Samsung launches the Galaxy Alpha in India, prices it at INR 39,990 ($653)

After launching it in the UK two weeks ago, Samsung has launched their first metal-clad Android smartphone, the Galaxy Alpha in India. Indian users can purchase the Galaxy Alpha for INR 39,990 ($ 653) starting from the first week of October. The device will be available for purchase through online stores as well as traditional brick and mortar stores. Samsung has also tied up with Airtel, a leading telecom operator in India, to offer 5GB of free 4G LTE data for two months.

Samsung also announced that it will launch more 4G LTE compatible devices in the country which will be priced under INR 40,000 (~ $650). Asim Warsi, VP at Samsung India (Mobile & IT) said during the launch, “We will come out with more 4G devices in near future which will be priced under Rs 40,000.”

The Galaxy Alpha was unveiled last month and features a 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a 12-megapixel camera with 4K video recording, a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, a finger-print sensor and a heart-rate monitor. Under the hood, the Galaxy Alpha is equipped with an octa-core Exynos 5430 processor with Mali-T628 MP6 GPU, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It features an 1,860 mAh battery, sports a metallic frame and is just 6.7 mm thin, making it the thinnest Android smartphone from Samsung.

SK Kim, Managing Director (Sales) at Samsung Electronics said, “As the market leader, Samsung has significantly contributed to the market growth by setting new benchmarks in offering the best-in-class technology and products.”

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Galaxy Note Edge is a “limited edition concept device”, says Samsung

Well, some folks will probably find this very unsurprising, but Samsung has apparently officially acknowledged that the Galaxy Note Edge is a “limited edition concept” that will not be shipped in large numbers. At a press conference in South Korea, Samsung president D.J. Lee said that the curved Galaxy Note 4 variant is a technology-intensive device that will start selling in South Korea in late October, but will take time to reach other nations, with its release date to vary by country. Samsung intends to ship around 1 million units this year, a figure that falls right in line with a prediction made by an industry analystfollowing the Galaxy Note Edge’s official announcement.

Again, some people will no doubt find this very normal, as the curved display technology used in the Galaxy Note Edge almost looks like something from the future and will probably not become commonplace in the near future. Still, it’s great that Samsung decided to give it a wider launch than the Galaxy Round, and hopefully we will see curved displays on smartphones become more and more common as time goes by.

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Samsung launches the Galaxy Tab Active, a ruggedized tablet for businesses

Water-resistant and rugged mobile devices are all too common in the consumer world, but those qualities haven’t permeated devices in the enterprise market. Samsung is looking to change that with the Galaxy Tab Active, a tablet that comes with IP67 certification for water resistance and an anti-shock covering that can withstand a 1.2-meter drop. The tablet is aimed at those working in enterprise – for example, Samsung is touting the inbuilt NFC connectivity as a great tool for transportation and logistics managers, and the rugged nature of the device as an advantage for retail auto sales representatives.

Like the Galaxy Note tablets, the Galaxy Tab Active comes with a stylus that Samsung is calling the C-Pen, something the company thinks those who have to wear gloves in their field of work can use as an alternative to standard touch input. The display on the tablet is an 8-inch unit of WXGA (1280×800) pixels resolution, and apart from the solid build, the Galaxy Tab Active sports mostly mid-range specs, like a Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor, 1.5GB RAM, a 3.1-megapixel rear camera, 16GB of internal storage and a microSD slot, a 4,450 mAh battery touted for 8-10 hours of general usage, and Android 4.4 KitKat.

The Galaxy Tab Active will be available in both Wi-Fi and LTE variants sometime later this year, and will come with the C-Pen and a Protective Cover right in the box. Samsung is only offering the Titanium Green color option; pricing hasn’t been revealed, but we’re guessing it will cost around the same as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 4 range of mid-range tablets.

AT&T taking pre-orders for LTE variants of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5

The Galaxy Tab S lineup has been touted as being the best tablets Samsung has ever produced, especially when you consider those beautiful Super AMOLED displays. Now, AT&T users have the option to pre-order the LTE variant of both the 10.5-inch and 8-.4-inch Galaxy Tab S. The Galaxy Tab S 10.5 will be available in Charcoal Gray for $529 on a two-year contract and $629 outright, while the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 will be priced at $429 on a contract and at $529 without any commitment, in the same Charcoal Gray color. The pre-orders will start shipping from September 23, and the LTE variant will go online on AT&T’s website and at the carrier’s stores starting September 26.

