9 / 10

Samsung has responded to those niggling complaints that its devices are 'too plasticky' with the Galaxy Alpha, a slim, tough little smartphone encased in metal. It looks and feels terrific, but has it got the performance to match?

Put simply, the Galaxy Alpha is a joy to hold. It's less than 7mm thin and lightweight too at 115g but that metal surround still gives it a premium feel, despite the slim plastic cover on the back. We really didn't mind the plastic here at WIRED but there's no doubt that this just feels a level or two classier.

Screen & chassis

The 4.7-inch Super AMOLED screen is wonderfully bright and vibrant despite its lack of full HD resolution (it can only muster standard HD 1,280x720 pixels). So it's not quite as pin-sharp as the screen on the Galaxy S5 or the Galaxy Note 3 for example, but it's not too terrible a compromise.


The fingerprint sensor uses the same swiping action we saw on the Galaxy S5. It doesn't appear to be any more reliable this time round, in other words not a patch on what you'll find on the iPhone or indeed the Huawei Ascend Mate 7. There's also an additional private mode which requires another fingerprint to access, but since it can be a hit and miss affair whether it recognises your print or not, this can be a frustrating experience.

There's a heart rate sensor just below the camera flash which you can use with Samsung's S Health app to keep yourself on the straight and narrow.

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Software & processor

It's packing an octa-core processor (two quad-core chips clocked at 1.8GHz and 1.3GHz) in an attempt to get the best balance between performance and efficiency. Backed by 2GB RAM it nips along at an impressive pace and our AnTuTu benchmark test recorded a score of 49,652 - which is the highest we've yet recorded, nosing ahead of the quad-core Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. It's certainly powerful, but it can get a little hot when you've been using it a lot.

Photography


Dave Oliver

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Alpha review Gallery Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Alpha review + 1



The 12-megapixel camera comes with autofocus and an LED flash as well as a host of modes including selective focus, HDR, shot and more (lets you combine burst shots), dual camera (uses both cameras at the same time) and virtual tour (produces a composite video of your shots). It has four megapixels fewer than the S5 but it's still capable of taking some very fine pictures, with loads of crisp detail and realistic colours. There's also a pretty decent 2.1-megapixel camera on the front for video calls and selfies.

There's a generous 32GB of memory on board but unfortunately that's your lot, as there's no option to add more via microSD card.


There's a price to pay for that thin body and most of it appears to have been paid by the 1,860mAh battery, which seems distinctly underpowered for this class of device. You'll be lucky to get a full day of steady use out of it, though at least it comes with some power-saving modes to help you make it through to your next charge.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is an excellent smartphone but it comes at a premium price. It looks and feels great -- a fine balance between style and easy one-handed use, with a high-performance spec that puts it head and shoulders above most of its rivals. The poor battery life will be a big issue for some however.