Samsung alpha technical. Mobile device batteries vary in capacity and technology.

Galaxy Alpha from Samsung is of particular interest, oddly enough, because of the case materials, because this is the first (to my memory) smartphone from the manufacturer in a metal case. Or rather, with a metal frame, but this does not reduce the effect. You take the alpha in your hands and understand: “Why wasn’t it done this way from the very beginning?” Nothing can replace the feeling of real metal.

But this is not the only interesting thing about a smartphone. as if it was specially created to be conceptually similar to the iPhone 6. It is expensive, has a 4.7″ display, a metal body, a slot for a nano SIM card, and does not have a slot for a memory card. Why isn't it a competitor to the iPhone? It remains to figure out which of them is better.

I'll start with tactile sensations and practicality. The iPhone 6, although made of all-aluminum, is very soapy. Basically, if you use it without a case, it will try to slip out of your hands every now and then. This is due to the rounded edges and low thickness. And aluminum itself is not a tenacious material at all. In Galaxy Alpha the situation is much better: firstly, the edges are rougher and have small protrusions that the palm easily clings to; secondly, the back cover is made of soft-touch plastic; it literally sticks to the palm of your hand. There is no feeling that the smartphone will slip out.

But, oddly enough, even despite this practicality, the body feels more pleasant in alpha. With the same display sizes in the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Alpha, the dimensions and weight of the latter are smaller. Moreover, the sizes are smaller on all fronts. This means that Galaxy Alpha is just one of those smartphones that lovers of compact devices like. Two years ago Samsung would have said: “We put a 4.7″ display in a 4.3″ body!” And, in fact, they would be right.

The arrangement of the elements is standard, there is nothing to draw attention to here. Except that the quality of all the buttons is very pleasant, but it could hardly have been otherwise, still not budget model. I even noticed the vibration response from touch keys under the display, it is nicer than in the manufacturer’s previous smartphones, it does not have any echo, as if from a spring. And there is a fingerprint scanner, like in SGS5.

The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of a memory card slot. But the slot for a nano-SIM card seems to hint that everything was done to make it easier for iPhone users to switch to the light side.

Display

It seems to me that the screen on a smartphone is its weakest point. The Super AMOLED matrix has excellent viewing angles, brightness, contrast, perfect black color... But the resolution of 1280x720 pixels on a 4.7″ diagonal, and even with a pen tile pixel structure, makes it possible to view the pixel grid even from a distance. The pixel density is 312 ppi, which seems to be quite a lot, but for a fairly high price segment this is not enough. Although a picky user is unlikely to find anything to complain about, especially .

Camera

On the contrary, the camera pleased me. Main – 12 MP, with an aspect ratio of 16:9, front – 2.1 MP. Technically, it is inferior to that of the Galaxy S 5: there are fewer pixels and autofocus is slower. But the photos clearly come out of no worse quality, I really like them.

The camera performs especially well in low-light conditions. The video is recorded in 1080p, 30 fps and 720p 120 fps. But the last mode clearly does not work in the best possible way, the video is most likely interpolated, the real resolution is less than 720p.

Photo examples

Video examples

1080p, HDR

720p 120 fps

Specifications and software

I was pleased with the performance of the smartphone; the performance is enough for literally everything. The Exynos 5 Octa 5430 processor has a total of eight cores, it consists of two 4-core processors: 4 Cortex-A15 cores (1.8 GHz) and 4 Cortex-A7 cores (1.3 GHz), as well as Mali-T628 graphics MP6 provide smooth and fast performance everywhere. Plus 2 GB of RAM. Built-in memory – 32 GB. At the same time, oddly enough, the smartphone behaves more stable than the iPhone, iOS8. Probably one of the most unstable versions of iOS in history. And touchwiz has already been well tested and works well. We won’t argue about the design, to each his own, but the fact is that Android is now more stable. The operating system version here, by the way, is 4.4.4.

The only thing that upset me about the technical specifications was the battery capacity. Whatever one may say, 1860 mAh will not be enough for a day of active work. In my mode of use, in which the Galaxy Note did not last for 3 days, the smartphone had to be charged twice a day. If the use is more or less moderate, then the battery life will be enough for a day, but I would like to see a battery with a larger capacity. Although, most likely, it would simply not be possible to cram more into this size.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	65.5 mm (millimeters) 6.55 cm (centimeters) 0.21 ft (feet) 2.58 in (inches)
Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	132.4 mm (millimeters) 13.24 cm (centimeters) 0.43 ft (feet) 5.21 in (inches)
Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units measurements.	6.7 mm (millimeters) 0.67 cm (centimeters) 0.02 ft (feet) 0.26 in (inches)
Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement.	115 g (grams) 0.25 lbs 4.06 oz (ounces)
Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.	58.1 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 3.53 in³ (cubic inches)
Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale.	Black White Blue Silver Golden
Materials for making the case Materials used to make the device body.	Metal Polycarbonate

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

GSM GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is designed to replace the analogue mobile network (1G). For this reason, GSM is often called a 2G mobile network. It is improved by the addition of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), and later EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technologies.	GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz
UMTS UMTS is an abbreviation for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is based on the GSM standard and belongs to 3G mobile networks. Developed by 3GPP and its biggest advantage is that it provides higher speed and spectral efficiency thanks to W-CDMA technology.	UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz
LTE LTE (Long Term Evolution) is defined as a fourth generation (4G) technology. It is developed by 3GPP based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA to increase the capacity and speed of wireless mobile networks. The subsequent technology development is called LTE Advanced.	LTE 800 MHz LTE 850 MHz LTE 900 MHz LTE 1800 MHz LTE 1900 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation.	Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5430
Technological process Information about technological process, on which the chip is made. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor.	20 nm (nanometers)
Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications.	4x 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A15, 4x 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A7
Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance compared to 32-bit processors, which in turn are more powerful than 16-bit processors.	32 bit
Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute.	ARMv7
Level 1 cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small in size and works much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2.	32 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes)
Level 2 cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1 cache, but in return it has a higher capacity, allowing it to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or in RAM memory.	2048 kB (kilobytes) 2 MB (megabytes)
Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel.	8
CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	1800 MHz (megahertz)
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Graphics processing unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphic applications. IN mobile devices ah it is used most often by games, consumer interface, video applications, etc.	ARM Mali-T628 MP6
Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications.	6
GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	533 MHz (megahertz)
Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted.	2 GB (gigabytes)
Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device.	LPDDR3
Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels mean higher data rates.	Dual channel
RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data.	933 MHz (megahertz)

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends.	Super AMOLED
Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches.	4.7 in (inches) 119.38 mm (millimeters) 11.94 cm (centimeters)
Width Approximate screen width	2.3 in (inches) 58.53 mm (millimeters) 5.85 cm (centimeters)
Height Approximate screen height	4.1 in (inches) 104.05 mm (millimeters) 10.4 cm (centimeters)
Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side	1.778:1 16:9
Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail.	720 x 1280 pixels
Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. More high density Allows you to display information on the screen with clearer details.	312 ppi (pixels per inch) 122ppcm (pixels per centimeter)
Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display.	24 bit 16777216 flowers
Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device.	70.45% (percentage)
Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics.	Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance
	Corning Gorilla Glass 4

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.

