Skip to main content

Metal Galaxy Alpha will come to AT&T on September 26, and cost $200 (Updated)

Samsung announced the Galaxy Alpha in August, a phone it described as having a “new design approach,” separating it from previous entries into the Galaxy smartphone range. We had been hearing about a metal-bodied Samsung Galaxy phone for at least a year, and it had also been known as the Galaxy F, and the Galaxy S5 Prime. Eventually, the Alpha’s new metal chassis served as inspiration for the look of the new Galaxy Note 4.

AT&T to sell Galaxy Alpha from September 26

Samsung has signed a deal with AT&T, allowing the network to exclusively carry the Galaxy Alpha in America. The phone will be sold contract-free for $613, or $200 if you don’t mind signing up for two-years. Alternatively, you can pay $30.65 for 12 months on Next 12, or $25.55 per month for 18 months with Next 18. Choosing one of AT&T’s Next deals could be a wise choice. Until September 30, you’ll receive $100 credit on your bill, provided you sign-up for a new Next connection online. AT&T will let you choose between the Charcoal Black, Dazzling White, or Frosted Gold models.

Several weeks before AT&T’s announcement, Samsung Canada confirmed Bell Canada and Virgin Mobile would both stock the phone. The black, white, and gold versions will also go on sale September 26 through the two networks, and others will join them in the future. If you’re happy to sign-up for a two-year Bell contract, the Galaxy Alpha will cost $150 CAD, or $700 CAD if you want to buy one outright.

In the UK, Clove Technology has put up a pre-order page with an estimate the Galaxy Alpha will cost £500 without a contract, which is around $840. According to PhoneArena.com, the Russian price will be less than that, equating to $680 instead.

First metal Galaxy phone for Samsung

It’s the first Samsung Galaxy phone to feature a metal frame, but the back is covered in the same soft-touch, perforated material used on the Galaxy S5. The design is certainly eye-catching, thanks to its rounded corners, curvy side plates, and super slim chassis. It measures just 6.7mm thick, which drops it below the iPhone 5S, and weighs only 115 grams – which is surprisingly lightweight for a modern smartphone. For comparison, the all-metal HTC One M8 weighs 160 grams, and even the similarly sized Huawei Ascend P7 comes in at 124 grams.

For all its visual impact, the Galaxy Alpha’s spec sheet doesn’t quite live up to expectations, but does match most of the last-minute rumors surrounding the phone. Samsung has given it a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with a 720p resolution, which is perfectly acceptable, but means the Galaxy Alpha won’t be competing with flagship phones from Sony, LG, and HTC.

Related: Read all the rumors surrounding Samsung’s long-discussed metal phone

The processor is an octa-core Samsung Exynos 5430, and it’s the first to be built in-house using a 20nm process. There are four Cortex A15 cores running at 1.8GHz, and four 1.3GHz Cortex A7 cores, plus the chip has LTE Advanced connectivity. Samsung also boasts the new design is considerably more power efficient than previous Exynos chips. The Galaxy Alpha headed to Canada doesn’t use the Exynos chip, and will come with a quad-core, 2.5GHz processor instead, which is most likely the Snapdragon 801.

The specification continues with a 12-megapixel camera on the rear, a 2.1-megapixel selfie cam above the screen, plus 32GB of internal storage space, and 2GB of RAM. There’s no microSD card slot though. Samsung has fitted a fingerprint sensor to the Galaxy Alpha, and Android 4.4.4 KitKat comes loaded from the factory.

Updates:

Updated on 09-22-2014 by Andy Boxall: AT&T will exclusively carry the Galaxy Alpha in America.

Updated on 09-09-2014 by Andy Boxall: Samsung will launch the Galaxy Alpha in Canada.

Updated on 08-13-2014 by Andy Boxall: Added in early pricing information.

Article originally published on 08-13-2014 at 03:04 a.m.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Don’t miss this early Prime Day deal on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

As we get closer to October 13 and its amazing Prime Day deals, we’re seeing some amazing Prime Day smartphone deals. For example, at this very moment, you can get $100 off the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G. According to our reviewers, this is, “The phone to beat for under $700,” and right now you can get it for only $600, that's
$100 off
of its regular $700 price. This is a phenomenal deal.

This is an amazing Android phone, especially for as low as $600. Let’s start with the camera, which is a huge selling point here, and also newly important as we’re spending so much time on Zoom and Skype calls. As for video, it records in 4K at 60 frames per second, which will produce gorgeous, uninterrupted footage. That camera, the one you’ll use for those calls, is 32 megapixels, while the ones that point outwards include a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera, and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera. These cameras have professional-grade lenses for the most stunning portraits and picturesque landscapes. And on top of this they have 3X optical zoom for the most precise closeups, and then 30X Space Zoom for when you’re far but want to get in close.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition reportedly coming to U.S. through Verizon
Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is reportedly coming to the United States, as videos of the rumored smartphone were spotted on Verizon's website.

The specifications and renders of the device were leaked in August by Pricebaba and reliable tipster OnLeaks, but it was unclear if U.S. customers will be able to buy the cheaper version of the Galaxy S20. WinFuture’s Roland Quandt, however, found videos hosted on Verizon's website that apparently confirm it.

Read more
Samsung says Galaxy Tab S6 5G launch is ‘coming soon’
Samsung S6 Tab 5G feature image

It won’t be here in time for Christmas — and it’s unclear precisely when it might debut — but yes, Virginia, there will be a Galaxy Tab S6 with 5G at some point in the foreseeable future. That confirmation, spotted by SamMobile, comes directly from a Samsung promotion now running in its home base in South Korea that lists the Galaxy Tab S6 variant (model SM-T866N) as “coming soon."

This does not exactly come as a shock. Samsung has been aggressive in adapting 5G connectivity in its smartphones, and there’s been buzz surrounding the possibility of a 5G variant of the Galaxy Tab S6 since last fall, when the upcoming model not only received Bluetooth certification but was also approved by Korea’s National Radio Agency.

Read more