iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Alpha

iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Alpha – Progress vs Stagnation

Samsung had a pretty good run earlier this year after the release of the Samsung Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone. The device was quickly dubbed by many “the best smartphone on the market”, but things changed pretty fast as competitors started to surface. Before the iPhone 6 there was the LG G3, which contributed a lot to the poor sales of the Samsung Galaxy S5 in the second quarter. For a while there people were saying that Samsung was planning on releasing a Prime version of their flagship in order to compete better, but we haven’t heard much about this device since then. Instead, the Korean tech giant came up with the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, a metallic smartphone meant to compete with the iPhone 6.

Well, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha is now available for purchase in certain countries and more are expected to follow in the near future, but did Samsung deliver on its promise? Seeing as how the iPhone 6 was also announced and detailed earlier this month we decided to make a comparison between the two and find out. Now, Apple announced two versions of its highly anticipated flagship, but we’ll only be looking at the regular iPhone 6 for this comparison as the iPhone 6 Plus is too big to be a suitable competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. Without further ado, let’s pit these two devices against each other and see what each of them can bring to the table.

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha features a metallic frame that’s definitely a welcome departure from the plastic design traditionally associated with Galaxy devices. However, this isn’t really an advantage over the iPhone 6 as Apple’s flagship also features a metallic design and more rounded edges if you’re into that sort of thing. It’s hard to say which of them looks better as they are both visually appealing, but the Samsung Galaxy Alpha definitely looks a bit more rugged. However, the iPhone 6 is generally considered to be a more comfortable device to wield so it really depends on user preference here. In terms of display, both handsets come equipped with 4.7-inch panels, but there is a slight difference in terms of resolution. While the Samsung Galaxy Alpha sports 720 x 1280 pixels and 312 PPI, the iPhone 6 offers 750 x 1334 pixels and 326 PPI. That being said, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha’s screen uses Super AMOLED technology, which offers more realistic colors than the iPhone 6′s LED-backlit IPS LCD display.

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha offers more realistic colors thanks to its Super AMOLED display.

Hardware-wise, we’re seeing some pretty important differences between the two. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha comes in two variants, one sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core CPU @ 2.5 GHz while the other features the Exynos 5430 octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 1.8 GHz and four cores running at 1.3 GHz. I think most would agree that both variants feature some pretty impressive processors, but the iPhone 6 is nothing to sneeze at either as it comes equipped with the new 64-bit Apple A8 chipset complete with a dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone dual-core processor. A weakness of the device is that it only features 1 GB of RAM while its competitor can account for 2 GB. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha only has 32 GB of internal storage memory and there is no microSD card slot so that’s as far as it can go. Admittedly, the iPhone 6′s standard model only has 16 GB of storage, but Apple’s flagship also has 64GB and 128 GB variants so there’s definitely more diversity here.

Moving on to some of the other specs, we’re still a bit in the dark when it comes to the iPhone 6′s battery size as this was one of the few aspects that was not revealed yet. However, Apple did promise a much better battery than on the iPhone 5s and word on the street is that we will be looking at a 1,810 mAh unit. By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha features a 1860 mAh battery so a little bit bigger, but the difference is barely there. To be honest, both devices are pretty unimpressive in the battery department so it’s hard to recommend any of them based solely on that. Apple did promise various improvements that should help with the battery life, but we’ll just have to wait and see. In regards to the cameras, the difference is a bit more obvious as the Samsung Galaxy Alpha packs a 12 MP primary shooter with LED flash. The iPhone 6 only features an 8 MP camera, but comes with dual-LED flash and more features than its competitor so it’s definitely not bad either.

The iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy Alpha each offers certain advantages compared to the other in the camera department.

So far so good, but what about the price? Well. it’s no secret that iPhones are generally more expensive than their Android counterparts and things are no different with the iPhone 6. However, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha is a pretty expensive handset as well to be honest. Granted, we don’t know the official US price yet, but we do know that an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Alpha costs 699.95 CAD in Canada, which translates to about 637 USD. Meanwhile, a contract-free iPhone 6 is priced at $650 (16GB), $750 (64 GB) or $850 (128 GB). As expected, the iPhone 6 is more expensive, but the difference is not that huge all things considered. As for the release date, the device is expected to be available for purchase in the US on September 19th. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is now available in the UK, Russia and a handful of other countries, with more to follow in the near future including Canada on September 26th. Unfortunately we don’t know when it will arrive in the US, but rumor has it that we should hear an announcement very soon and a release sometime early next month.