Sensor type Digital cameras use photo sensors to take photographs. The sensor, as well as optics, are one of the main factors in the quality of the camera in a mobile device.	ISOCELL
Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile device cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes produce softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting.	LED
Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which shows the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image.	4608 x 2592 pixels 11.94 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with the device.	3840 x 2160 pixels 8.29 MP (megapixels)
Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard video shooting and playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p.	30fps (frames per second)
Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality.	Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

Version There are several Bluetooth versions, while each subsequent one improves communication speed, coverage, and facilitates easier detection and connection of devices. Information about the Bluetooth version of the device.	4.0
Characteristics Bluetooth uses different profiles and protocols that provide faster data transfer, energy savings, improved device discovery, etc. Some of these profiles and protocols that the device supports are shown here.	A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) AVRCP (Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile) DIP (Device ID Profile) EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) HFP (Hands-Free Profile) HID (Human Interface Profile) HSP (Headset Profile) LE (Low Energy) MAP (Message Access Profile) OPP (Object Push Profile) PAN (Personal Area Networking Profile) PBAP/PAB (Phone Book Access Profile)

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Browser Information about some of the main characteristics and standards supported by the device's browser.

HTML HTML5 CSS 3

Audio file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different audio file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital audio data.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

SAR level for head (EU) The SAR level indicates maximum amount electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device next to the ear in a conversation position. In Europe the maximum permissible value SAR for mobile devices is limited to 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by CENELEC in accordance with IEC standards, subject to the guidelines of ICNIRP 1998.	0.4 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)
Body SAR level (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device at hip level. The maximum permissible SAR value for mobile devices in Europe is 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by the CENELEC Committee in compliance with the ICNIRP 1998 guidelines and IEC standards.	0.506 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)
Head SAR level (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device near the ear. The maximum value used in the USA is 1.6 W/kg per 1 gram of human tissue. Mobile devices in the US are regulated by the CTIA, and the FCC conducts tests and sets their SAR values.	1.18 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)
Body SAR level (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device at hip level. The highest permissible SAR value in the USA is 1.6 W/kg per 1 gram of human tissue. This value is set by the FCC, and the CTIA monitors mobile devices' compliance with this standard.	0.75 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)

On Galaxy example Alpha, that Samsung has finally realized the need to install not only top-end hardware in its smartphones, but also high-quality materials. The back cover alone, pleasant to the touch, as it was and is in the S5, does not save the matter. But in Alpha everything is completely different. It's very interesting design, serious performance and price pointing towards one of the Korean giant's key competitors. Everything in order in this review.

The G850F or Samsung Galaxy Alpha became the first device from the Korean giant to receive metal in the body and, in general, such increased attention to detail in the exterior. There is an aluminum frame around the entire perimeter, with tiny plastic inserts at the corners. Apparently they are part of the antenna design. The chopped edges here are exactly the same as in Apple iPhone 5S. I also noticed a direct resemblance to Alcatel One Touch Idol Alpha (6032X). Have you noticed the same word in the names of smartphones from completely different manufacturers? Is this a coincidence? Who knows.

In addition, I can’t avoid comparisons with the famous metal Element Case Vapor bumpers for the iPhone.

Maybe Samsung took the best of all worlds, or maybe they came up with it themselves. I am inclined to believe that we are talking about the first option. As they say, good artists copy, great artists steal.

The aluminum bezel is pleasant to the touch, and due to the notches on each corner, the smartphone fits firmly in the hand. Adding to the overall positive impression is the small thickness of the case - only 6.7 mm. The Alpha fits perfectly in the hand, you can easily operate it with one hand, and the device is not at all noticeable in your trouser or jacket pocket.

There is a fly in the ointment in all this. Please note that on the sides the glass panel fits very tightly to the rim. But at the top and bottom of the smartphone there are gaps between the metal frame and the glass on the front side. Dirt will accumulate there over time. To all this, I would like to quote an excerpt from the press release dedicated to the new product:

“The new sophisticated model will allow the user to express their individual style and subtle sense of taste. Refined design, metal frame, carefully designed case design, pleasant-to-touch back cover, and light weight - the new product not only looks elegant, but also provides its owner with maximum comfort of use.”

You saw everything in my photos with your own eyes, and now you are also familiar with an excerpt from the official text from the manufacturer. Draw your own conclusions regarding how “refinement”, “sense of taste” and gaps in the design can be combined.

I propose to compare the dimensions of our hero with his main competitors.

	Length	Width	Thickness	Weight
	132,4	65,5
iPhone 5S	123,8	58,6
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact		64,9
Samsung Galaxy S5 mini	131,1	64,8
Samsung Galaxy S5		72,5

On the top edge of the smartphone there is a 3.5 mm jack and a microphone hole. At the bottom, right in the center, there is a microUSB connector, to the left of which there is a second microphone hole. On the right side of the main port there is a perforation for the main speaker. We'll talk about sound later.

On the right edge of the alpha there is a power / screen activation key. The button does not play, and its movement is clear, which is nice. The same can be said about the volume keys. They are located on the left side of the smartphone.

Samsung is true to itself and is not going to give up touch keys directly on the smartphone body. This is an excellent solution, as the control panel does not eat up display space, as is often the case in other competitive products.

On the left below the screen is the recent applications key. It's still the same multitasking, it's just that Samsung decided to play with it in such a cunning manner. Below the display is located physical key“Home”, which also doubles as a fingerprint sensor. The sensor works great, by the way. Fingerprints are recognized quickly and without errors.

The back cover is made of approximately the same material as in the Galaxy S5, that is, there is a leather effect and a slightly oily coating. Here the surface is a little simpler than in the fifth version of the Korean flagship, but it is also very pleasant to the touch.

For appearance and ease of use, I give the Samsung Galaxy Alpha an A minus. For what the minus, I have already explained above.

The smartphone has a Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The diagonal is 4.7 inches. No, this does not have a noticeable effect on the perception of the picture. If in doubt, I recommend trying Alpha live. In a short digression below, I will tell you why it happened that what may seem like a low-tech screen was installed in the new product.

With the release of iPhone 6, the price of the one-year-old iPhone 5S dropped to 24,990 rubles. It is naive to believe that five-esque will not be in demand after the release of a new generation of iOS smartphone. " It's an iPhone in Africa too“- this is exactly what many people think who want to join the mainstream and who do not have sufficient funds to acquire a six.

