Samsung Galaxy Alpha official

[tbayrgs]

black, but here's the thing. It's definetly more grey than black, and outside in the sunshine it positively grey-silver, even the back looks shimmery silvery in the light.

I did want Blue, but couldn't get it, but the benefit of Samsungs removable backs is I can always order one I am going to get the wireless charging back.



Oh and another thing ..... THERE IS LESS SAMSUNG BLOAT ON THIS THAN MOTO BLOAT ON THE MOTO X !!!!!

Seriously other than stock apps, nearly all the Samsung stuff is optional install. I've downloaded same apps as on my moto X and my app drawer on the Alpha is 2.5 pages of apps in the goolgle launcher, on the moto X it's 3 pages ... So yep SAMSUNG IS LISTENING!!!

Well, lucky you. No doubt the AT&T branded model will be chock full of their carrier bloat.

Stupid question guys - the processor of the Alpha in the US, what other recognizable phones currently have that exact same processor? (for comparison purposes)

Oh and thx Mac for the early impressions!! Keep 'em coming. Can't wait to play with this thing soon.

Off hand I don't know if they all have the same clock speeds but the Galaxy S5, HTC One (M8), LG G3, and Moto X (2014) all have the Snapdragon 801.

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Well now the question du jour...will it bend?

 

[gotluck]

Well, lucky you. No doubt the AT&T branded model will be chock full of their carrier bloat.



Off hand I don't know if they all have the same clock speeds but the Galaxy S5, HTC One (M8), LG G3, and Moto X (2014) all have the Snapdragon 801.

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Well now the question du jour...will it bend?

yea saw a video on youtube unboxing the ATT model and it is chock full of bloat for sure

 

[skratch77]

If Samsung gave this a SD card slot,1080p 4.8 and 2300 mah battery it would of been the best device of 2014

 

[tbayrgs]

yea saw a video on youtube unboxing the ATT model and it is chock full of bloat for sure

I will absolutely not consider any device that doesn't have an unlocked, carrier free version. I'm generally paying full retail anyways so why deal with all the carrier garbage.

 

[Sensamic]

If Samsung gave this a SD card slot,1080p 4.8 and 2300 mah battery it would of been the best device of 2014

I would have preferred the device to be thicker to allow an even bigger battery.

2800 like the SGS5 with a 720P display would have made wonders.

 

[gotluck]

I will absolutely not consider any device that doesn't have an unlocked, carrier free version. I'm generally paying full retail anyways so why deal with all the carrier garbage.

Preaching to the choir!

 

[AppleRobert]

App refreshes? I know that is a hot button for you.

 

[MRU]

Have you had a chance to test the fingerprint scanner yet?

Fingerprint scanner is hit and miss. It will register maybe 60% of the time, the other 40% resulting in finger not read missed swipes. It needs a software update.

Edit. Just recaptured my prints and its now better

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You're making me jealous Mac, and i don't know why since since I'm very happy with my SGS5, but that Alpha looks really really good

Is the screen as good as the SGS5 in color reproduction and vibrancy? It's still AMOLED, right? I mean the new AMOLED panels that are getting so much praise (SGS5 and Note 4).

Does it get really bright at 100%? On the SGS5 I have it at 60% during the day and maybe 25% at night. Is the Alpha similar in brightness to the SGS5?

Oh, and can you can check if the camera rattle that the SGS5 has is also on the Alpha?

Lastly, how's the loudspeaker? Does it sound clear or muffled like on the SGS5 (I have a feeling it's due to the waterproof)?

Keep us informed!

Screen is just as good as S5. Extremely colour accurate whilst great brightness. It's every bit as bright indoors and outdoors.

Loudspeaker is cleaner sounding than the S5. Not louder but less muffled and more defined. As you say I think the waterproofing on the s5 really muffled the speaker quality.

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App refreshes? I know that is a hot button for you.

Still happens but not anywhere near as much as S5. Seems to have more free memory with 4.4.4 at 1.83gb user accessible compared to last update on my s5 only allowing up to 1.63gb user accessible.

 

[gotluck]

Any comments on the reception? Was your s5 also exynos?

 

[MRU]

Any comments on the reception? Was your s5 also exynos?

No S5 / S4 / Note 3 were all Snapdragon here. Call reception is excellent. Even with crappy Bluetooth in my car, I was talking to someone today and they actually remarked it sounded much clearer than I normally sounded to them.