Another important aspect that needs mentioning is the operating system. Both smartphones run on the latest version of their respective OS, but the iPhone 6 runs on the recently released major update, the iOS 8. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha comes equipped with the Android 4.4.4 KitKat and it’s hard to predict when it will upgrade to Android L seeing as how it wasn’t released yet. Samsung generally lags behind when it comes to updates, but recently we saw it step its game up a bit. Still, Samsung will likely focus on updating the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 first so the Alpha might not be a top priority for them.

Bottom line? It doesn’t look like Samsung really achieved what it was planning to do with the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. The device seems too expensive for what it offers so you might as well go buy a Samsung Galaxy S5, which is cheaper and comes with better specs and a larger screen. It almost looks like Samsung is charging more just for the metallic frame as there are hardly any other improvements over its current flagship. The iPhone 6 on the other hand is just what you’d expect and it’s also pretty expensive, but Apple did make a lot of improvements over the iPhone 5s so at least it’s trying to offer something better than last year. I am tempted to go with the iPhone 6 for this one as the Samsung Galaxy Alpha seems like a rip-off in many ways. If you’re an iOS user, there are certainly many things to look forward to here because you get the new iOS 8 plus several features and improvements over the previous model. If you’re an Android user, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha doesn’t really bring anything new to the table here so it’s pretty hard to recommend. But as always, this is just a mere comparison and the final decision is up to you.

The iPhone 6 will cost you a bit more, but at least you’re getting some improvements over the previous model for that money.

Top 5 Android smartphones 2014

Top 5 Android smartphones

Let’s pretend for a second, that price won’t matter and we can have all the cash in the world or pretend that companies will willingly give you one week testing periods before charging your credit card. I’m pretending that Samsung, LG, Google and Motorola will gladly give me some high-end Android phones so that I can play with them for a week and give them back if I’m dissatisfied. That’s probably never going to happen, but I would still like to introduce you to my top 5 Android phones list. The smartphones on this list are pure evil, in my opinion, and many of them made me into the tech-freak I am today.

Jokes aside, there are many Android phones to choose from out there, starting from entry level phones for with sub $100 price tags like those in the Android One line from Karbonn, Spice an Micromax. Then there are mid-range phones with price tags between $200 and $400, like the HTC Desire 820, Galaxy Alpha line from Samsung, Sony Xperia E3, Moto G, Lumia 830 and Galaxy Grand Prime. Then there are the high-end flagships which will cost your anywhere between $500 and $1000. In this category, Android phones like the Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 4, HTC One M8, LG G3, Motorola Moto X, Lumia 1020 or the Oppo Find 7. Had enough? There’s another category, though, the underdog flagship category. You can find phones like the Meizu MX4, Huawei Ascend Mate 7, OnePlus One, Xiaomi Mi4, Oppo N1, Oppo Find 7A, Huawei Ascend P7 and Lenovo Vibe Z2 in this category. These phones, or most of them, are well bellow flagship prices, but sport specs equal, if not better than popular smartphones.

Since you’ve got so many options you can choose from and Android is one of the favorite and most well-regarded operating systems out there, you can clearly end up totally confused at the end of your smartphone hunt. I want to try to make it easier for you and give you my top 5 Android phones list so that you might be able to narrow or broaden your search area. Anything goes, as long as it’s a good bang for buck ratio and you can find it in stores. Here you go!

5. OnePlus One

The OnePlua One flagship killer, as it has been dubbed, is nr 5 on this list because of its awesome bang for buck ratio. There are two things that can be called outstanding about the OnePlus One. The first one is that you can’t buy it just like that, you need to get your hands on an invitation from somebody who already has a phone. There will be a period of pre-orders at the end of October, so if you’re interested in the OnePlus One, you will be able to buy it without an invitation. The other outstanding thing is CyanogenMod, the ROM installed on top of Android which offers endless possibilities to customize your Android experience. You can get the OnePlus One for $300-350 and the Android device offers specs comparable to the Galaxy S5 or HTC one M8.

