The Galaxy Alpha is not an old device, but Samsung is reportedly looking to ditch the handset and focus on its Galaxy A series instead.
Samsung has long been criticized for its love of plastic, as even its highest-end devices sported polycarbonate bodies. The company finally took a first step in the right direction a few months ago, when it launched its Galaxy Alpha with a stylish metal frame. Not long after, however, Samsung announced its new Galaxy A series, which consists of full-metal smartphones.
As it turns out, Samsung is now looking to cut down production of its Galaxy Alpha in order to handle the price pressure in the Korean market. According to a new report from ETNews, citing industry insiders, Samsung will eventually cease production of the Galaxy Alpha altogether in early February, and replace the device with the Galaxy A5 in Korea sometime in January or February 2015.
As the Korean market is getting more inclined to low-cost and mid-range smartphones, Samsung is reportedly looking to adjust its strategy for the country in order to be more competitive. As the report further points out, this decision is also related to the Terminal Distribution Structure Improvement Act recently implemented in the country, which promotes more transparency in terms of pricing.
"As the 'Galaxy A5' is released, the 'Galaxy Alpha,' which has similar specifications, will be discontinued. It is forecast that, as soon as the inventory of the materials for the 'Galaxy Alpha' is exhausted, its production will be stopped. 'I understand that the Galaxy Alpha will be produced until the materials currently in inventory are used up,' said an industry insider. 'Its production will end by early February next year,'" reads the report.
A Samsung insider, meanwhile, told the publication that the company is still producing the Galaxy Alpha for now, albeit it remains to be seen whether it will continue doing so.
"We may adjust the production quantity according to market reactions, though. Nothing specific has been determined yet with regard to the January release of the 'Galaxy A5,'" added the insider.
As a reminder, the Samsung Galaxy A5 sports a 5-inch 720p AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 410 processor, and a 13-megapixel camera, among the highlights. In other words, it has similar specifications to the handset it's reportedly set to replace, but it features a full-metal design that's widely considered better than that of the Galaxy Alpha.
As the Galaxy Alpha has not drawn much attention in Korea, Samsung reportedly believes that replacing the handset with its Galaxy A5 in the country would have a positive result. The Galaxy A5 will reportedly be priced at about KRW 400,000 (roughly $364).
