Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S5 just comes out on top in the camera department with a 16MP rear snapper trumping the 12MP offering on the back of the Galaxy Alpha.
Both handsets sport 2.1MP front facing cameras, making video calls possible, while the rear lens can also capture UHD 4K video.
In practice both handsets should be able to produce decent shots and there are plenty of tricks and features available to you including HDR, Dual Camera, Beauty Face, Selective Focus and Panorama modes.
Battery
You get a removable 2800mAh battery inside the Samsung Galaxy S5, which we've found can last more than a day on a single charge with moderate use.
The Galaxy Alpha isn't quite so well equipped in this department, having to settle for a 1830mAh power pack - although you're not going to get a 6.7mm frame with a massive battery inside.
The good news for the Alpha is that its 4.7-inch, lower resolution display will be less power hungry than the 5.1-inch full HD offering on the S5. That hopefully means it'll still be able to produce respectable battery life performance.
Both handsets come with Samsung's new Ultra Power Saving Mode as part of the latest TouchWiz UI on Android KitKat, allowing you to eke out every last drop of power before your phone completely gives up the ghost.
We found this mode performed well during our Galaxy S5 review, so we have high hopes of similar performance on the Galaxy Alpha.
Connectivity
As always with Samsung smartphones there's a whole host of connectivity options on both handsets - but there's also one big difference.
The Samsung Galaxy Alpha doesn't come with a microSD slot, sticking you with the 32GB of internal storage.
Meanwhile you do get a microSD slot on the Galaxy S5 allowing you to build on the 16GB or 32GB of internal storage with a memory card up to 128GB in size.
This gives you much greater scope when it comes to photography, video recording, music, gaming and movie playback on the Galaxy S5 compared to the Galaxy Alpha.
One place where the Galaxy Alpha does come out on top is its support for CAT 6 LTE, which can deliver 4G speeds up to 300Mbps to the handset - although many networks are not yet set up for this.
The Galaxy S5 is also 4G enabled, but only to CAT 4 (which offers maximum speeds of 150Mpbs).
Both handsets come with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC and a microUSB port on their base.
Quick verdict
Unless you're desperate for a smaller form factor and a metal frame from your Samsung smartphone, there's little reason to pick the Galaxy Alpha over the Galaxy S5.
The Galaxy S5 offers a much better screen, a stronger camera and expandable storage for what looks set to be pretty much the same price.
Of course the Galaxy Alpha should look and feel a bit more premium, but the screen sounds a little disappointing.
