The Samsung Galaxy Alpha metallic smartphone is ready to hit AT&T's network on Friday, Sept. 26, the carrier has announced.
AT&T will be the exclusive carrier for the Samsung Galaxy Alpha in the U.S., and will offer the smartphone both on- and off-contract, as well as with its Next program.
The Samsung Galaxy Alpha was initially expected to boast a full-metal design. Samsung has long been criticized for its choice of plastic even for its highest-end devices, especially since rivals offer more premium smartphones with metal casings. HTC, for instance, has garnered great praise for the design of its One flagships, and Samsung was widely expected to launch a full-metal smartphone of its own at some point.
As it turns out, the Galaxy Alpha is not that smartphone, but it nevertheless marks an important step forward in the right direction. The Galaxy Alpha moves away from the regular Galaxy design and while it doesn't have a full-metal jacket, it does boast a metal frame that makes it look and feel more premium.
AT&T has now announced that it will be the exclusive carrier for the Samsung Galaxy Alpha in the U.S., and the official launch is only a few days away. Starting on Sept. 26, the smartphone will be available both online and from AT&T retail stores.
"We are excited to offer you yet another industry leading smartphone with the announcement of the Galaxy Alpha on the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network, covering more than 300 million Americans, AT&T Senior Vice President of Devices, Jeff Bradley, touted in the press release on Monday, Sept. 22. "The Samsung Galaxy Alpha marries sleek, premium design with all of the great features and Samsung technology that you have come to expect from a Galaxy product."
"The Galaxy Alpha was built and designed based on the specific desires of the consumer market," Samsung CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communication, JK Shin, boasted when announcing the smartphone. "With an entirely new appearance, the Galaxy Alpha focuses on both beauty and functionality combining a stunning metal frame and slim, lightweight design with the same powerful hardware and features users expect from a flagship Galaxy mobile device."
"Concentrating on elegant aesthetics and compact construction, Samsung has taken a fresh approach to design with the Galaxy Alpha. Created to help consumers express their unique style without sacrificing functionality, the refined Galaxy Alpha features a sophisticated design with a metal frame, elegantly curved corners and a tactile soft back cover," added Samsung at the time.
When it comes to specifications, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha comes with a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display with an HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, a quad-core processor clocked at 2.5GHz, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage capacity, a 12-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front shooter, and a 1,860 mAh battery. It's worth pointing out, however, that the Samsung Galaxy Alpha has no microSD support, which means that storage is non-expandable.
In terms of pricing, the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Alpha will cost $199.999 with a two-year service agreement, $25.55 per month with AT&T Next 18, or $30.65 per month with AT&T Next 12. The contract-free variant with no annual commitment will be available for $612.99.
