Samsung officially took the wraps off the Galaxy Alpha. It’s a 720p screened android device. It’s got a mix of high and mid end specs but with a design and finish that is meant to look cool.
From a personal point of view I don’t dislike the Alpha. It is one of a few android phones that will be able to be used one handed that comes with some decent specs. However it faces a big problem.
Samsung clearly released this to combat the iPhone. The problem is there is only one new iPhone a year. Only Apple manufacture an iOS phone. So if you want an iPhone there is only one place to buy it from. That strengthens the Apple brand. This creates a little exclusivity.
However, if you want a phone powered by android your choice is endless. Samsung not only is doing battle with Apple but with android manufacturers from both the low, mid and high end. So on paper when we look at the specs of the Alpha we all can list at least 10 phones that come with better specifications. Question is do the specs make it a better offering than the Alpha? And will Samsung’s relentless marketing be strong and effective to quash competition?
Only time will tell, but I don’t think the Alpha will be a dead duck, quite the opposite in fact selling more than anticipated. Why? It’s a strong well known and trusted brand by the average person, it’s not too excessive in size and it looks good.
However, iPhone fans will respond by saying that the year old 5S can still out gun the new Alpha. And they would be right. And we must not forget that Sony will be launching their Sony Xperia Z3 Compact as another iPhone competitor. Samsung won’t have an easy ride. And let’s not forget the new iPhone is not even announced yet!
So do you agree?
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 
I don’t think we should assume Samsung don’t know what they are doing. They have a global view of the market and trends. I feel this is more about filling the sales gap left the by the poor selling S5 than competing with the iPhone. I think it will be priced low and will be perceived as good value by the bulk of smartphone buyers – ones that think all Smartphones are similar. The real iPhone competitor will be early in 2015 running a 64 bit Snapdragon with some screen innovation. The only way to beat Apple is to create a new innovation, like the Note series.
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Gavin, I think Samsung are dipping their toes in the water to see if
1. They have the technical chops to build a premium build quality phone.
2. To gauge in the android world if there is a reasonable demand for it.
3. They didn’t want to commit to a high end spec product which doesn’t sell enough to warrant the additional production costs.
If, they get a reasonable return on the investment I would expect the S6 and Note 5 to be of a very high quality build with specs to match. Samsung are going to have a hell of a fight though as Sony and HTC are way ahead of them in terms of making high quality phones and they are making zero impact on the iPhone!
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Some good points. Time will tell. The other issue is the smartphone market is saturated so difficult times ahead.
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The thing is, the original Bada Phone, the Samsung Wave, was pretty well built IMO + it was metallic (for the most part). I have no idea about the Alpha, build wise, but something that was built like the Wave (which had a removable back cover that was metallic) would be better than the metal rim + Plastic back of the Alpha. http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_s8500_wave-review-480p2.php
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