A preview of the latest Samsung Galaxy Alpha, compared with the Galaxy S5
Samsung has unveiled, but not released, yet another phone, the metallic,LTE enabled, nano-SIM-using, Samsung Galaxy Alpha, whose attempts to outdo the shine of the Samsung Galaxy S5 are yet to be seen. It does have similarities with the already existing Samsung Galaxy S5 (read full review here) so what difference exactly will this phone bring to the table? Let’s find out:
Processor: The Samsung Galaxy Alpha will run on a Quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A15 including a quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 processor while the S5 runs on a Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 so the S5 is much faster in this case.
OS: The Galaxy Alpha will run on Android OS, v4.4.4 (KitKat), which the S5’s Android OS v4.4.2(KitKat) can be upgraded to as well.
Dimensions: It is smaller than the Galaxy S5 at 132.4 x 65.5 x 6.7 mm compared to the 142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm of the S5. It will also be much lighter at 115g compared to the 145g of the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Display: Both phones have a Super AMOLED screen but the Alpha’s screen is smaller at 4.7 inches with 720 x 1280 pixels compared to the S5’s 5.2 inch screen with a larger 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution.
Storage: The S5 came with 16/32 GB choices for internal memory, with a microSD card slot for additional expansion up to 128GB, but the Galaxy Alpha will only have a 32GB variant with no memory card slot, which sucks if you like to store EVERYTHING on your phone.
Camera: The Samsung Galaxy Alpha will have a 12MP camera and 2.1 MP front camera, while the S5 had a 16MP rear camera and 2MP front camera so if you want selfies that are 0.1 MP better, get the Alpha, but for great pictures with your rear camera, the S5 is the go-to guy, but you know what we always say, with great lighting any camera is a good camera.
Colours: The Alpha will have options just like the S5, coming in Black, White, Silver, Blue and Gold.
Battery: The S5 had a large 2800mAh battery while the Alpha will have a smaller 1850mAh one. Seeing how battery lives affect consumer choice, the Alpha loses out here.
Price: Shockingly the Alpha will cost more when released next month than when the S5 was first rolled out. It will be an estimated £500 ( approx. K5,078 or more if we include shipping) compared to the S5’s pre-order price from Airtel Zambia which was K4945.
Conclusion: The Alpha has come at a time when rival Apple is set to release its iPhone 6 model so we think this is a direct competitor, seeing how more compact and lighter the Samsung Galaxy Alpha has been made. Will it beat out the competition? We wonder seeing as it seems less advanced but prettier than the S5, but more expensive.
There are so many choices to choose from among brands that it’s getting harder for manufacturers to come up with the next big thing globally. We expect the Alpha to roll out next month (September), but in Zambia, let’s give it till October to get here.
Image Credits: Android Sis, GSM Arena, PC Advisor
