Samsung Flags Are Set Up At The Main Entrance To The Berlin Fair Ground
Samsung flags are set up at the main entrance to the Berlin fair ground before the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin in this August 28, 2012 file photo. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is emerging as a major player in its local debt market, buying more South Korean-issued bonds as it juggles a $60 billion cash pile. Samsung's push into private bank debt and government bonds underscores the challenges faced by the electronics giant in managing its massive cash holdings, with local banks reluctant to overload on short-term deposits from Samsung. REUTERS

At IFA 2014, Samsung released many devices including the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and the Galaxy Note 4. Notably, the Galaxy Alpha, with its 4.7-inch display, is touted as the perfect answer to Apple's 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model. However, we now have information on the price and release date details pertaining to the metal-clad Samsung Galaxy Alpha.

The Galaxy Alpha will reportedly hit the store shelves on Sept. 12 in selected regions across the globe. Unfortunately, many countries may have to wait a tad more than the others. In case of Canada, the handset will be released on Sept. 26, according to Phone Arena.

Samsung officials in Canada announced that the Galaxy Alpha will be available from Bell and Virgin Mobile at this point. Nevertheless, other major carriers will offer the device in the near future. Also it is worth noting that the carrier Bell has started offering pre-orders for the aforementioned handset. The quoted price is 149.95 CAD that roughly translates to US$136 and AU$147, with a contract. On the other hand, interested buyers can also opt to purchase the device outright for 699.95 CAD that roughly translates to US$637 and AU$687.

Interestingly, Samsung has drifted away from its love for plastic to a metallic look in the latest offering. The Galaxy Alpha boasts premium-look with a killer metallic frame encircling the corners of the device. But it is worth mentioning that, the back panel of the handset comes with faux-leather material similar to the flagship Galaxy S5. Instead of the perforated/dotted design seen in the S5, the Galaxy Alpha flaunts a cross-stitch pattern on the back, says Phone Arena.

As far as the key specification goes, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha features a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display complemented by 720 x 1,280 pixels screen resolution and 312 ppi pixel density. The phone is powered by an impressive octa-core Exynos 5 processor clocked at a combination of quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A15 cores, along with a quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 cores and 2 GB of RAM. Furthermore, the device runs on Android OS v4.4.4 KitKat along with TouchWiz UI.

Speaking of memory, the Galaxy device offers 32 GB of internal storage but there is not expandable memory option. Other salient specs include a fingerprint scanner, 12 MP ISOCELL camera, NFC support and a not-so-impressive 1860 mAh battery unit.

In the U.S, the Galaxy Alpha will be offered by AT&T and T-Mobile very soon. However none of the carriers have officially announced the release date thus far.

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