Samsung Galaxy Alpha Pro Reviews

This really is the Samsung iPhone, and the South Korean firm has done a fantastic job of it. By putting build quality before specification it has produced a truly desirable, premium phone with a mid-range price. And still the Samsung Galaxy Alpha is still astonishingly fast.

For now, the Galaxy Alpha seems like a concept; a glimpse into the future of smartphones at Samsung. I really liked the slim and elegant design, and on its own the device has a great display, solid camera and high-end performance. But pitch it against the competition, including Samsung’s own Galaxy S5, and it’s clear that there are just too many downsides to the Alpha for it to be recommended.

Geez, it was a tough battle between those two, seeing that they sport very similar specs and performance. The Galaxy Alpha has a thinner body than the Z3 Compact, but the latter is thicker for a reason, flaunting a water-tight chassis, and a large battery that delivers record endurance. The Alpha is the winner when it comes to screen quality – it can offer these oversaturated colors that the AMOLEDs are known for, but can also be pretty accurate in its basic mode. The Z3 Compact, on the other hand, has one of the coldest screens we've seen. When it comes to camera quality, the Galaxy Alpha has faster focus, as well as a more versatile 4K video recording with better audio, yet the picture quality is on par with the Z3 Compact outdoors, and slightly worse in low-light. The Z3 Compact's extra design feature – its stereo speakers at the front – are arguably a more useful addition than Samsung's stand-out fingerprint scanner, too. The Galaxy Alpha also loses the battery life and call quality match, as well as the price battle – the Sony Z3 Compact is currently $150 cheaper than the Alpha, so you will be voting with your wallet as well.

Here in the US, consumers can pick up both smartphones through AT&T for the 2-year contract price of $200. Somewhat of a strange decision to say quite frankly, it’s tough to recommend handing over the cash to pick up the Galaxy Alpha. Yes, it’s certainly gorgeous looking, but the same amount will land you the more features rich Galaxy S5 – not to mention it’s also better spec’d, offers a water resistant property with its construction, and performs better in a variety of areas over its sibling. At the end of the day, we seriously feel that it’s a matter of size preference. If you feel that the Galaxy S5 is simply too large for your liking, then it’s a logical decision to pick up the Galaxy S5. If not, stick with the Galaxy S5 for its totality and richness.

Pricing alone indicates that these two smartphones are competing head-on against one another, where it’ll cost consumers $200 to pick them up on-contract. If we’re to look at what they offer on paper, from a specs sheet and features set standpoint, it’s almost certainly obvious that the Samsung Galaxy Alpha would garner more attention – more so considering its software experience proves to be more diversified than iOS 8. Not only that, it has a premium design that matches its high-end quality, which was lacking in the past with Sammy’s devices. However, we also can’t deny that the iPhone 6 is an option to think about. Sporting an updated design, one that’s arguably more premium than the Alpha, the phone’s true worth manifests in its real-world performance. Indeed, it doesn’t carry as many features as the Alpha, but Apple is especially cautious in doing that – to prevent users from feeling overwhelmed.

In order to pick up this thing, you’ll need to fork over $200 with your signature on a 2-year contract with AT&T – the same price as Sammy’s own flagship in the Galaxy S5. Indeed, each phone boasts their own unique qualities, but there’s something more rewarding when investing the money into the Galaxy S5. Yes, it’s a bigger phone and has a higher resolution screen, but it also benefits from having other amenities thrown into its package – like a water-resistant construction, an IR blaster, and the wealth of software features that accompany its TouchWiz experience. So you have to choose – either the compact size and premium construction of the Alpha, or the better specs and features of the larger but not as premium Galaxy S5. If you prefer the smaller size, the iPhone 6 is always a good alternative, sporting more premium design, but slightly bigger size for the same screen diagonal.

The Galaxy Alpha is Samsung's best looking smartphone to date, but it's short on features and the price is too high

Do you basically want an iPhone running Android? The Alpha is about as close as you'll get. That's by no means a knock against Samsung's design chops. The company took what people loved about the iPhone 5's look, added some Samsung personality, and came up with a phone that looks great. But it's not the no-compromise mini flagship smartphone you're probably looking for. Do you need more storage? You might consider the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which starts with 32GB and has a microSD slot for 64GB more. If phablets aren't your thing, even the generously sized 5-inch HTC One (M8) will give you 64GB of goodness. There's also always the Galaxy S5 if you don't mind a return to a primarily plastic existence. The Alpha feels like a precursor of what's coming, the internal concept before a much more robust "Beta" comes along. Whether that next phone is simply the Galaxy S6 or another phone altogether doesn't really matter. The Alpha holds undeniable promise, but it's promise that has yet to be realized.