Samsung Galaxy Alpha On Chopping Block To Make Way For Cheaper Galaxy A5

Faced with disappointing sales and plunging profits, Samsung found itself making some tough decisions, like handing out pink slips to high-level executives. The company also put in motion a major restructuring effort that will see a reduction in the overall number of smartphone models it offers, and we hear now that one of the first to go will be the Galaxy Alpha.

Samsung's Galaxy Alpha drew attention to itself because of its metal frame. Its construction represented a departure from Samsung's penchant for using plastic, and with its metal border, the phone drew inevitable comparisons (in design) to Apple's iPhone 5s.

According to etnews, a Korean IT news outlet, Samsung will cease production of Galaxy Alpha devices around the same time it launches the Galaxy A5 in Korea next month. The Galaxy A5 is described as a mid-to-low-priced smartphone -- it sells for KRW400,000 (~US$364) in China and Taiwan. What that translates into in smartphone specs is a 5-inch HD Super AMOLED display powered by a Snapdragon 410 processor and 2GB of RAM. It also boasts a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera.

However, it's not the release of the Galaxy A5 that will determine when the Galaxy Alpha will see its production run come to an end, but when all the materials currently in inventory are used up. It just so happens that Samsung is expected to run out of materials for the Galaxy Alpha by early February of next year, right around the time the Galaxy A5 will make its debut in Korea.