Samsung clearly understands this and wants to take away some of their income from the middle segment from Apple. It is clear that this price level can be called average only by comparing all these prices with the cost of Note 4 or iPhone 6 Plus. The last couple is fighting among themselves for sales in excess high level. Samsung Galaxy S5 fights iPhone 6 in high price segment, but the Korean giant didn’t have anything special that was cheaper and at the same time stylish. With the release of Alpha the situation changed.

So, the iPhone 5S has a screen with a resolution of 1136 x 640 pixels. In Alpha the resolution is slightly higher, so there is no point in installing a better display. The diagonal doesn't matter here. This is how Samsung kills two birds with one stone: they compete with Apple and save on one of the components of their device. Still, the rest of the hardware in the smartphone is very serious.

Let's return to the display in alpha. Of course the screen is covered protective glass, which in turn is covered with an oleophobic coating. The display is bright, juicy, easy to read in the sun and will be quite familiar to those who have ever encountered Super AMOLED matrices.

In the parameters, you can select adaptive mode, that is, when the system itself adjusts the screen settings to the currently running applications (gallery, video player), or you can choose other presets.

The viewing angles are good, the colors do not fade when tilted, only the brightness decreases, but this is absolutely normal behavior for any screen (the photo shows only the Samsung Galaxy Alpha screen).

In general, I have not fully decided on the evaluation of the display installed in the Alpha. Yes, the resolution is not high and it looks somehow strange for Samsung. On the other hand, the highlight of the smartphone is completely different. The first is design, and the second will be discussed in the next section.

• Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5430 processor (8 cores: four of which operate at a frequency of 1.8 GHz, and the rest at 1.3 GHz)
• video chip Mali-T628
• RAM 2 GB
• built-in memory 16/32 GB (25.82 GB actually available),
• NO memory card support
• screen 4.7’’ Super AMOLED (312 ppi)
• main camera 12 megapixels
• front camera 2.1 megapixels
• OS Android 4.4.4
• removable battery 1860 mAh
• sensors: accelerometer, digital compass, sensor magnetic field, gyroscope, light sensor, distance sensor, hand motion sensor, heart rate sensor, fingerprint scanner

Networks and Wireless

• GSM, HSDPA, LTE (cat. 6)
• Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n/ac), MIMO, Bluetooth 4.o, NFC, aGPS/GLONASS
• connectors:USB v. 2.0, 3.5 mm

One of the top-end self-developed processors to date, although built on a 32-bit architecture, deserves special attention. Thanks to such computing power, Alpha scores maximum points in synthetic tests.

And here we see a direct clash between two camps. If the iPhone 5S in Geekbench earns 2543 points from two cores of its processor and 1406 points from one core, then the Samsung Galaxy Alpha beat its apple competitor in the first test - it scored 3078 parrots, but lost the battle in the single-core test, receiving 940 points (data below with Samsung Galaxy Alpha).

The second thing I want to draw attention to is the support for LTE category 6, which in theory should provide data transfer at speeds of up to 300 megabits per second for incoming traffic and up to 50 Mbit/s for outgoing traffic.

In general, you won't notice any lack of performance. The interface and proprietary shell fly, applications launch instantly, and pictures are created even faster.

The performance of the smartphone has been debugged by 110%. You absolutely don’t expect such power from a 4.7-inch device, much less a fashionable one.

The main camera uses a 12-megapixel matrix, capable of taking pictures in a maximum resolution of 4608 x 2592 pixels.

There is a whole sea of ​​different settings, which in principle corresponds to Samsung's policy. The abundance of parameters makes me confused, but we’ll still take the main and most interesting ones.

From the settings you can activate image stabilization, HDR effect, face detection, one-touch shooting and many other features.

I like how the Alpha's HDR function works. When there are strong shadows or backlight, the adjustment really saves the situation. Judge for yourself using the photo below (before and after):

Through Wi-Fi Direct You can connect to another device and use its display as a remote viewfinder to take photos. Interesting functionality.

Among the shooting modes, you can choose from a retouching function, a virtual tour, photographing from two cameras at once, creating panoramas and other features that you can download yourself if you wish.

The quality of the pictures is very good. In daylight there are no problems with autofocus or blurry images.

In night shooting conditions, all the camera's flaws appear in the images. In this regard, the Galaxy Alpha photo module cannot be compared with the Galaxy S5.

The smartphone takes macro photos very beautifully. Autofocus works about five centimeters from the subject and you can get some pretty interesting shots. In my opinion, the sea pebbles and cabbage leaves turned out very well:

The 2.1 MP front camera is capable of taking photos with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The video sensor records in a similar resolution.

There are few modes here: skin retouching, shooting dynamic objects and, perhaps, that’s all. In addition, you can select various filters while shooting.

Both cameras can be controlled by voice. The latter is especially true for selfies, but in a noisy place you will have to get the hang of pressing the shutter button on the screen. By the way, it can be reassigned to the volume key and, thus, you do not have to reach for the touch surface of the screen to take a picture.

The maximum resolution in which the device can shoot video is 3840 x 2160 pixels at 30 frames per second.

However, there is not enough detail when viewing on a PC for such a number of points in the frame, although everything looks great on a smartphone screen.

In the camera options, you can set the Slo-Mo mode, that is, when the video image slows down 8 times.

Of course, the video resolution in this case drops to 1280 x 720 pixels. Again, the detail and picture quality are lacking, so this setting cannot be seriously considered.

To play third-party video files, the following video formats are supported: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM. Accordingly, the following codecs are used: H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8.

Alpha headphones show excellent results. The sound is clear, bassy and, in principle, corresponds to the already established level of sound quality for smartphones. In the player settings, you can select additional audio effects, such as a tube amplifier, sound in a studio or at a concert. Of course, there is a seven-band equalizer for those who like detailed sound customization.

There is an interesting feature. The system analyzes the songs in the library and arranges them in the form of a square. By moving a finger over the cells, the user builds, so to speak, the mood of the playback. From sadness to joy, as they say.

The volume through the external speaker is normal. No more. Personally, I would like the device to sound louder, since often the device is in a bag and on a noisy street it will not be possible to hear the call. I'm talking about Alpha.

As always, Samsung solutions are full of pre-installed sets of audio codecs: MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC. The list of playable audio formats is as follows: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA.

Installed in smartphone removable battery with a capacity of 1860 mAh and that’s quite a bit. Engineers sacrificed a capacious battery in favor of the thickness of the device's body. Not surprising, since Alpha is primarily an image model.

With moderate use of alpha functions (two hours of Internet via Wi-Fi, several dozen photos and videos, hours of use of other functions), you should not expect a lifespan of more than one and a half days. With active data transfer in the background, constant notifications and synchronization via 3G-4G connection, the smartphone will be able to last until the evening. These are far from record figures.

