Samsung has quietly launched the Galaxy Alpha, one of two high-end smartphones that the company has been teasing this summer.

The official announcement of the phone appeared as a press release on the companys website, a far cry from the fanfare that accompanied the launch of the Galaxy S5 in February, when the company hired out a convention centre in Barcelona for the announcement.

The Alpha is the latest addition to Samsungs flagship Galaxy smartphone line, built with a focus on aesthetics and construction, with a metal frame and solid finish. The design is a response to complaints about the cheaper plastic feel of some of Samsungs smartphones, but means the phone stands apart from the rest of the companys smartphone collection.

“The Galaxy Alpha was built and designed based on the specific desires of the consumer market,” said JK Shin, CEO and head of IT & mobile communication at Samsung Electronics. “With an entirely new appearance, the Galaxy Alpha focuses on both beauty and functionality combining a stunning metal frame and slim, light weight design with the same powerful hardware and features users expect from a flagship Galaxy mobile device.”

The device features a 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED display, finger print scanner and can connect with Samsungs Gear range of wearable devices. Its features arent as impressive as the Galaxy 5, which boasts a larger screen, higher resolution camera and stronger battery, and combined with the more low-key launch, it may be serving as an experiment in the use of metal in Samsung designs, without committing to a top-of-the-line launch. It will be available at the beginning of September.