The OnePlus One has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution display with 401 ppi, Snapdragon 801 quad-core Krait 2.5GHz backed by 3GB RAM and 16 or 64 GB internal storage, 3100 mAH battery but no microSD card slot. The OnePlus One sports a 13 MP. 4128*3096 pixel rear snapper with autofocus, dual-LED flash and features like touch focus, face detection, HDR and geotagging. It’s also capable of shooting video at 2160p@30fps, 2160p(DCI)@24fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR and stereo sound recording. Its front cam is a 5 MP shooter (1080p@30fps), perfect for your selfie needs.

4. Galaxy Note 4

The Galaxy Note 4 is one of the most popular devices you can think of right now, and not by accident. Besides the behemoth size and specs of the device, the Note 4 has the added benefit of a wonderful Super AMOLED screen which is already being called the best you can find out there. Samsung did well with this design, making it attractive to all kinds of customers. TouchWiz overlaid on Android has been improved for the device and you can benefit from hundreds of apps and features designed especially for the Galaxy Note 4 S Pen stylus. Sure, it’s an expensive device and you’ll probably have to buy if with a contract, but if you prefer unlocked, it will set you back around $750, the least.

The Galaxy Note 4 display is a 5.7 inch Super AMOLED display with a 1440*2560 resolution and 515 ppi, and the device has a fingerprint sensor built in. The Galaxy Note 4 sports either a quad core Snapdragon 805 CPU or an Exynos 5433 CPU, the former being clocked at 2.7 GHz, while the latter is an octa core configuration. The Galaxy Note 4 has 3 GB RAM to work with as well as 32 GB expandable internal storage. If you choose the Snapdragon 805 CPU configuration, it will come with the Adreno 420 CPU whilst the Exynos configuration will bring the Mali-T760 GPU. The Note 4 has a 16 MP rear sensor with LED flash, autofocus, optical image stabilization and features dual shot, simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, HDR, face and smile detection, panorama and HDR, as well as a 3.7 MP shooter on the front.

3. LG G3

LG is my go-to brand when it comes to smartphones, because I’ve grown up on LG phones and have learnt to work with their UI on top of Android. That being said, it’s not the reason why the LG G3 is on this list. The LG G3 is on this list because it encompasses everything good LG could do with Android. The LG G3 is the best phone LG has ever made and it quickly won the hearts of many Android enthusiasts thanks to its great screen that rivals the Galaxy Note 4, great specs and a pretty good design that appeals to a wide audience. It’s also appropriately priced at around $500, which is mostly standard for an Android flagship.

The LG G3 sports a True HD 5.5 inch display with 2560 x 1440 resolution and 534 ppi. A powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor running at 2.5 GHz powers the LG G3 with an Adreno 330 GPU, a 13 MP camera with OIS+, a massive 3.000 mAh Li-Ion battery and 2GR/3GB RAM options aboard. The device comes in 16GB/32GB internal storage variants with a microSD card slot good for up to 128 GB additional memory. LG G3 currently runs on the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system.

2. HTC One M8

This particular device has won over many Android fans and is currently the number one smartphone for many gadget reviewers. Besides being a beautifully sturdy and well-designed phone, the HTC One M8 impresses with great specs and a 4 MP dual camera that performs surprisingly well. Even though the phone doesn’t have any water or dust proof certification, it’s been known to survive the most harsh conditions. The One M8 will retail for around the same price as the LG G3 and will surely become your soul mate if you decide to get it for yourself. The big selling point of the One M8 is its speaker setup: front facing BoomSound speakers that will blow your minds. Oh, and you can choose an Android or a Windows version, although the Android version is the one relevant right now.

You get a 5 inch Super LCD3 screen on the device, with a 1080*1920 resolution and 441 ppi pixel density. The HTC One M8 runs on a quad core Snapdragon 801 CPU with Adreno 330 GPU, backed by 2 GB RAM and available in 16 or 32 GB storage configurations, expandable via microSD card. The HTC One M8 has a 4 MP dual camera with a depth sensor on the rear and a 5 MP selfie shooter.

