Five iPhone-challenging features of the new Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Over the last two weeks, most of the fuss in the tech world has been about the new iDevices. But Samsung's new Galaxy Alpha is a worthy competitor that not only looks the part (it's a prettier, shinier affair than its predecessors) but has specs to match. Here are its five splashiest features...
1. Download booster. Fed up of waiting for an app to slowly trickle into your handset? The download booster combines Wi-Fi and 4G, if both are available, to fast-track files to your phone. It's speedy, though it will drain your data.

2. HDR. Or "high dynamic range" if you're that way inclined. A digital version of a much older photography technique, it takes multiple photos at different exposures. The computer then identifies the best bits of each image, and stitches them together to create a final picture that ends up on the screen. In essence, it means your pictures look more like what you actually see with your naked eye. Samsung's version of this technology produces seriously impressive results.
3. Fingerprint scanner. Like the iPhones 5S and 6, it has a fingerprint scanner at the base of the handset. This first made an appearance on the Galaxy S5, and allows the handset to be unlocked at the flick of a thumb.
4. Ultra power saving mode. Allowing the phone to run for days on end without a charge, this mode simplifies the home screen and puts the phone into black-and-white to save power. Data-hungry apps are also switched off.
5. Heart rate monitor. By firing infrared light through your finger this sensor is able to determine your pulse and feed that information to the phone's health apps.