Samsung Galaxy Alpha vs Sony Xperia Z1 Compact vs Galaxy S5 mini: specs and size comparison

We first started hearing about a metal-clad Samsung Galaxy phone in the making ages ago, or so it feels. After a hefty rumor phase, however, Samsung finally made the Galaxy Alpha official today at an impressive event in Russia, and it turns out that most of what we thought we knew about the device was right all along.
Perhaps most importantly, and to start off, the Galaxy Alpha sports a 4.7-inch AMOLED display, putting it right in-between the 4.5-inch Galaxy S5 mini and the 5.1-inch Galaxy S5. Naturally, in this day and age, this puts the Alpha on the rather short list of relatively compact devices available to consumers who aren't necessarily crazy about the continued growth of smartphone displays. Where the new Samsung device differs from most 'mini' devices, however, is the specs sheet that comes attached to it -- it sports Sony Xperia Z1 Compact-worthy hardware, though it doesn't tout water- and dust-resistance.
So how does the Galaxy Alpha compare against the two 'mini' devices mentioned above? Here's a bird's eye overview of the specs, and a look at the Alpha's relative size against them and other competitors.
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Samsung Galaxy Alpha | Sony Xperia Z1 Compact | Samsung Galaxy S5 mini |
Design
Dimensions | ||
---|---|---|
5.21 x 2.58 x 0.26 inches 132.4 x 65.5 x 6.7 mm |
5.00 x 2.56 x 0.37 inches 127 x 64.9 x 9.5 mm |
5.16 x 2.55 x 0.36 inches 131.1 x 64.8 x 9.1 mm |
Weight | ||
4.06 oz (115.0 g) | 4.83 oz (137.0 g) | 4.23 oz (120.0 g) |
Materials | ||
Back: Plastic Frame: Aluminum |
Back: Plastic Frame: Metal |
|
Resistance | ||
Water, Dust; IP58 | Water, Dust; IP67 | |
Biometrics | ||
Fingerprint (swipe) | Fingerprint (swipe) | |
Features | ||
Touch sensitive control keys | Touch sensitive control keys | |
Keys | ||
Right: Volume control, Camera shutter, Lock/Unlock key | Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key | |
Colors | ||
Black, Gold, Gray, Blue, White | Black, Pink, Green, White | Black, Gold, Blue, White |
Display
Size | ||
---|---|---|
4.7-inch | 4.3-inch | 4.5-inch |
Resolution | ||
1280x720px, 312 PPI | 1280x720px, 342 PPI | 1280x720px, 326 PPI |
Technology | ||
Super AMOLED | IPS LCD | Super AMOLED |
Screen-to-body | ||
70.22 % | 61.72 % | 65.76 % |
Colors | ||
16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 |
Features | ||
Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 4), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor | Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor | Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor |
Hardware
System chip | ||
---|---|---|
Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5433 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 | Samsung Exynos 3 Quad 3470 |
Processor | ||
Octa-core 1800 MHz ARM Cortex-A15 and ARM Cortex-A7 |
Quad-core 2200 MHz Krait 400 |
Quad-core 1400 MHz ARM Cortex-A7 |
GPU | ||
Mali-T628 MP6 | Adreno 330 | Mali-400 MP4 |
RAM | ||
2GB (LPDDR3) | 2GB (LPDDR3) | 1.5GB |
Internal storage | ||
32GB, available to use: 25 GB | 16GB | 16GB |
Storage expansion | ||
microSDXC up to 64 GB | microSDXC up to 64 GB | |
OS | ||
Android (5.1 Lollipop, 4.4.4), Samsung TouchWiz UI | Android (5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2, 4.3) | Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 4.4), Samsung TouchWiz UI |
Battery
Capacity | ||
---|---|---|
1860 mAh | 2300 mAh | 2100 mAh |
Type | ||
Li - Ion |
Camera
Rear | ||
---|---|---|
Single camera | Single camera | Single camera |
Main camera | ||
12 MP (Autofocus, CMOS image sensor) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal length: 31 mm |
20.7 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor) Aperture size: F2.0 Focal length: 27 mm Sensor size: 1/2.3" |
8 MP (Autofocus, CMOS image sensor, BSI sensor) |
Flash | ||
LED | LED | LED |
Video recording | ||
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps) HDR, EIS | 1920x1080 (Full HD) HDR, Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS | 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps) |
Front | ||
2.1 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) | 2 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) | 2.1 MP |
Connectivity & Features
Bluetooth | ||
---|---|---|
4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
WLAN | ||
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct | 802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct | 802.11 a,b,g,n,dual-band Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct |
USB | ||
microUSB, USB 2.0 | microUSB, USB 2.0 | microUSB, USB 2.0 |
Location | ||
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass |
Sensors | ||
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Gesture | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers) |
Other | ||
NFC, ANT+, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | NFC, ANT+, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | NFC, Infrared, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync |
Multimedia
Headphones | ||
---|---|---|
3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack |
Speakers | ||
Earpiece, Loudspeaker | Earpiece, Loudspeaker | Earpiece, Loudspeaker |
Features | ||
Album art cover, Background playback | Album art cover, Background playback, Music recognition, Custom equalizer | Album art cover, Background playback |
Screen mirroring | ||
DLNA | DLNA,MHL,MirrorLink,TV-out | |
Radio | ||
FM, Stereo, RDS |
Cellular
4G (FDD) | ||
---|---|---|
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD) | Bands 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD) |
3G | ||
Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) | Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100) | Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) |
Data Speed | ||
LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS |
SIM type | ||
Nano SIM | Micro SIM | Micro SIM |
Phone Features
Notifications | ||
---|---|---|
Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone | Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone | Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone |
Other features | ||
Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording | Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording | Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording |
Regulatory Approval
FCC approval | ||
---|---|---|
Date approved: Aug 06, 2014 FCC ID value: A3LSMG850F | Date approved: Jan 25, 2014 FCC ID value: PY7PM-0640 | Date approved: Jun 19, 2014 FCC ID value: A3LSMG800F |
Measured SAR | ||
Head: 1.05 W/kg Body: 0.48 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.18 W/kg Wireless Router: 0.71 W/kg |
Head: 1.43 W/kg Body: 1.00 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.58 W/kg Wireless Router: 0.96 W/kg |
Head: 0.58 W/kg Body: 0.57 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 0.82 W/kg Wireless Router: 0.80 W/kg |
Availability
Officially announced | ||
---|---|---|
Jan 06, 2014 | Jul 01, 2014 |
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Samsung Galaxy Alpha vs Sony Xperia Z1 Compact vs Samsung Galaxy S5 mini specs comparison
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