1. Huawei Ascend Mate 7

The Ascend Mate 7 might come as a surprise to most of you reading an top Android phones article, mainly because the phone isn’t even on the market yet.  But I feel that the Ascend Mate 7 deserves this spot already, because it manages to impress with its design and powerhouse specs, combined with a very low price. The Ascend Mate 7 can easily rival the Galaxy Note 4 for around $500, which in my mind, is an extraordinary bang for buck ratio. What I prize most on the Mate 7 is its screen, which constitutes most of the phone actually. The bezels on the Mate 7 are among the thinnest I’ve seen, even though they’re not as invisible as the Aquos Sharp bezels. It also has a fingerprint sensor which reportedly works better than any other fingerprint sensor on the market. Overall, I like the idea behind the Mate 7 and I like that the company is trying to get the latest technology into the hands of those who can’t afford to pay a thousand bucks for a phone.

The Huawei Ascend Mate 7 display is a 6 inch IPS LCD screen with a 1080*1920 resolution and 368 ppi pixel density. The Mate 7 has Emotion UI 3.0 overlaid on Android and it will look familiar since it borrows some of the iOS 7 design elements. he Ascend Mate 7 runs on an octa core HiSilicon Kirin 925 CPU backed by a Mali-T628 GPU. The Ascend Mate 7 has 2 GB RAM available for the 16 GB expandable storage configuration and 3 GB RAM for the 32 GB expandable storage configuration. A 13 MP rear sensor with LED flash and autofocus, featuring geo-taggin, HDR, face detection and panorama, as well as a 5 MP front shooter are also included in the package, alongside a massive 4100 mAH battery. Even though the camera could have been better, the Mate 7 is a powerhouse. I’m curious to see how it will fare on the market, as the Mate 7 is set to launch by the time the holiday season kicks off.

Bonus round: Sony Xperia Z3

I added this bonus round because the Sony Xperia Z3 running on Android 4.4 KitKat absolutely deserves a special mention in this top 5 Android phones. I must be honest, I do not like the design Sony chose for their smartphone line, as much as I don’t like the Lumia design. It seems to be a bit boxy and rigid, but I can certainly live with it. I chose to include the Xperia Z3 because it’s possibly the smartphone with the best battery life you can get out there, for a relatively affordable price, of course. I really enjoy that Sony keeps things simple with the overlaid UI on Android and I also appreciate that the Xperia Z3 has a great camera setup and IP68 certification. It’s actually a powerhouse and deserves all your attention, even though Sony hasn’t been doing so well in smartphone revenue lately. A new device is coming up (besides the Xperia Z4) which will supposedly be a phablet version of the Xperia Z3, the Xperia Z3X and the gadget seems like a powerhouse from what we’ve been hearing, even more so than the Xperia Z3.

The Xperia Z3 has a 5.2 inch screen with 1080*1920 resolution and 424 ppi pixel density. It runs on a quad core Snapdragon 801 CPU with Adreno 330 GPU, backed by 3 GB RAM and either 16 or 32 GB internal storage, expandable via microSD card. We have a 20.7 MP main shooter and a 2.2 MP selfie camera at hand, everything running on Android 4.4.4 KitKat. You will make use of a 3100 mAH battery on the Xperia Z3 and the phone will leisurely last you for 2 straight days.

CyanogenMod 11 Now Available for Android One Device

at comes as great news for people considering smartphones from the Android One smartphone range, CyanogenMod, one of the world's most popular custom ROMs, is now available to be installed on the three Android One phones that were launched in India during September.

The news comes via XDA-Developers, who report that the ROM was developed by XDA Recognised Developer varun.chitre15. Given that there was talk about Android One getting root and custom recovery, there were expectations that a custom ROM was in the works.

According to the report, the ROM is quite stable and a great majority of its functions work properly. However, dual-SIM and Internet connectivity are still being worked on.

"The ROM is universal, and as such it works on every Android One device released to date. There is absolute no need to flash a different radio or some compatibility patches. Such an approach makes things much easier to maintain for developers and creates less confusion among users."

Yesterday, we reported that Cyanogen teamed up with Indian smartphone major, Micromax, to launch smartphones using the custom ROM later this year.

