Despite the many rumors and leaks about the iPhone 6, Apple has still remained mum on the upcoming iteration of their bestselling product. This apparently has not kept Samsung from plodding forward in a bid to elbow their way to the head of the smartphone-selling pack.
Recently, the South Korean tech company has unveiled the Galaxy Alpha, which also has been the subject of rumors for a while now. According to Mashable, it has "has excellent specs as well as a new design that brandishes a chamfered metal edge, just like the current iPhone 5S."
However, it appears the gadget is not without its flaws, as some pundits have pointed out.
"The one feature that doesn't make sense on its own is the screen size; Samsung opted to give the Galaxy Alpha a 4.7-inch HD (1,280 x 720) display, which is a little on the small side when stacked against today's flagships like the LG G3 and Samsung's own Galaxy S5," Mashable continued. "However, it looks like a more logical choice when you factor in rumors about the coming iPhone 6, which is predicted to have a 4.7-inch display as well."
Meanwhile, Time's Jared Newman has called Samsung's latest smartphone as something that "has metal trim, but no soul." Ouch.
"The Galaxy Alpha seems like a mix of laziness and cynicism," he went on. "The design takes no risks and breaks no new ground aesthetically."
"It doesn't use any new materials, as Apple is reportedly looking to do with sapphire glass displays, but instead rehashes old ones," Newman added.
Despite this, Forbes still regard the Galaxy Alpha's release, and later the iPhone 6, as "2014's biggest smartphone fight." This is largely due to he fact that this unexpected challenger somehow seemed to match the rumored specs of the next iPhone model.
"Samsung's mobile product designs are becoming more directly comparable to Apple equivalents, seen most recently - and plainly - in the company's iPad rivals, the Galaxy Tab S tablets," Mashable observed.
Despite this, Samsung, through CEO JK Shin, has maintained that this new smartphone model "was built and designed based on the specific desires of the consumer market," as noted by PC Mag.
"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," Shin also said.
The Galaxy Alpha is said to launch early September and will be available in 5 color variants: charcoal black, dazzling white, frosted gold, sleek silver, and scuba blue. Pricing details or exact date of release were not yet revealed.
WATCH:
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
