We’ve been bringing readers all the news and rumors regarding the forthcoming Apple iPhone 5 and for some time the most widely expected release date has been the fall. Of course until Apple chooses to share this information with the world we have no way of telling but today we wanted to look theoretically at what would happen if an iPhone 5 release was to entice a Samsung Galaxy S4 appearance.
The iPhone and Galaxy S flagship device launches are no doubt the most dominant smartphones of the year and we recently told how these two handsets are so prominent that they lead sales patterns between iOS and Android for the whole year. Over the last couple of years the releases of the Galaxy S and iPhone handsets have managed to avoid each other. In 2011 the Galaxy S2 was launched in May (in some regions) and the iPhone 4S arrived in October. This year again, the Galaxy S3 released in May (although it has only just arrived on U.S. carriers) and it looks very much as though the iPhone 5 will again release around October time. Therefore an all-out release clash hasn’t occurred recently although it would be hugely interesting to see what would happen if it did.
Recently though we told of reports from Taiwan that suggested the iPhone 5 launch could be brought forward to August in order to compete more directly against the Galaxy S3 but of course, as usual this is not confirmed. If this doesn’t happen and the iPhone 5 arrives in October as most expect, there will be almost half a year between the release of the Galaxy S3 and that of the iPhone 5 so we wanted to just consider for a moment what would happen if Samsung brought its next Galaxy S phone forward to compete with the iPhone 5.
Such is the phenomenal success of these two smartphones we can only begin to imagine what would happen if they actually released at the same time. We admit this isn’t too likely but it’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility and with the ongoing litigation and acrimony between these two giant companies, who knows what Samsung may have up its sleeve. An iPhone 5 release at the same time as a Galaxy S4 would be a real clash of the titans and something that we feel many Android and iOS fans would actually relish.
Not too long ago we took a look at whether there would every be such a thing as a perfect Android or iOS phone and it seemed unlikely for several reasons. One is that smartphone technology is changing so quickly that even if a phone is announced with the very latest specs at that time, by the time of its release sometimes a few months later, some of those top-end specs have already been overtaken by the latest to arrive. Another thing to consider is personal taste as one device will never be able to satisfy everybody, as people’s requirements and design preferences differ. There’s also another factor to consider though and that is that if a manufacturer threw everything it had at one particular handset it may not leave enough ‘room for improvement’ for the next iteration of the device when consumers will be demanding more and better to consider upgrading.
Putting this aside though we’d certainly like to see what would happen if Apple and Samsung were both working right now on an iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4 that could blow the other out of the water. Imagine these two iconic handsets directly up against each other, both competing to be the most groundbreaking and cutting edge devices and both launched at the same time. This would certainly be a real marker at last of which is best, at least as far as consumers are concerned and might finally answer that age-old battle between Android and iOS enthusiasts.
As far as iPhone 5 specs and features are concerned, of course nothing is yet official but widely expected are an A5X or A6 processor, improved camera, larger display, new design and that it will run on iOS 6. Other things that most hope to see are 4G LTE connectivity and NFC support while some of the wilder pieces of speculation (though still possible) include 3D, waterproofing, a Thunderbolt connector and wireless AirDrop feature. Back in April we told how Samsung is working on Youm flexible displays and that these could be available within the year so this is certainly a possibility for a Galaxy S4. Considering all of the potential that both Apple and Samsung can bring to the next iPhone and next Galaxy S phone the mind boggles to imagine what we could be treated to.
You may be interested at this point at a recent article where we looked at a concept of the best of the iPhone and Galaxy S phones, dubbed the iSung Galaxy 5 and we wonder how many of you might even favor something that crossed the divide, although of course this is never likely to happen. Maybe though you’d just rather think about what would happen with a theoretical battle between an iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4 and we’re really interested to hear what readers think about this.
Do you imagine that Samsung and Apple might ever release their iconic devices at the same time? If you were to consider everything you’d like to see on a smartphone, what do you think the iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4 should offer to make either stand out above the other? Let us know with your comments.