Samsung already given up on its iPhone 6 ‘killer’

Samsung launched its Galaxy Alpha series this year in an attempt to build up phones with more “premium” designs using all-metal frames. The Galaxy Alpha, which we noted bore a striking resemblance to the iPhone 5 when it was released, was supposed to be the start of a new era at Samsung in which the company stopped relying on the plastic builds that it’s used with great success for the past several years. However, a new report now claims that Samsung will soon kill off its first would-be iPhone 6 “killer” phone.

According to Korea’s ETNews, Samsung is going to stop producing the Galaxy Alpha all together and will instead focus on releasing more low-cost smartphones as the company is coming under increasing pressure from vendors such as Xiaomi in emerging markets.

“As the ‘Galaxy A5′ is released, the ‘Galaxy Alpha,’ which has similar specifications, will be discontinued,” the publication writes. “It is forecast that, as soon as the inventory of the materials for the ‘Galaxy Alpha’ is exhausted, its production will be stopped.”

The publication also notes that the Alpha was “not popular” despite generating a good deal of buzz leading up to its release.

What remains to be seen is whether Samsung will incorporate some of the Alpha’s design ideas into its upcoming Galaxy S6 flagship phone. Given that the S6 will reportedly be a total redesign compared to last year’s Galaxy S5, it wouldn’t be surprising if the device looked a lot like the soon-to-be-extinct Alpha.