In the dodgy black spot where nearly all calls are dropped it managed to stay connected.

So no issue for me with cell reception.

 

[gotluck]

No S5 / S4 / Note 3 were all Snapdragon here. Call reception is excellent. Even with crappy Bluetooth in my car, I was talking to someone today and they actually remarked it sounded much clearer than I normally sounded to them.

In the dodgy black spot where nearly all calls are dropped it managed to stay connected.

So no issue for me with cell reception.

Yea I'm curious if the exynos have better radios. From my own anecdotal experience, my snapdragon s4 seems weaker than iPhone reception.

Can't only blame the chip though, since Motorola has excellent reception with their modified snapdragon last year

 

[ucfgrad93]

Android Central has their review up.

Unfortunately, though, it's hard to describe the phone's longevity as anything besides disappointing. You're looking at a single day's worth of use at most. And if it's a particularly busy day, you'll be reaching for a charging cable by late afternoon.

Right now, the Alpha is very nearly an awesome smartphone, but ultimately it falls frustratingly short of achieving its true potential.

http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-alpha-review

 

[Oohara]

Android Central has their review up.





http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-alpha-review

If that's true, then the Z3 Compact would seem to be the far better alternative. At least it doesn't disappoint when it comes to battery power....... 10 h of screen on time according to Phonearena

Anyhow looking forward to hearing real life testing results from MRU

 

[The Game 161]

Least it has removable battery

 

[ucfgrad93]

Anyhow looking forward to hearing real life testing results from MRU

Agreed. He needs to stop slacking off and get that review finished!

 

[Shanghaichica]

Least it has removable battery

Yeah that's the great thing with having a removable battery. It doesn't really matter how good the battery life is. The Z3 compact's battery life sounds insane though.

 

[MRU]

If that's true, then the Z3 Compact would seem to be the far better alternative. At least it doesn't disappoint when it comes to battery power....... 10 h of screen on time according to Phonearena

Anyhow looking forward to hearing real life testing results from MRU

I don't know where they got their results from but from what I am seeing with mine I am getting as good as - if not better than my S5.

I've got 1hr 52mins screen on time so far, battery was off charger from 7am onwards and I have 42 mins of voice calls logged too

Battery at 63% remaining....

Not sure how that's 'bad' It's as good as any other flagship android device I've used this year.

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Agreed. He needs to stop slacking off and get that review finished!

Lol. Will post it tomorrow, up the walls with work at moment - trying to get jobs ready before I go on holiday this Saturday

 

[Oohara]

I don't know where they got their results from but from what I am seeing with mine I am getting as good as - if not better than my S5.

I've got 1hr 52mins screen on time so far, battery was off charger from 7am onwards and I have 42 mins of voice calls logged too

Battery at 63% remaining....

Not sure how that's 'bad' It's as good as any other flagship android device I've used this year.

Cool, that doesn't sound bad at all then. Good to have real world reports coming in

Lol. Will post it tomorrow, up the walls with work at moment - trying to get jobs ready before I go on holiday this Saturday

Excuses excuses!!

 

[ucfgrad93]

Lol. Will post it tomorrow, up the walls with work at moment - trying to get jobs ready before I go on holiday this Saturday

Get your priorities in order man. This is way more important than a job!

 

[MRU]

Excuses excuses!!

Get your priorities in order man. This is way more important than a job!

lol ... the jobs not the problem. Its the week away in the sun I'm not looking forward too

 

[AppleRobert]

Saw the demo unit at an AT&T store thus morning. It will not be connected up until after store hours so I could not play with it.

Sleek and pretty nice looking is all I can report.

 

[blairh]

I'm not fretting about battery life in reviews until someone tests it with a carrier I'd be using.

 

[Sensamic]

Saw the Alpha today.

So small. Didn't like it was so small the screen felt soooo tiny.

Also, the "metal" frame didn't felt metal at all to me It felt like a different type of plastic actually.

Very thin and light.

Good phone but screen too small for my taste.

 

[mib1800]

I think the alpha size is so much better than ip6. Not for me though as I like big screen like my note3.

 

[Sevanw]

Saw the Alpha yesterday in person. The phone is simply the best looking phone out there right now, in my opinion of course. The metal is cold and sturdy. The grip is perfect. Especially how your thumb can rest on the button of the slightly protruding corners. The soft touch plastic back and metal frame is the perfect choice to keep things functional and practical, yet premium. This one's a winner. Now bring on the Note 4.