Samsung recently said it would launch more phones with new materials before the end of this year. It’s looking more likely that such devices will arrive far sooner than year’s end. FCC testing documents released on Wednesday suggest Samsung’s Galaxy Alpha handset will launch sooner rather than later. The documents were reported by SlashGear and originally found by the CNBeta site.

I pored through the testing documentation to see what might be learned about the Galaxy Alpha, since Samsung hasn’t officially announced it. Leaked images suggest this device will be Samsung’s first Galaxy to use a metal casing in lieu of the company’s traditional choice of plastic. Samsung requested confidentiality on the handset’s user manual and all pictures, but there’s still a bit of information available.

For starters, the required FCC label is shown the filings alongside the phone battery capacity, which is 1500 mAh. That suggests a…