Samsung Galaxy Alpha price and specs released by over-eager retailer

Samsung has yet to make its long-awaited Galaxy Alpha handset official, but that didn’t stop one retailer from posting a complete product listing ahead of an announcement from the company – complete with specifications and price.

The handset, which is expected to be Samsung’s first Galaxy device to be made from metal rather than plastic, has leaked ahead of schedule several times, but until now we weren’t aware of a price or what hardware it would contain. Now, thanks to MobileFun, we’ve got all the details. The listing, which has since been taken down, mentions an octa-core Exynos processor, 32GB of on-board storage and a 4.7in AMOLED display with 1,280×720 resolution, as predicted by Sammobile earlier this year, meaning it won’t challenge Samsung’s current flagship handset in terms of pixel count. It should also have a 12-megapixel camera on the back, complete with LED flash and live-view HDR.

It should arrive in black and white colours, based on earlier photos, and will have a metal frame – setting it apart from the all-plastic Galaxy S5. It is widely expected that Samsung will pit the Galaxy Alpha directly against Apple’s metal iPhone 5s, and the 4.7in screen should match Apple’s rumoured iPhone 6 display when it arrives later this year.

If the listing proves accurate, the Galaxy Alpha should cost a substantial £549.99 SIM-free when it finally goes on sale, although there was no mention of an exact release date – or even when the company expected to get stock. We’ll just have to wait until Samsung makes the phone official to find out whether it was indeed on the money. With time swiftly running out before IFA in September, we’re betting that Samsung will reveal the phone at its Unpacked Event in Berlin on the 2nd of September.