Samsung finally launched its premium built Galaxy Alpha device about 10 days ago. People had mixed feeling when it comes to this smartphone. A part of them liked the fact Samsung introduced a metallic trim which made the device feel more substantial and premium. The other part however claimed that either that’s not enough considering the specifications or that the trim itself resembles iPhone’s design way too much. Either way you spin this, Galaxy Alpha launch raised a lot of eyebrows and of course opinions differ. As a reminder, the device is sporting a 4.7-inch 720p (1280 x 720) Super AMOLED display, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of non-expandable internal storage. On the back of the device you can find a 12-megapixel camera while there’s a 2.1-megapixel shooter on the front of the device. You can check out other specifications via the link above.
Samsung Tomorrow shared some insight on how this device is built. At the very beginning of the development the Galaxy Alpha’s frame is carved and trimmed from a rough metal to the shape that will become Galaxy Alpha’s frame. Various CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) processes are used in order to achieve that. After that, they create secure spaces for the battery and window parts in order to connect with the frame of the device and create curved corners on the outer edge of the frame. They of course have to make sure the antenna and key buttons are properly implemented. All of this is followed by a Color Anodizing process which sounds a bit weird, but this basically tints the metal every so slightly in a specific color while keeping its natural metallic shine. Diamond cut is the next step, they use it to make sure the edges are perfectly cut while remaining shiny and having a good grip in the end. At the same time the display is connected to the frame’s edge.
After the process is over and the device is built, they send it to the Quality Assurance Lab where they performs a slew of tests in order to check the quality of the device. In “Drop Test” the phone is dropped from different heights multiple times in order to test the metallic frame’s durability. It is no wonder Galaxy Alpha outperformed all other Galaxy devices in this aspect, metal is metal after all. Another test they do is so called “Bending Test”, it is pretty much what the name says, the test how much pressure can each side of the device withstand. The final test is the “Twist Test”, it is used to determine the level of impact the device can withstand by moving it in opposite directions (side-to-side).
You can say what you want about the Galaxy Alpha, but the fact is it brings some fresh materials to the table, something many people have been asking of Samsung for a long time. It remains to be seen will this device sell as well as they hope it will.
