is with a 2 or 3 mm thicker Device, we could have 2500Mah battery, SD Card AND the Camera on back could be flush instead of protruding up from back of Phone !
So I am lobbying for Alpha Pro same size but thicker and with extra features and a few in common with Note 4, S5, .
Alpha Pro- for Professionals who need Pocket Power.
GC2:CS - Wednesday, August 13, 2014 - link
So this thing is made specifically against the next gen iPhone ? Well..................................nerdstalker - Wednesday, August 13, 2014 - link
This.piroroadkill - Wednesday, August 13, 2014 - link
A removable battery but no microSD? What the actual fuck.Also, I'm fed up with pathetic batteries. I can never find anything I want more than the RAZR MAXX HD because of dat 3.7v 3300mAh battery.
Lonyo - Wednesday, August 13, 2014 - link
At least you can switch out the battery so it's not a total loss. Small and non-replaceable battery really would be quite bad.Of course, it means having a spare battery somewhere around, but if you're away for long enough to think you might need one, you probably have somewhere to put one anyway.
Less ideal than just having a bigger battery (and being able to change it) but better than a small and non-replaceable battery.
steven75 - Wednesday, August 13, 2014 - link
But is it better than an external battery pack that can be charged simultaneously, run multiple devices simultaneously, and doesn't require powering down? I'm not sure about that...