ACE - Sage
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117K Messages
Bargain Android phone
I made an impulse buy on eBay and bought a new Samsung Galaxy Alpha for $219. No box or charger, but otherwise perfect condition.
If you never heard of it, I'm not surprised. It was gone almost as soon as it was introduced.
Call the following a review or recommendation, but if you need an inexpensive phone but don't want to settle for an old phone or a giant phablet, this might be the one for you.
The bad.....The screen is not as high def as other models and there is no slot for expanded memory. It upgraded to a bug free lollipop the next day, surprisingly quick, in about 30 minutes. My Note 3 took 2 hours.
The good.....the phone has 32 GBS onboard storage, just like my Note 3. It has more than enough RAM so it's plenty fast. Unlike previous Galaxy models, this is solid. Metal, rather than painted plastic around the edges. I got black, so the back looks like black carbon fiber (sort of). It's about the size of the iPhone 6 and looks and feels like it too. The back is removable and the battery is user replaceable. While I notice the lack of crispness in the display, it was the trade off for better battery life. I was able to find a good selection of cases on Amazon.
Bloatware, or lack of, if you have had a Samsung you know how bad the bloat can be. The Alpha has it, and it can be uninstalled or disabled with few exceptions.
It uses a nano sim, so I got a cutter and converter so I can switch phones at will.
I am assuming the display was the deal breaker for Samsung fans. But with all it has that is good, plus the fire sale prices, it is a deficit I can live with in order to have a small, solid phone.
BTW. It claimed to be unlocked, it has ATT carrier logo when booting, so I suspect it may be not be, I don't plan on leaving, so don't care.
If you never heard of it, I'm not surprised. It was gone almost as soon as it was introduced.
Call the following a review or recommendation, but if you need an inexpensive phone but don't want to settle for an old phone or a giant phablet, this might be the one for you.
The bad.....The screen is not as high def as other models and there is no slot for expanded memory. It upgraded to a bug free lollipop the next day, surprisingly quick, in about 30 minutes. My Note 3 took 2 hours.
The good.....the phone has 32 GBS onboard storage, just like my Note 3. It has more than enough RAM so it's plenty fast. Unlike previous Galaxy models, this is solid. Metal, rather than painted plastic around the edges. I got black, so the back looks like black carbon fiber (sort of). It's about the size of the iPhone 6 and looks and feels like it too. The back is removable and the battery is user replaceable. While I notice the lack of crispness in the display, it was the trade off for better battery life. I was able to find a good selection of cases on Amazon.
Bloatware, or lack of, if you have had a Samsung you know how bad the bloat can be. The Alpha has it, and it can be uninstalled or disabled with few exceptions.
It uses a nano sim, so I got a cutter and converter so I can switch phones at will.
I am assuming the display was the deal breaker for Samsung fans. But with all it has that is good, plus the fire sale prices, it is a deficit I can live with in order to have a small, solid phone.
BTW. It claimed to be unlocked, it has ATT carrier logo when booting, so I suspect it may be not be, I don't plan on leaving, so don't care.
🐾 I don’t work for AT&T or any carrier. Never have, never will. My replies are based on experience and reading content available on the website. If you posted personal information, please edit and remove.
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*I am not an AT&T employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
*I am not an AT&T employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
GLIMMERMAN76
ACE - Expert
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23.9K Messages
9 years ago
The alpha to me was a test run for the galaxy s6. The note 5 will probably note have a SD card or removable battry either.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117K Messages
9 years ago
The S6 is a pretty phone. But I have already seen a few posts about cracked glass on the back. And of course an odd bug or two, usually with carrier versions, which I know you avoid.
I suspect you are correct, SD cards may be a dying feature, giving way to different sizes of internal storage.
Not that I'm in the market for another phone, but I am "gadget curious" so I will peak at the Asus for giggles.
My last note of praise for the Alpha... I loved my GS3, the Note 3 was an awesome upgrade in power and speed, the Alpha has my note beat in speed, which surprised me.
(I should work for Samsung.... 3 phones and two tablets, geesh!)
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117K Messages
9 years ago
Otherwise it seems a decent phone. Camera got very nice reviews.
Nice work for a company that used to just make the parts for other companies computers.
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GLIMMERMAN76
ACE - Expert
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23.9K Messages
9 years ago
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875220010&cm_re=asus_zen-_-75-220-010-_-Product
Thats 4gigs of ram and 64 of onboard storage.
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GLIMMERMAN76
ACE - Expert
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23.9K Messages
9 years ago
@lizdance40
Me and the wife both have att s6's. Now I did order an unlocked version to play with. I also got a zen 2. The zen 2 is for one of the kids but not before I play with it.
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