Recently, reports have surfaced that Samsung is working on a newer line of flagship devices, with the first phone in the series to be called Galaxy Alpha and have a body made at least partially out of metal. Well, thanks to one of our sources, we have managed to grab hold of live images of the device. The images confirm earlier reports that the Galaxy Alpha will sport a 4.7-inch screen and a metallic construction, though Samsung has opted to use aluminium on the sides while keeping the faux leather back that we've seen on the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Note 3. which should help in offering both a solid grip and a premium feel.
According to our source, the Galaxy Alpha will be a somewhat high-end device. It has the same display as the Galaxy S III's (we're unsure if that only extends to the display resolution or to screen type as well), a nano SIM slot, fingerprint scanner, and 32GB of internal storage but no external storage – this is quite a good indication that reports of the phone being meant as an iPhone killer are partially true. The Galaxy Alpha will be a step above the Galaxy S5 mini and will actually be sold as another watered-down variant of the Galaxy S5. There will also be an LTE-A variant, which is affirmed by an image leaked on a Vietnamese tech blog showing the device in the powered on state, and we're guessing the LTE-A variant could be powered by Samsung's recently announced Exynos ModAP processor, which brings support for 150 Mbps LTE-A speeds.
Unfortunately, details are scarce on other features and hardware, but more info should start popping up as we approach the rumored August launch of the Galaxy Alpha. As rumors have suggested, the Galaxy Alpha could see a limited release, but it should still be a good sign that Samsung is finally coming around and could get more comfortable with using metal on its smartphones in the future, something that should make critics of the company's defiant use of plastic happy.
UPDATE: There is a slight possibility that the device in the photos might not be the final design of the Galaxy Alpha, so please be aware that things might change in the final design, with the glossy metal expected to be replaced by a matte finish. Also, it was wrongly reported that the screen is a 4.7-unit – it's 4.8-inch, like the Galaxy S III, with 720p resolution.