The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 feature 2560×1600 Super AMOLED displays, an Exynos 5 Octa processor, 3GB of RAM, 8-megapixel rear cameras, 16GB of expandable storage, 2-megapixel front-facing cameras, a fingerprint sensor, and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Samsung’s Magazine UX. AT&T will also be offering Samsung’s dedicated Tab S Keyboard, and a select few will be able to save 50 percent on its price depending how quickly they place their pre-order.

The source link awaits those looking to buy the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 or 10.5 from AT&T, and you can also read our reviews of both tablets here.

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Why is Samsung releasing a device like the Galaxy Alpha?

A few hours ago, Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Alpha, a device that has nothing ground-breaking but is something of a refined mix of the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy S III. Its specs include a 4.7-inch 720p Super AMOLED display, an Exynos 5430 octa-core processor (one of the fastest in the market), 2 GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Just like the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Alpha has a heart rate sensor on the back, next to the camera, and a fingerprint scanner built into the home button.

Not so long ago, the Galaxy Alpha was known as the Galaxy F, with the F referring to ‘Fashion.’ Samsung used Galaxy F as an internal codename, and the device was never meant to be an improved version of the Galaxy S5, but rather a ‘Fashion’ version of the Galaxy S4/S III. This will probably make many of you question why Samsung didn’t improve an improved, so-called ‘Fashion’ variant of the Galaxy S5.

Well, the reason for this has to be that Samsung wants to stick with two flagship smartphones for each year in the form of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note line. In marketing speak, these are strong brand names, which would make it a risky move to place a model between these popular products. As we all know by know, Samsung isn’t known for taking many risks – it instead plays it safe, so much so that the company’s profits have largely stagnated in the last two quarters.

There’s another question that may arise in your mind: if it’s not an improved version of the Galaxy S5, why is there a need to release a ‘Fashion’ version of the Galaxy S4?

Well, the answer to that lies in the form of Samsung’s main competitor: Apple. According to rumors, the iPhone 6 will have a larger screen (most likely 4.7-inch) than previous iPhones. Over the last few years, Samsung has benefited over Apple because of its large-screen devices, with the Galaxy Note line having helped them found the now standard phablet market. For many people switching from an iPhone to a Galaxy device, the main reason was the larger screen.

Now that the “larger screen” motif will become a non-reason for iPhone users to switch, Samsung has naturally had to come up with a better strategy. To compete with the upcoming iPhone, Samsung is throwing the pricing strategy on the tablet, which is similar to the start of the Galaxy S line, wherein Samsung was competing with the iPhone mainly on price (and also on state-of-the-art specifications, though price was the biggest factor.)

Of course, Samsung could also reduce the price of the Galaxy S5 to compete, but in the long term, it would harm the Galaxy S series as a flagship line, especially since the Galaxy S5 is still doing a great job in terms of sales in many markets, compared to Apple’s 4-inch iPhone options.

With the Galaxy Alpha, Samsung is not just competing on price, but the company is also trying to compete through the usage of premium materials. If they want to compete with the next iPhone and have a chance at beating it, Samsung needs to look beyond price. One of the strongest suites of the iPhone is still its premium finish and Apple’s use of quality materials. To counter this, Samsung has put an aluminium frame with chamfered edges on the Galaxy Alpha, something that we’ve seen on previous iPhones.

As I mentioned earlier, the Galaxy Alpha is not a ground-breaking device and offers nothing that we haven’t seen from competitors before. However, it has some refinements compared to other Galaxy smartphones that were released earlier this year (like an improved fingerprint scanner, more premium design, and more.)

The Galaxy Alpha won’t be released worldwide but will instead be exclusive to selected markets (with a launch in late August), and one of the biggest and most important reasons for its existence is to compete with Apple’s next iPhone.

What do you think? Is this the right strategy Samsung needs to take the fight to Apple once again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!