Consumers are starting to want more for the money that they plunk down – and with good reason. Spending hundreds of dollars on a plastic phone just doesn’t make sense. That’s why Samsung has recently announced the new Galaxy Alpha that’s make out of metal – kind of.

The Details

The Galaxy Alpha runs on Android, and it looks a bit different from Samsung’s previous high-end option, the Galaxy S5. The S5 has a chromed plastic edge, but the Alpha comes with a completely metal frame that meets beveled edges and a plastic back. This phone looks a lot different from most of Samsung’s other options, and that’s precisely the point. The company has told press that the Alpha was designed based on consumer wishes, and that design is likely to compete directly with Apple’s higher-end iPhone model.

The Alpha comes with a screen that’s slightly smaller than the S5 (4.7in HD), and it also has a slightly lower resolution. On the plus side, this phone is thinner than the S5, and it’s also a much lighter option. Samsung cut down on the screen size in order to make the Alpha lighter, so it seems.

Inside the Alpha

Everything that you like (or don’t like) about the S5 is still intact with the Alpha. You’ll still find the fingerprint scanner, the selfie camera, and those other small details. The main difference here is that the Alpha’s edges are made of metal, it’s lighter, and it’s thinner. Are those things enough to make the Alpha stand out or justify the cost of a phone that has a superior construction?

It’s hard to pay hundreds of dollars for a phone that has a metal edge. The fact remains that the Alpha still comes with a plastic back, even though the edges are metal. When compared to competitor phones that are made entirely of superior materials, the Alpha still falls short. Sure, the Alpha has some metal bits, but the phone really needs to be made entirely of metal if Samsung wants to compete with Apple’s metal iPhones.

Pricing and Release Date

The Alpha will go on sale this September, and though Samsung didn’t release official pricing details, numbers are being projected at around $600 or $700 – that’s quite a large leap for a phone that’s still, essentially, made of plastic. Of course, the thing about September is that Apple will likely release the iPhone 6 during that month, and the 6 is expected to have a bigger screen with a completely metal casing.

For those that are Android proud, the Alpha will sell. But, it doesn’t seem like an excellent deal when compared to the devices that Apple offers (sorry, Android folks, it’s just not up to par). If you aren’t part of one camp or the other, my advice is to wait until both companies announce new devices in September, and buy the one that makes the most sense financially – which one will last longer, and which one will have a better resell value. Those are the important points.