The developers did not forget to preset two battery saving modes. The first involves limiting processor performance, disabling background data transfer and switching the screen to shades of gray if necessary. In this mode, the screen consumes significantly less energy.

The second mode involves turning the smartphone into a regular black and white dialer with access to a predetermined range of applications. You shouldn’t count on being able to choose something “heavier” than a voice recorder or an Internet browser. Only basic tools are available.

With the help of all these means, you can really stay in touch for a very long time. In my case, at 66% battery charge, with the extreme energy saving mode turned on, the smartphone can live for another 5-6 days.

It is not surprising that Samsung fills its smartphones to capacity with various software features. Alpha is no exception to this rule. It has almost all the same features that are present in the Galaxy S5. The device did not receive pen input and S Pen support, since this is a privilege exclusively for the Note series.

Let's touch on some interesting features.

Long-pressing the back key activates the side menu, from which you can drag applications to work in dual window mode. Yes, for a screen diagonal of 4.7 this is a very strange functionality, nevertheless, it exists.

Almost any picture from the Gallery or previously copied text can be retrieved from clipboard. It doesn't matter that after you copied the phone number in the morning, you managed to do a lot of other copies and pastes. The searched text will not be forgotten by the system. Personally, I'm looking forward to features like this coming to desktop PCs at the system level. But such features are already present in smartphones.

Like its older brother, Alpha has health center support. Pedometer, recording workouts and sleep phases via additional accessories- this is all clear. But the fact that there is a built-in heart rate sensor is great. The Koreans did not skimp on it, despite the fact that the price of the device is an order of magnitude lower than the cost of the current flagship.

The sensor works well and reads your pulse without problems even during a continuous walk, meaning you don’t need to completely freeze.

To quickly access five different utilities, the developers came up with a small virtual button. It can be placed anywhere on the screen and a drop-down list of applications can be configured in advance. This could be a calculator, S Planner (calendar), maps, etc. Convenient setup, which is worth a closer look.

Other interesting places in the system can be found in the screenshots below:

Imagine that the Samsung Galaxy S5 lost weight: it dropped the battery capacity, lost a little in screen resolution, changed the camera to a slightly simpler module, but in return received a nice and thin design, as well as a more affordable price tag. What to call such a smartphone? Right! Galaxy Alpha.

Samsung didn’t think about moisture protection, so the alpha is afraid of water.

However, the smartphone copes well with any load. Heavy content, graphics-intensive toys—the new product from Samsung has nothing on it.

But that's not all that matters. Alpha's task is to compete with the Apple iPhone 5S, which has a similar price (24,990 rubles) and continues to be in demand. Smartphones from other companies don’t count; they have little to offer, both in design and characteristics.

To buy or not to buy Samsung Galaxy Alpha?

If everyone already has the iPhone 5S and is quite tired of it, then the Alpha is a breath of fresh air. On the Korean side there is a large screen and a bunch of different sensors, including a heart rate sensor. The performance in both devices is approximately the same, the design is again good in both cases. However, a stylish smartphone from Samsung is something new and interesting. Go to the store, turn the device in your hands, and if you feel pleasant emotions, feel free to buy it.

The long-awaited (according to the loudest Internet grumblers) is the company’s first-born with metal body elements. He is also the most thin smartphone Samsung and one of the thinnest on the market at the time of release. Although in terms of technical characteristics the model cannot be called the most advanced, but in terms of cost it is firmly in the top three (the most expensive Samsung smartphones). What else, besides its model appearance, is interesting about the Galaxy Alpha, you will learn from this review.

What is this

Samsung's next flagship smartphone in 2014. It is notable for its ultra-compact dimensions (thickness only 6.7 mm) and the presence of metal body elements - edging around the edges and volume control keys and screen lock. The device has a diagonal of 4.7 inches, that is, a compromise between flagship smartphones and their mini versions (similar to the iPhone 6, leaks about the dimensions of which were known even before the announcement of the Galaxy Alpha). Thus, with its size it should satisfy both fans of “blades” and admirers of modest diagonals.

Why is he interesting?

Samsung Galaxy Alpha is one of the most productive Samsung smartphones, and one of the fastest models on the market. This was achieved thanks to a display with HD resolution (that is, less than FullHD in the Galaxy S5 and QHD in the Galaxy Note 4), 2 GB of RAM and a powerful eight-core processor (big.LITTLE architecture) Exynos 5 Octa 5430 processor. The smartphone has a low battery by modern capacity standards (1860 mAh), however, this drawback is partially offset by the feature of the processor - it is made using a 20-nm process technology, which implies better energy efficiency compared to other modern mobile processors. The valuable qualities of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, in addition to the body, high performance and Android 4.4.4 out of the box, are a strong camera and the ability to charge quickly.

What's good about the case?

Often, when describing their new products, manufacturers greatly over-praise their main advantages. In the case of the Galaxy Alpha, it’s almost impossible to over-praise its body. It is more compact than the iPhone 6 (which also has a 4.7-inch screen), HTC One Mini 2 (4.5 inch screen), thinner than Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini, much smaller than Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 and comparable only to Huawei Ascend P6. Unlike the Galaxy S5 and its mini version, this model does not have protection against dust and moisture.

Even the metal edging is designed to reinforce potential weak points without taking up unnecessary space. Pay attention to the bends and thickening in the area of ​​the microUSB connector.

The speaker is lonely, but loud and of high quality. And you can’t cover it with your palm.

The back of the case remains plastic, the lid is flush with the frame.

The plastic itself deserves a lot of compliments. Firstly, it feels fantastic to touch. Secondly, it is practical - it does not scratch, does not collect fingerprints, and does not slip. Thirdly, it has an interesting design on the back side...

Same for the front. Yes, these are small crosses. Why the crosses are unclear, but they are still much better than the “sticking plaster” of the Galaxy S5 and more interesting than the “skin” of the Galaxy Note 3.

For the sake of the audio jack, the metal edging also had to be slightly widened, and the camera eye completely protrudes (but it should not be scratched on a horizontal surface at a slight angle).

The case cover, although thin, does not bend under your fingers.

The battery is tiny, thinner than the Galaxy S5 Mini. The SIM card is supported in nano format, but there is no slot for a memory card at all.

And the features are rougher than those of the Samsung flagships of the first half of 2014. Compare, this is next to the Galaxy K Zoom.

Objects on the front panel - front camera, light and proximity sensors, navigation block - have not changed.

In terms of design and body quality, the Galaxy Alpha is Samsung's best Android phone yet. And overall one of the nicest smartphones on the market this year. But at the same time, people who generally did not like the design of smartphones from this manufacturer will not find this model attractive. Because all the “rethinking of design” in Galaxy Alpha remained within the framework of the traditional brand book for Samsung Android devices.

