The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is now available for purchase in the regular sales channels and marks Samsung’s move from the regular polycarbonate housing to trying to emulate the same design and quality of Apple products. Is the Galaxy Alpha worth its price tag for its build quality or should you hold out for the release of the Nexus 6 in the coming weeks? We take a look at both devices side by side.
From generation to generation, the Nexus series of smartphones jumps to different manufacturers, so it’s understandable that the design of these devices changes constantly. The Nexus 6, being developed by Motorola, is based around the Moto X (2014), and it might just be the prettiest Nexus device yet. It's larger than the Moto X, housing a 5.96-inch screen, but it features similar camera placement with ring LED flash. Stereo front-facing speakers and aluminium bezels round off this premium handset.
The Galaxy Alpha marks a change of design philosophy over at Samsung. With the Alpha, Samsung has moved away from the polycarbonate plastic that was traditional in it's previous builds and moved towards a stylish metal frame and matte back material that fits perfectly into your hand. One immediate notices just how light the device is compared to the material that is built with.
Display
The Nexus 6 features a 5.96-inch AMOLED, 2,560 x 1,440 Pixel (493 ppi) display. Though we are yet to go hands-on with the device, we already know that the Nexus 6 is at the top-end of the resolution spectrum, and primed to take advantage of new games and apps which support such high-definition screens.
The Galaxy Alpha features a 4.7 inch super AMOLED HD display that brings with it the same quality of most Samsung devices: bright colors and high contrast.
System
The Samsung Galaxy Alpha runs Android 4.4.4 with the latest version of Touchwiz currently available. The interface is well known to many and incorporates the standard Samsung flat design and icons that we’ve become used to since the release of the Galaxy S5.
On the side of the Nexus 6, this will arrive with the brand new version of Android 5.0, entitled Android Lollipop, and all of the new goodies it offers. While the Galaxy Alpha is expected to also received theAndroid Lollipop update, this will likely be several months later than the release date of the Nexus 6.