If you own a Spice Dream Uno, Karbonn Sparkle V or Micromax Canvas A1, head over to theCyanogenMod 11 for the Android One development thread at XDA to get started.

Stay tuned to this space for similar updates regarding CyanogenMod and other related topics.

5 Features Of Android L 'Lollipop' Running On Samsung Galaxy S5

Google unveiled the Android L v5.0 OS at the I/O 2014 conference. During the conference, the search giant showcased several new features the next-generation OS version has to offer. In addition, the official name of the OS version dubbed "Android L" was not announced. According to a brand new report, the "L" stands for "Lollipop"; there is also a video preview of Android L tested on Samsung Galaxy S5.

Google has not officially released the latest OS version yet; however, device manufacturers get to test the upcoming software releases earlier than the general public. Apparently, Sam Mobile was able to access Android L with build "LRW58J," pertaining to the Samsung Galaxy S5 with model number SM-G900F. The site points out that its staff wanted to release the firmware to the public. However, the staff did not push through with the plan due to numerous bugs in the build (alpha). They also said that the handset became extremely sluggish with the latest OS version on board.

However, Sam Mobile came up with an exclusive video preview of Android L featuring its brand new look and killer features. Notably, the preview features TouchWiz on Android L OS, but the TouchWiz UI is yet to be modified by Samsung to correspond with Google's Android L OS guidelines. Google has brought in a major design change with Android Lollipop and it is dubbed as "Material Design." Here are the standout points of the latest OS version tested on the Galaxy S5.

1. The user interface is fresh and the touchscreen experience has improved tremendously. Samsung has been using the blue theme straight from the Galaxy S2 days. However, the company has redesigned the look with a white theme. The aforementioned site opines that the white theme is very appealing to the sight. However, Sam Mobile says the white theme consumes relatively more power with the superior AMOLED display in tow.

2. Samsung's patented system apps like Dialler, Messages, Clock and Memo, among others, have been redesigned with Google's Material Design guidelines in mind. Also, Android L's brand new lock screen stands out. The lock screen prevalent in current-generation devices only show the date and time. With Android L, the lock screen also shows optional notifications. The flip side of bringing notifications to the fore, however, is widgets cannot be added to the lock screen.

3. There is also a useful "heads-up notification" feature that alerts users of incoming calls, SMS and even low battery notifications without disrupting the ongoing activity. Plus, there is a built-in clipboard tool that stores the record of screenshots and even the copied text.

4. MirrorLink support is also added in the latest OS version. As the name implies, this feature allows users to mirror their handset's screen to their car display.

5. Importantly, Google Android L utilises the new ART runtime,which makes the OS faster and lessens the lags in Android devices. Take a look at the video preview recorded by Sam Mobile: 

Google Chrome Hack Lets Android Apps Run On Browser‏

Android apps have always been confined to the mobile, but what if users were to enable the 1.3 million mobile apps to work on Chrome, Mac and Windows OS? This is what one developer has been able to achieve, going under the alias of “Vladikoff.”
Vladikoff used App Runtime for Chrome and extended the possibilities. The official app only support a few apps on Chrome OS, but Vladikoff’s work supports all browsers, which are able to run Chrome 37 or above.

Users who want to try this out need to be able to download Android apps on Chrome, through a custom build of ARC called ARChon, allowing Native Extensions to be cross platform. This does require a bit of technical know-how, even though Vladikoff has worked on smoothing the process.
This custom program will allow Android apps to work on all devices. The apps appear to work as they would on a mobile, albeit without the touch-screen. Users of the program have said it crashes a lot, but other than that it can work and Android apps can be blown up to fit Chromebook screen sizes.
On Chrome OS, the program does work a bit better, thanks to Google’s optimisation of Native Apps. On Mac, it is still pretty good with the different APK packages, but on Windows it is almost impossible to run Android apps for more than 10 minutes, without a crash.
There has been some conversation on the idea of merging Android with Chrome OS. Google has had huge success with Android, but Chrome OS has been rather lacklustre outside of education.
Adding Chrome OS into Android would be an interesting idea, considering Android OS has been ported to larger tablets, over 18-inches, showing apps can run on larger displays, without the apps looking too “blown-up.