How is his screen?

The smartphone is equipped with a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display with all that it implies - flashy colors, deep blacks. Pixel density is 312 ppi. On the one hand, this is enough so that the pixels are not noticeable to the eye. On the other hand, the lower screen resolution compared to temporary flagships has a better effect on the device’s performance.

The Galaxy Alpha screen has an excellent oleophobic coating, the presence of which can be determined not only by studying the characteristics plate, but with the naked eye. The display brightness is more than enough to use a smartphone on a sunny day. Automatic backlight adjustment works like a charm. In the display settings, you can enable a sensitivity increase mode to support working with gloves, and also select one of color modes. The default setting is adaptive (it should adapt to the colors of the environment).

Our studies with a colorimeter showed that the brightness of the white field backlight in the Samsung Galaxy Alpha model is 352.5 cd/m2. Black - 0 (as in all AMOLEDs). The display has infinite contrast. The matrix used in the Galaxy Alpha demonstrates the Adobe RGB color gamut, which is overkill, since sRGB is enough for a comfortable viewing of the screen of a mobile device; this is not a monitor for working with graphics. The color temperature and ΔE value are far from ideal, as is usually the case in mobile devices; blue color predominates over the rest, making the image look colder than it is. In general, the screen calibration is the same as that of most flagship smartphones on the market.

Device name	White field brightness, cd/m2	The brightness of the black field, cd/m2	Contrast
Samsung Galaxy Alpha	352.5	0	∞
Alcatel One Touch Idol Alpha	384.37	0.36	1068:1
Huawei Ascend P7	400.69	0.82	489:1
Samsung Galaxy S5	370.3	0	∞
HTC One M8	459.44	0.22	2088:1
LG G2	336.41	0.4	840:1
Sony Xperia Z1	400.81	0.75	534:1
Samsung Galaxy Note 3	323.81	0	∞
Huawei Ascend D2	310.52	0.30	1037:1
Samsung Galaxy S4	320	0	∞
Sony Xperia T	421	0.28	1503:1
iPhone 4S	434	0.53	818:1

How often do you have to charge?

Just as often as the Galaxy S5. If you use your smartphone intensively (and at the same time allow yourself 8 hours of sleep), read a lot of books and news from it, use GPS, connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi or 2G, then approximately three times in two days. At medium loads - once a day. For a smartphone with a large and bright display, as well as a ridiculous battery capacity, this is a good result. But by the standards of a smartphone for 9 thousand UAH, it’s ridiculous. This is because a larger battery would not fit into the beautiful thin case.

In addition to the question of how often you have to charge this smartphone, the relevant question is how quickly this happens. Even when using a charger of unknown origin, the smartphone very quickly replenishes its energy reserves - at full cycle it takes a little over an hour. The Galaxy Note 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note PRO 12.2 tablet used a microUSB 3.0 connector for faster charging, which never caught on. Here is a regular microUSB.

What's up with its performance?

In terms of speed and smooth interface, Galaxy Alpha outperforms its peers. The smartphone will cope with any task that a modern Android device may have and will satisfy any mobile gamer. Although if you compare not the bare benchmark numbers, but the actual impressions of the smoothness of the interface, then the newcomers from the Sony Xperia Z3 line are still faster.

For those who want to know more

Galaxy Alpha is equipped with an eight-core processor of Samsung's own design - Exynos 5 Octa 5430 (big.LITTLE architecture, four 1.8 GHz Cortex-A15 cores for “heavy” tasks and four 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 cores for tasks that do not require high performance), performance which is comparable to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, that is, one of the best at the time of the model’s release. And considering that the smartphone screen has only HD resolution, it is completely redundant. The amount of RAM is 2 GB, which, in principle, is also enough even for such a gluttonous monster as TouchWiz. What’s typical is that even when it gets very hot (it’s mainly the metal ends of the model that heat up, although the device itself is thin enough that there are concerns that it will burn your fingers under load), the Galaxy Alpha does not fall into prostration.

What's interesting about the interface?

We have written a lot about the interface of top Samsung smartphones running Android 4.4. I don't want to repeat myself. Moreover, the difference between TouchWiz for Android 4.4.2 and 4.4.4 is only in the layout of the settings menu. There are no intricate drop-down lists with a bunch of icons - all the settings are like sprat in a jar in one list. The advantage of Android (and, in my opinion, a valuable advantage over Windows Phone) is that all the options are initially logically grouped so that the unprepared user does not get lost. Here too - group or group, you won’t get lost anyway. Otherwise, this is our old friend TouchWiz, bright and colorful, as sophisticated as a spaceship. Some people love it in its current form, others hate it for the abundance of settings, but with it, like with the design of Samsung smartphones. If you didn’t like it initially, then no metal thin handsome Galaxy Alpha, made according to the same canons, will seem attractive. If there were prerequisites for sympathy, then small cosmetic changes will definitely not repel you.

For those who want to know more

Our long-term project with Samsung Galaxy S5. Here you can get comprehensive information about the interface's capabilities.

Is the camera good?

Samsung and LG equip their smartphones the best cameras in the segment. Regardless of the number of megapixels (for example, the Galaxy Alpha camera has 12, not 16, as in the cameras of other flagships of the company). In addition to the resolution, the Alpha camera differs from the flagship in the worse shooting speed - 0.3 seconds is no big deal. Shooting is fast, the camera focuses quickly, but not as fast as the Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M8). The interface has not changed from model to model over the past couple of years. It is quite convenient in itself, especially for “dummies”, it contains a number of ready-made modes (panorama, dual camera, “virtual tour”, “beautiful face”), although HDR has been moved from modes to settings, which is unusual. The selective focus shooting mode has moved to the quick settings panel (the same function allows you to change the focus on ready-made photographs). Samsung moved away from the abundance of preinstalled modes and sent the freakiest ones to their application store - and the user is not embarrassed by their appearance, and gives another reason for some curious photographers to create an account in Samsung Apps, if they have not already done so. The camera interface looks like this.

Advantages samsung cameras Galaxy Alpha will primarily be appreciated by those who like to shoot indoors or in the dark, as well as fans of all kinds of macro photography. Night shots turn out to be less noisy than they could be from even a good smartphone camera, evening shots are almost less blurry, indoor colors are not so hopelessly yellow, and when shooting nearby objects, the camera focuses quickly and correctly. And of course, under normal conditions, she is also magnificent. Examples of photos in original resolution can be seen in a special gallery on Torba.

Who are the competitors?

