[5][6] On July 31, 2014, Kim Hyun-joon, senior vice president of Samsung's mobile business, told investors that the company was planning to release a major new device incorporating "new materials" by the end of 2014.

Critics interpreted his statement as signs that the company was planning to make a metal smartphone, but that it could also be a new entry in the Galaxy Note series.

Samsung Electronics CEO JK Shin explained that the Alpha was "built and designed based on the specific desires of the consumer market.

[10][11] The Galaxy S6 would fully realize Samsung's new design direction, utilizing a unibody metal frame and glass backing.

[16] The Galaxy Alpha features a PenTile 720p 4.7 in (120 mm) Super AMOLED display, and also incorporates a 12 megapixel rear-facing camera without optical image stabilization, fingerprint and heart rate sensors, and removable 1860 mAh battery.

[19] While praising Samsung's decision to begin manufacturing a smartphone that incorporates actual metal in its design, critics noted that despite its "premium" appearance, the internal specifications of the Galaxy Alpha were "mid-range" in comparison to the S5, with particular emphasis placed on the device's smaller, lower-resolution screen, the replacement of its USB 3.0 port with a USB 2.0 port, and its smaller battery.

[1][20] In conclusion, the Alpha was considered by ExtremeTech to be "a hedge against several troubling trends for the world’s largest smartphone maker", believing that its slimmer build and higher quality design were an attempt to compete against the then-upcoming iPhone 6, which features a 4.7 inch display.