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Business News/ News / Business Of Life/  Tech Reviews : Samsung Galaxy Alpha vs Nokia Lumia 730
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Tech Reviews : Samsung Galaxy Alpha vs Nokia Lumia 730

Samsung's latest launch moves away from plastic design, Microsoft's new offering is all for selfies

Samsung Galaxy AlphaPremium
Samsung Galaxy Alpha

NEW DELHI :

Why Samsung would launch a second smartphone (the Samsung Galaxy Alpha) priced so close to its flagship Galaxy S5 (currently retailing at around 37,000) is perplexing. Meanwhile, even though Microsoft now owns Nokia, the latest Lumia phone range still sports the Nokia branding. We look at these two just-launched smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha

39,700

Samsung is finally moving away from plastic, gradually adding a dash of metal to its smartphones. The Galaxy Alpha is the best example of this change. It is just 6.7mm thick and weighs 115g. The front looks typically Samsung, with the lozenge-shaped key and the two touch-sensitive keys below the display. The change is on the sides with the metal frame, and there are shades of the iPhone 5s to it. On the back is a polycarbonate battery cover, with a subtle imprint design on it. The Galaxy Alpha oozes sophistication, particularly with the white-colour finish. The other options include black and golden.

The performance is fast, with the Exynos 5 octa-core processor paired with 2 GB of RAM. Apps open quickly, games load in the blink of an eye. The TouchWiz interface generally runs quite smoothly, but there is no getting away from the fact that it seems cluttered. Basically, you can run all the apps you want on it, and the Alpha has enough power and memory to handle the heaviest multitasking scenarios. However, the phone heats up slightly when stressed (play a game for 20 minutes or use GPS).

The display is where the big let-down happens. For a phone that is priced in flagship territory, a 720p display is just not acceptable. There is no doubt that the super AMOLED panel is vibrant and sharp, but the resolution limitations are more than apparent while watching videos or flicking through the photo gallery.

If you click a lot of photographs with your phone, the 12-megapixel (MP) camera will impress. The images are rich in colour and capture good levels of detailing, be it in sunlight or in low-light conditions. The camera app is exactly the same as the flagship Galaxy S5, with the complete range of settings and modes—panorama and dual camera, and the ability to download more as well.

The 1860 mAh battery is powering a bright display and fairly high-end specifications. If fully charged at 7am, there is about 30% charge left at 7pm—so the battery is good enough for a day.

Overall, there is a lot to like about the Galaxy Alpha, but the screen resolution is just not acceptable on a phone that costs so much.

Nokia Lumia 730

15,299

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Published: 21 Oct 2014, 07:38 PM IST
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