Thoughts about which devices are competitors to this model led me to a dead end. According to the characteristics, these are Huawei Ascend P7, Alcatel One Touch Idol Alpha. But both cannot boast of the same camera, competitive performance, similar interface capabilities, or a catchy manufacturer name. If you look towards flagships made of noble materials, your eye will come across the HTC One (M8) or Sony Xperia Z2. But for the same money they offer the user both top-end specifications (sorry the ultrapixels of the HTC One (M8), this does not apply to you) and more attractive battery life. It turns out that Galaxy Alpha was left alone with himself and his fellow tribesmen. With the Galaxy S5 mostly and a little with the Galaxy S5 Mini. The model has a comparable price tag to the first one. If in a top-end device the manufacturer is asked to pay for excess characteristics, then in the Galaxy Alpha - for dimensions and materials. Some rational people will consider this price leveling unfair, but it seems that in the coming months (if not years) in the segment of mobile devices that have reached the ceiling of characteristics, all that will be left is to sell beauty and style. Many of the IFA 2014 announcements revolved around this. Aesthetes will have a lot of room for debates on the Internet about tastes.

Bottom line

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is a smartphone for those who are willing to pay for aesthetics rather than excess features. However, in comparison with the current Samsung flagship, only the display resolution and slightly its diagonal were reduced noticeably (well, not really, even imperceptibly to the eye). Everything else - I’m talking about performance and price - only benefited from such a move (and don’t let fans of smartphones with IP67 sulk at me in the corner - you’re still in the minority). Against the backdrop of the arms race, and partly because of the exchange rate, the thought of having to shell out the same money for a “beautiful” model as for a “smart” one is a little embarrassing. But taking into account the fact that in terms of technology, manufacturers have nothing to pamper us with yet, and the ultra-compact Alpha case with full-fledged characteristics is a feat of engineers, you won’t grumble much about the price in this model. As for the battery capacity, no other would have fit here, and this one, thanks to its energy-efficient processor, performs better than one might expect. If you are not one of those who are willing to pay extra for a piece of metal or for you the autonomy of a smartphone is above all else, then this is definitely not the place for you. If you have small fingers and a great desire for good things (well, you find Samsung smartphones attractive), then think about it, maybe the Galaxy Alpha is for you.

4 reasons to buy Samsung Galaxy Alpha:

• and you were all waiting for the appearance of a Samsung smartphone with metal ends;
• top performance;
• amazing compactness and an enviable ratio of usable space (that is, the screen) to the size of the case;
• The screen supports operation with gloves.

2 reasons not to buy Samsung Galaxy Alpha:

• high price;
• low autonomy.

• Telephone
• Li-Ion battery 1860 mAh
• Charger
• Wired stereo headset
• Instructions

Positioning

If this phone were metal, then I would buy it - I heard this phrase not a million times, but so often that I even stopped answering it. The halo that surrounds metal as the material from which devices are made takes them to a completely different level in the mind of the consumer. Unfortunately, words and deeds in life often diverge, and companies are accustomed to judging by deeds rather than declarative statements. Samsung has always tried to listen to what customers want and provide it to them whenever possible, and that's always been the case. The speed of the company's response to changes in demand for certain functions and case materials has always been almost instantaneous, and for a company of this size, even rapid. But repeated attempts to see how they will sell metal devices, turned out to be their failure - the forecasts did not come true, the models turned out to be noticeably unsuccessful compared to their plastic counterparts. We can come up with many explanations for this phenomenon, but using Occam's razor, we will understand that metal as such is not a necessary component of the success or failure of a device. All flagships from Samsung are sold in millions of copies, they are in demand around the world, and except for the iPhone, no one can compete with them. Together, Samsung and Apple receive all the profits from the smartphone market; they have no competitors of the same level. But at the same time, it is often said that Samsung flagships are “plastic rattles,” although anyone who has tried such devices knows that they do not rattle like baby rattles, and the derogatory epithet does not reflect reality. Plastic is not bad at all and is quite functional, this has been proven by several billion phones that are successfully used all over the world. Metal is not a feature only of expensive devices; it is often used in cheap devices; a recent example is the MegaFon Login 3 tablet in a metal case.

But in the premium segment, plastic is not perceived as commonplace, but rather as a minus; the consumer wants to see what he is paying for. In the buyer's mind, metal is a more expensive material, although this is not the case in most cases. Some manufacturers were forced to come up with “special” plastic - so Nokia began to promote polycarbonate as, in fact, a trademark. Due to this, in people’s minds, she differentiated her devices from “ordinary” plastic. She contrasted polycarbonate with metal and other materials. In fact, this is, by and large, a marketing and PR move; there is no real difference in the quality of the material.

But for Samsung, the lack of metal is an irritating factor for another reason: it is present in all Apple products and has long been standard. Any internal or external research or comparison of the flagships of the two companies shows that people say that the iPhone wins because it has a metal body. That is, this plays a role in the premium product segment, and it was important for Samsung to create something similar. One could have expected that the company would focus on its flagship and not release a separate model, but it turned out differently. And herein lies the first mystery of Alpha. This product is positioned as a designer product, but serves to test several ideas at once, each of which is interesting.

Firstly, for the first time, Samsung decided to expand competition with current versions of the iPhone by introducing a device that is as similar in form factor as possible. It so happens that in the Android smartphone market, flagships from all companies, without exception, are superior to the current versions of the iPhone in terms of their characteristics - screen, resolution and diagonal, processor power, battery, and the like. If something can be leveled software, for example, the speed of the interface, which is excellent on the iPhone, then many things cannot be changed, since they become a physical limitation - for example, screen size. Therefore, the actual competitors for the iPhone, on formal grounds, are the mini versions of the flagships, for Samsung it is the Galaxy S5 Mini, for HTC it is the One Mini, and so on. But the problem is that these devices are perceived to be inferior to their older brothers; they are positioned a third cheaper, a sort of cheap flagship substitute. From the point of view of the premium segment, such mini-devices are not very interesting; it is rather a mass market (although the Apple iPhone is a mass market, although it plays in the top segment, if we talk about new models). A device like Alpha falls into the gap between the Galaxy S5 and S5 Mini; it has a premium component, it is closer to the flagships, it is positioned as a fashionable solution and is not considered a mass product. At Samsung, this lack of desire to sell it to the widest possible audience, as in other companies, is called an pretentious design product. Therefore, when I come across arguments that Alpha will never sell millions of copies and this means the failure of the product, I smile. Initially, no one ever planned to sell Alpha in millions of units, this is impossible, and Samsung understands this very well based on its own positioning of the device.

Secondly, an Alpha class product is an interesting opportunity to test new technologies in mass production. Let's take a metal frame as an example - this is the first Samsung product with such a body design, the company does not have much experience in operating such devices, there are no reviews from real users, laboratory tests only. As a result, launching such cases into series for more mass-produced products means taking on additional risks. It’s easier to test the product on a phone that initially should not become widespread, and then move on to other devices. At the moment, there are at least several design options for a number of top models from Samsung, which use a similar frame. I am sure that in the near future we will see at least one more device with such a design, which is quite successful.

