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Friday, October 10, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Alpha in the test: (Too) Great Expectations – Curved

technology hui, materials Pooh: Criticism of Samsung’s love for plastic multiplied. The Galaxy Alpha should herald a turnaround. If

To be honest. Samsung smartphones was for me in the past few years one thing: plastic bomber. While Apple early sat on high-tech materials such as glass and aluminum and also vendors such as HTC followed suit with the One M7, the Koreans cases also their current flagship, the Galaxy S5, even in thin plastic in gold look. On the sides: Plastic. On the back: plastic. Samsung has long been a different currency: What is state of the art, which is also installed – combined with a host of new software features. A high-quality appearance was secondary.

But the success of the Ones and iPhones is that there is a need of high quality materials in smartphones and “Featuritis” is not the only effective means to market to succeed . And now it occurs to me: The first Samsung smartphone with edges of metal that are milled on the top and bottom. If you familiar? Correct: Even the iPhone 5 and 5s were framed according to the technique. Samsung even called here the color options: Charcoal Black, Dazzling White, Frosted Gold, Sleek Silver and Scuba Blue

Processing:. IPhonesk

Our review unit comes in Sleek Silver therefore. The fact is reminiscent to the iPhone. The metal frame at the top and bottom is interrupted each a few millimeters away from the edge. When iPhone 5 and 5s these isolators were mounted laterally. As with the iPhone is the Samsung Galaxy Alpha on a mono speaker which is attached to the right underside. Curious: Both the USB port beside it and the headphone jack on the top are mounted so that the metal frame is curved. Which is hardly noticeable on the front, acts upon the rear side as would be the case dented at these locations. Beautiful is different.

After all, the frame of the camera as a single component from the smartphone back stands out. This wobbles slightly Galaxy Alpha when it lies flat on a surface. It now had to get used iPhone users. Small novelty for lovers of detail: While the big brother back covered with small dots to give the housing structure and grip, Samsung uses the Alpha on tiny plus sign. This similarity is evident, but the small precious Samsung Phone acts promptly high quality

kept

The front is Samsung-typical. The wide home button with fingerprint scanner, the front camera and other sensors – we know everything from S5. Met with great approval in the editorial design of the buttons on the sides. Sliding your fingers when S5 slightly above the buttons for volume and power, they are defined in the Alpha and have a better pressure point. Plus, you’ll simply look better

The display:. Outdated Techik

Why Samsung? Why? We are surely agree that the display is already one of the most important components of a smartphone. Finally, we want to surf the web, look at pictures, watch movies and take pictures. For this, the screen must also have an appropriate quality. Now you, Samsung have presented for the first time in a long time, a smartphone that certainly appeals to me purely external. But what my eyes behold: a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of just 1280 x 720 pixels. However, the resolution alone is not the shortcoming. Samsung uses a PenTile matrix, which ensures that letters, numbers and other fine optical elements easily lead to jagged edges

‘s more. Blogs report on a bluish tinge. We could rather represent in our case a yellow tinge on white surfaces in a normal posture. If you tilt the phone also only minimally to the side, the display turns green one. Can best be the image quality of the Alpha display compare with that of a S3. And that’s only two years old. Sorry Samsung, but for a smartphone that will compete in the luxury class, that’s not enough by far

The hardware: not a high-end

The display already suggests it : When Alpha Samsung does not rely on a top-end features. About the memory. During 3 GB RAM at flagships are now standard – except for the new iPhone – is the Alpha therefore only 2GB. Processor side is a Exynos 5430 with four A7 and A15 cores at up to 1.3 and 1.8 GHz. Less computationally intensive tasks do the slow cores, games and other apps handle the faster. In the latest generation of the cores of the CPU to do that at the same time. What does this mean for the everyday Perfomance? A liquid operation of the UI, though the camera, the default browser and the calling feature on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus always be a fraction of control quickly. A judgment that confirmed the Antutu benchmark. Here the Alpha joins still behind the Sony Xperia Z2, the OnePlus One and the Ascend Mate 7 of Huawei, but also lies just ahead of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The other specifications are good to satisfactory: 12 MP camera on the back, 2.1MP front-module, 1,860 mAh battery and 32GB of internal memory – without possibility of expansion via microSD card. Especially when memory has almost every flagship currently more. Especially since Samsung Smartphones are known to be packed at the factory with a lot of software. So the Alpha is actually only 25 GB free space. I repeat myself like: Sorry Samsung, but for a smartphone that will compete in the luxury class, that’s not enough by far

The Software: Samsung typically

One may it or not: There is talk of TouchWiz, Samsung’s user interface for smartphones and tablets. The UI looks has always been playful than the standard Android. After all, is, as with the S5, the current Android 4.4.4 for use. Tidy however, does the camera app that comes up with a lot of features, yet remains easy. But considering that it go on the available 32GB alone around 6 GB for system apps, then I would less optical illusions and more free space for wish – especially for photos. Persuasion can meanwhile S Health, Samsung’s equivalent of Apple’s Health. The software can be combined with Samsung’s Smart about Watches and accesses the built-in pulse sensor on the back too. The work in the test better than the fingerprint scanner. Unlike Apple’s Touch ID you have to drag your finger over it. The recognition rate is mau. However, it is difficult to find out if it is defects in hardware or issues in the corresponding software

The Camera. Robust quality

If you take the fact that Samsung wants to take the Alpha particularly against Apple’s iPhones, then you can not complain that the Koreans have built no pixel monsters here. With 12 megapixels are nominally again four more MP than with Apple’s iSight camera. This is a plus if you want to print your pictures enlarged frequently. That aside, the photo quality is typical Samsung-Motive see compared to iPhone snapshots from a bit harder, but still realititätsgetreu. The images in Alpha are also a little more contrast than the iPhone. I personally advised photos by quickly too dark

The battery:.’s Enough for normal use

Your guessed it: Again, you do not expect top performance. 1860 mAh battery has available. Hence it is no easy charging through the day – the less high-resolution and therefore less power-hungry display goodness. Who wants to tease out the maximum term, which switches on the software side in the Ultra-energy-saving mode – at the expense of functionality. Another plus: the battery you can replace

Conclusion:. Samsung that you can better

So this is the many Samsung fans longed Korea Smartphone with higher quality processing!. Many saw in Alpha already the upcoming flagship, the proof that Samsung can also build quality. The result is a smartphone that feels nice and finally has the desired aluminum frame, however, disappointed with the display. The Alpha, the expectations that have been placed in it, not nearly meet.

Who feels this judgment as too harsh, once the leads are Samsung’s latest quarterly balance sheet to heart. Samsung gains should be collapsed by 60 percent compared to last year in the third quarter. Since the group has to put the question: With this smartphone you will score against the good-looking competition? Does the price, 599 euros RRP, with in the bill, then there is less for more technology. But that alone it should yes the Alpha do not go. So the result falls sobering: Approximately 600 euros for a smartphone without the high-end hardware and no expandable memory of 25 GB realistic? Samsung, which you can do better! Now is hoped at least that the chic design of the Alpha makes at the Korean school and the plastic obsession Samsung is finally history.

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