Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) vs Samsung Galaxy Alpha
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) and the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| Price | $75 | $2,999 |
| Our rating | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 1,900 mAh | 1,860 mAh |
| RAM (max) | 5 GB | 2 GB |
| Storage (max) | 64 GB | 32 GB |
| Screen size | 4.5 in | 4.7 in |
| Main camera | 8 MP | 12 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | — | 115 g |
| Released | Dec 2014 | Sep 2014 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) is ahead on battery, ram (max), storage (max). Samsung Galaxy Alpha is ahead on our rating, screen size, main camera.
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 4.5 inches, 55.8 cm2 (~65.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 4.7 inches |
| Resolution | 540 x 960 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~245 ppi density) | 720 x 1280 pixels |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (region dependent) |
| Pixel Density | — | ~312 ppi |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| OS | Android 4.4.4 (KitKat), upgradable to 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) for some models | Android 4.4.4 (KitKat), upgradable to 5.0.2 (Lollipop) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410 (28 nm) | Exynos 5 Octa 5430 (20 nm) - Global; Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 - Regional |
| CPU | Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 | Octa-core (4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A15 & 4x1.3 GHz Cortex-A7) |
| GPU | Adreno 306 | Mali-T628 MP6 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot), up to 64 GB | No |
| Internal | 16GB 1GB RAM (SM-A300F, A300H) or 16GB 1.5GB RAM (SM-A300FU) | 32GB 2GB RAM |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.4, 31mm (standard), AF | — |
| Features | LED flash, panorama | LED flash, panorama, HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps |
| Modules | — | 12 MP, f/2.2, 31mm (standard), AF |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| Single | 5 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide) | — |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p |
| Modules | — | 2.1 MP |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 1900 mAh, non-removable | Removable Li-Ion 1860 mAh |
| Talk time | Up to 12 h (3G) | Up to 11 h (3G) |
| Music play | Up to 60 h | Up to 37 h |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| Dimensions | 130.1 x 65.5 x 6.9 mm (5.12 x 2.58 x 0.27 in) | 132.4 x 65.5 x 6.7 mm |
| Weight | 110.3 g (3.89 oz) | 115 g |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 4), plastic back, aluminum frame | Glass front, aluminum frame, plastic back |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE | 4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS | GPS, GLONASS |
| NFC | Yes (LTE model only) | Yes |
| Radio | FM radio | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) | Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
|---|
| Announced | October 2014 | August 13, 2014 |
| Released | December 2014 | — |
| Status | Discontinued | Released September 12, 2014 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) or Samsung Galaxy Alpha?
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) — 1,900 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) versus 1,860 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy Alpha.
Which has more RAM, Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) or Samsung Galaxy Alpha?
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) — 5 GB for the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) versus 2 GB for the Samsung Galaxy Alpha.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) or Samsung Galaxy Alpha?
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) — Dec 2014 for the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) versus Sep 2014 for the Samsung Galaxy Alpha.
Is the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) or the Samsung Galaxy Alpha rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015) 5/10 and the Samsung Galaxy Alpha 7/10.
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