Another example of technology testing is the use of the new Exynos chipset, which is made using 20 nm technology and, as a result, provides energy efficiency 25 percent higher than that of a chipset using 28 nm technology. This allows the use of a smaller battery. Now imagine that you can launch a top-end flagship with the same chipset without changing the battery capacity compared to the previous version - 3200 mAh will last a quarter longer, that is, there will be a real increase in operating time. This is also a test of the technology before more mass-produced products. This approach can be called safe, and I am sure that Samsung will begin to use it in the future.

From a consumer point of view, Alpha is a compact model that is well suited for calls, SMS, social networks - that is, the device is relatively small compared to flagships, comparable to the iPhone. The funny thing about the situation is that for these functions, as a rule, the iPhone is chosen, it becomes the preferred choice. Samsung decided to provide its own version of the device for such consumers. As a rule, these are women, to a lesser extent men. However, we can safely consider the Alpha a niche device that will not make significant sales against the background of the Galaxy S5; this is one of the options for choosing an expensive smartphone that definitely loses to the iPhone in consumer priorities. But Alpha has a right to exist and offers a number of interesting features, let's try to figure out what its strengths are.

Design, dimensions, control elements

When we talk about a designer smartphone, we expect to see something unusual - the Alpha has a typical appearance for the latest generation of devices from Samsung, there is no difference! That is, you look at the front panel and see that it is a familiar Samsung, only the size is different. It will be extremely difficult to distinguish this device from other models of the company from a few meters away. Therefore, in terms of appearance, it is impossible to say that this is something extraordinary - it is ordinary and quite boring on other devices.

Phone size – 132x65x6.7 mm, weight – 114 grams. For comparison, the size of the Galaxy S5 is 142x72.5x8.1 mm, weight - 145 grams. Let me remind you that for S4 these parameters were 136.6x69.8x7.9 mm, 130 grams.

Compared to Samsung Galaxy S5

Compared to Apple iPhone S5

I like the way the Alpha fits in the hand, it's suitable for children, men and women - the size is obviously comfortable, just right in the palm of your hand. There are no compromises here, and this device is reminiscent of the iPhone.

Another similarity worth noting is the processing of the side edges, the bevel is exactly the same as on the iPhone or on the external bumpers for different phones. The Alpha feels very similar in the hand to the iPhone 5/5s, the difference is unnoticeable, the edge feels exactly like that. At one time I screwed up the Draco bumper on the Galaxy S3, in “Spillies” I shared the trick of my consciousness - when I took the phone out of my pocket, I automatically looked for the buttons where they were on the iPhone. That is, my consciousness automatically recorded that the metal case was an iPhone. Of course, this only works for those who have used both devices for quite a long time.

Alpha has a variety of body colors - in Russia it will be white, gold and black. Metal frame white only in two colors, in gold it is also made to look like gold.

By the way, it seems to me that after the Olympics in Sochi, many companies began to use slogans divided into three words, for example, for Alpha it was “Stylish. Thin. Steel".

Among the subjective and unpleasant aspects, I would like to note the material of the back cover, it is plastic with a velvety coating, the dots are small and not very noticeable against the background of the overall design, they look different than on the Galaxy S5. But the problem is that the surface is not smooth; when you take out the phone, your hand literally sticks to the cover and does not slide. Arises unpleasant feeling– Samsung, I think, will change the quality of the cover, just as it was done for the Galaxy S5 a couple of months after the start of production, it’s not that difficult. You get used to it quite quickly, but the annoying moment remains, it is formed from the very beginning.

On the left side there is a metal key, it is paired to adjust the volume. The on/off button is on the right side, but the microUSB connector is located at the bottom, there is also a microphone and speaker. At the top end there is a 3.5 mm jack, which is made visually very thin, which makes many people think that it is a 2.5 mm jack, but it is not.

On the front surface above the screen there is a 2-megapixel front camera, a light and proximity sensor, and a light indicator. Below the screen there is a mechanical key, as well as two touch buttons. I didn’t like the fact that, unlike other devices, the key designations are hidden under the decorative pattern, that is, they are visible through it. The feeling of sloppiness remains from this, I think this will also be corrected by the first batches of the device.

On the back surface you can see a 12-megapixel camera from Samsung, there is also an LED flash, as well as a heart rate sensor. Open the lid and see what's inside. It will not be possible to find a slot for memory cards, which until now were present in all Samsung models without exception. Giving up the memory card is also an attempt to get as close as possible to the iPhone, including its weak points. This is an opportunity to build this device into its own line from the Galaxy S5, S5 Mini. The decision is questionable, but from the manufacturer’s point of view it is completely justified.

Another questionable move is the use of a nano-sized SIM card. That is, this is the same card as in the iPhone; until recently, Samsung did not use such a card. There is no point in saving on size here; this is a conscious decision and clearly aimed at competing with the iPhone. As well as facilitating a potential transition from it.

In general, from a design point of view, the Alpha turned out to be calm, it is a typical Samsung Galaxy, with a metal frame that pleasantly cools the hand. The quality of workmanship is traditionally at a high level; there can be no complaints here. This device is very, very good overall, although the design is boring, this can be the main complaint about it.

Display

When I say that the screen on the iPhone is much inferior to the current flagships on Android, I am not at all mistaken - even a head-to-head comparison of the characteristics shows the entire gulf between these devices. The iPhone has a screen diagonal of 4 inches and a resolution of 640x1136 pixels, formally it is a 3.5 inch screen, since it was increased in length compared to previous iPhones to show that it is 4 inches. This year, the only “revolution” from the iPhone that is needed is an increase in the screen diagonal of the iPhone; rumors talk about two models with diagonals of 4.7 and 5.5 inches. It will do iPhone competitor current flagships on Android, but for now the screen lags far behind, and this is the most weakness on an Apple device.

At the same time, Samsung is a technological leader in the production of screens, developing the SuperAMOLED direction, the company has achieved very good results, in particular, the screen in the Galaxy S5 is recognized as one of the best on the market, both in color reproduction and in its settings. But Alpha is somewhat simpler, so the screen here is different - in particular, it does not have automatic adjustment of individual areas of the screen depending on external lighting. Here the adjustment occurs, as in most devices on the market, by measuring external lighting with a sensor. But the Exynos chipset used has two coprocessors responsible for image processing, as a result, Samsung engineers managed to achieve the same result - you will not see the difference in image quality.

The only difference that may be noticeable will be when shooting in camera - the colors are not as bright, noticeably duller on the screen. The use of another module affects, but not the quality of the screen.

