Samsung Galaxy Alpha vs Sony Xperia Z3 Compact: Which Is The Best Smartphone Under 5 Inches?

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Sony Xperia Z3 Compact occupy a very special place in the smartphone market for people like me whose pockets aren’t big enough to fit tablet sized phones. Devices like the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and the Samsung Galaxy Alpha are among the smartphones that are out to prove that that bigger isn’t always better. So, the real question is, which phone will reign supreme in this smaller smartphone battle royale?

Hardware

So are these phones made of the right stuff? The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact’s metal frame is covered by an easy to grip and shock absorbing semi-transparent and soft plastic. However, the Xperia Z3 Compact is still rocking a glass back which (surprise!) is prone to scratches and shattering. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is a part of Samsung’s new wave of metal phones which makes it sturdier and gives it a more premium feel. Don’t think that the Galaxy Alpha is a metal brick though; there is still the plastic back which leaves something to be desired thanks to the cheap feel of the plastic. It does, however, make the 115g Samsung Galaxy Alpha lighter than then more weighty 129 g Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. What about the power plants in these two lightweight contenders? Samsung phones run on their custom chipsets that are based on standard ARM Cortex cores which means that the Samsung Galaxy’s Exynos 5430 chipset can put out a lot of power. The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact utilizes the mighty Snapdragon 801 chipset, a road tested and reliable powerhouse for maximizing Android on many of the high-end smartphones in the market. However, when the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and Samsung Galaxy Alpha go head to head, the Samsung’s Exynos 5430 chipset bests the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact’s Snapdragon 801 in certain benchmarks. And with the Alpha clocking in with 32GB memory backed by 2 GB of RAM, it’s easy to see how the Z3 Compact’s 16 GB of memory and the 2 GB of RAM fall short.

Display & Battery Life

If you’re a size queen, then you’ll give this round to the Alpha as the Samsung Galaxy Alpha boasts a 4.7 inch display compared to the 4.6 inches you’ll get with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. But size isn’t everything. The Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Galaxy Alpha comes with 720p and 312 ppi pixel density. Compare this with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact’s LCD 720p display that comes with 319ppi pixel density. While both phones offer multi touch capability, the Xperia Z3 Compact offers multi touch up to 10 fingers. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is the first phone to feature Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 whereas the Xperia Z3 has shatterproof glass. So how long can you go between charges with these pocket rockets? The Samsung Galaxy Alpha comes with a Li-ION 1860mAh battery while the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact boasts a Li-Ion 2600mAh battery that’s non removable. And why would you want to swap it out? The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is nearly impossible to kill with one day usage and will go a full four days between charges with moderate use. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha on the other hand will need to be charged with less than two days of heavy use.

Software & Price

Both phones are currently running Android 4.4.4 KitKat and there are plans for both to be upgraded to the newest iteration of the Android OS, Lollipop. When? Well, that still remains to be seen. While it has been (sort of) revealed that the Samsung Galaxy Alpha will indeed receive the Lollipop update, no specific date was given. The news is only slightly better on the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact’s front with a tweet from Sony promising that the Lollipop upgrade will come in early 2015. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha will run you about $638 without a contract versus the roughly $608 you’ll spend on the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.

Verdict

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is a solid entry into the smartphone market with its impressive battery life and its more reasonable price tag. However, with the Alpha’s faster performance, and better construction, I’d have to say that the Samsung Galaxy Alpha would be my choice for the best smartphone under 5 inches. Do fellow smaller smartphone enthusiasts agree with my assertion? Let me know why or why not in the comments below.