Screen diagonal – 4.7 inches, resolution – 720x1280 pixels (HD SuperAMOLED Plus). In the sun, the picture remains visible, but the diagonal and lower resolution than in the S5 make this device less convenient. On the other hand, it clearly outperforms the iPhone, as well as most similar devices. A high-quality, good display that has many settings to suit every taste - you can set the screen to both bright and calm colors. The choice is always yours, since no manufacturer on the market offers such a number of settings.

Memory, memory cards, performance, chipset

This is the first device to use Samsung's own chipset, made using 20 nm technology; previous chipsets were made using 28 nm technology. The Exynos 5430 chipset is an eight-core solution made using BIG.little technology from ARM, that is, 4 cores operate at a clock frequency of up to 1.8 GHz (Cortex A15), 4 cores at a frequency of up to 1.3 GHz (Cortex A7). Considering that a similar chipset, but at 28 nm (Octa 5 Exynos 5422) is used in the Galaxy S5, it was possible to compare both their performance and operating time. Let me remind you that for fast cores the maximum clock frequency in S5 is 1.9 GHz.

Formally, in all synthetic tests the performance turned out to be the same; Alpha’s slightly higher performance is associated with Android version 4.4.4 (the latest at the time of writing this review), and also with the fact that the MALI T628MP6 graphics coprocessor operates not at 533 MHz, but at 600 MHz.

From the point of view of optimizing the chipset architecture, we see quite a lot of work - for example, the Cortex A15 cores have been updated from version r2p3 to r3p3, which reduces power consumption and heat generation, they heat up less. The RAM remained dual-channel, but the bandwidth increased to 17 Gbit/s (1066 MHz).

The device has 2 GB of RAM, which is enough for any task. The built-in memory is 32 GB, of which the system takes up about 6 GB, the rest goes to you. As already mentioned, there are no memory cards in this device.

It is curious that at the time of the Galaxy S4, the versions of the phone on Qualcomm Snapdragon and Samsung Exynos differed both in camera quality and stability; these devices were noticeably different. Exynos' problems then formed a negative perception of this chipset. Today there are no such differences, we see this in the example of the Galaxy S5, although the Snapdragon version still becomes the predominant version.

Many may think that the set of changes made to the Exynos 5430 allows us to call this solution a flagship, but this is far from the truth. This is a good restyling of Samsung's existing eight-core processors, but not a fundamentally new solution. Note 4 will use an older version of a similar solution, with more clock frequency, memory bandwidth, as well as a new graphics accelerator, which should provide a fundamentally new level of both graphics and performance.

From point of view regular work There are no slowdowns with the phone, everything works quite quickly and well. I note that, as in other cases, there are a number of people who consider TouchWiz to be a very slow interface; they are always sure that it is by definition slow and there is no way to fix it. You can create entire sects - those who don’t like AMOLED, those who are witnesses to pentiles, slow TouchWiz and plastic cases. In practice, the vast majority of ordinary people are quite satisfied with the speed of top-end Samsung models, as well as TouchWiz, such a problem simply does not exist.

Battery

The magic of numbers always works flawlessly - ask any person which battery is better, 3000 mAh or 2000 mAh, and you will get the obvious answer, the first is much better, it lasts longer. Unfortunately, a direct analogy between battery capacity and operating time has not worked for a long time. For example, most Chinese flagships have large batteries installed; take the Philips i928, it has a 3000 mAh battery. But video playback time is about 4 hours, while the Galaxy Alpha with almost half the battery is about 10.5 hours at maximum brightness. What is the reason? This is not only software optimization, the use of a more economical AMOLED screen, but also the contribution of the chipset. It is very easy to evaluate the change in the technological process and the transition from 28 to 20 nm; just compare the Galaxy S5 on Exynos with the Galaxy Alpha.

The result turned out to be very interesting - for example, the S5 has a 2800 mAh battery, while the Alpha has only 1860 mAh. The difference in capacity is a third, that is, Alpha obviously should lose in operating time, even despite the smaller screen size. Samsung claims that new chipset capable of saving up to 25 percent energy due to 20 nm technology. I tested this statement in practice.

The same video was launched on the Galaxy S5 and Alpha. The playback time at maximum brightness in the first case is 10.7 hours, in the second – 10.6 hours. These can be considered the same indicators, that is, there is no difference. Music playback time in S5 is 45 hours, in Alpha – approximately 41 hours. I think that the difference is due to the fact that the screen does not work, and the actual battery capacity and the operation of the sound processor come to the fore. That is, we cannot determine the difference here.

In “heavy” 3D games, the Alpha lasted about 3 hours versus 3.45 minutes for the S5 – that is, when fast cores are running, the difference in battery capacity is still noticeable, but not dramatic.

In general, I can say that the operating time of the Alpha is approximately the same as the S5 in everyday life, that is, the device survives until the evening with moderate use. But if you use it only for calls and SMS, turn off all unnecessary functions, then it will last 1.5-2 days, this is quite achievable. The time to fully charge the battery is just under 2 hours.

Therefore, the argument that battery capacity affects operating time should not be taken head-on; a lot depends on what kind of hardware is inside your device, as well as what software is installed. In the same iPhone quite weak batteries, but system optimization allows you to squeeze the most out of it - Alpha in this regard is very similar to the iPhone 5s (1560 mAh). But I think that you simply don’t remember, and didn’t even know, the battery capacity of the iPhone, since the manufacturer does not emphasize this characteristic, without considering it decisive, and in this he is right.

Just like the S5, this device has a power saving mode that allows the device to operate for up to 24 hours at 10 percent charge. Including switching to a gray screen gamma, which may not be so aggressive, but will prolong full-fledged work for a long time - other companies have no direct analogues of this technology, since it is associated with the use of AMOLED screens, and also changes in the controllers of these screens made Samsung.

Communication capabilities

Everything is quite typical, USB version 2, which is not so nice, but from the point of view of this device it is quite typical. There is support for NFC, Ant+, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (VHT80) works in two bands, Bluetooth 4.0 LE.

The built-in LTE modem supports LTE Advanced Cat.6, that is, in theory, this is the first device in Russia to support the fastest mobile internet. Unfortunately, within the Garden Ring, where such Internet is available from MegaFon, it was not possible to obtain the appropriate speeds, and it is unclear what is to blame. I think that the problem is still in the phone software, since the router worked at these points and provided up to 300 Mbit. This may be corrected by the time the model hits the market.

Camera

This device has a 12-megapixel camera with autofocus that can shoot 4K video, which is probably not necessary for most (the Note 3 in the Exynos version can also do this, as well as all versions of the S5). In terms of image quality, this device is slightly above average, but it is clearly inferior in terms of performance to the S5, with worse pictures and noticeably worse in low light conditions. However, you can compare these pictures yourself and see which ones you like better. For a device that is quite small in thickness, this camera module has become a compromise; all the options typical for Samsung phones are supported, and the interface is typical.