Apple unleashed its new iPhone 5 at the Sept.12 event. With a bigger display, faster processor, impressive new iOS 6 and 4G LTE features, Apple has marked a completely new era for iPhones.
Apple's iPhone 5 is set to steal the thunder from smartphone market leader Samsung's Galaxy S3.
Both Apple and Samsung have excelled in terms of packing superlative, intriguing features and incorporating stunning designs in their flagships.
Here's a look at how the two smartphones stack up against each other.
Display
After months of speculations and anticipations, Apple has finally gave what its users wanted desperately, a bigger display. The new iPhone sports a 4-inch Retina display with 1136x640 resolution and the Multi-Touch IPS technology screen has a "Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating."
According to Apple, the new phone's sRGB display delivers 44 percent more color saturation and decreases glare.
Galaxy S3, on the other hand, sports a bigger 4.8-inch screen. The Samsung flagship flaunts HD Super AMOLED display that sports 1280 x 720 pixels resolution.
Size, Weight, and Design
The iPhone 5 measures 4.87 (H) x 2.31 (W) x 0.30 inches and weighs 112 grams, making it 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S.
The Galaxy S3, on the other hand, sports measures 5.38 x 2.78 x 0.34 inches and weighs 133 grams.
As far as design is concerned, Apple has given an aluminum and glass finish to the new iPhone 5 while the Samsung super phone comes in a plastic body. However, Samsung's Galaxy S3 is inspired by nature and features a "pebble" design, which gives the phone curved edges.
Operating System
The iPhone 5 will pack in Apple's latest operating system iOS 6. The next-generation iOS offers a host of new features including Apple's new e-tickets app Passbook, FaceTime, Apple-backed Maps that provides satellite imagery, free turn-by-turn directions, vector-based maps, new 3D Flyover locations etc.
Samsung's Galaxy S3 runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with custom user interfaces; Touchwiz. The Korean electronics giant has announced that the company has plans to update the S3 to 4.1 (Jelly Bean) before the end of the year.
Processor and Storage
The iPhone 5 comes with a dual-core A6 processor, which, according to Apple, has twice the CPU speed and twice the graphics power of the A5. The company also states that the new smaller A6 chip is more battery-friendly and is based on the dual-core ARM Cortex-A15 CPU design.
Samsung, on the other hand, packs in a dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor that clocks at 1.5GHz.
Additionally, Apple provides 1 GB RAM for iPhone 5, while Samsung Galaxy S3 packs in 2GB.
Both smartphones are available in 16/32/64GB sizes. However, the iPhone 5 does not have an expandable memory option. By contrast, the Galaxy S3's phone memory can be expanded up to 64GB with the microSD option.
Battery
Apple is still coy on the exact size of its non-removable rechargeable lithium-ion battery, but rumor says it is 1,440 mAh. The new battery supports 10 hours of video playback and 8 hours of talk time (on 3G).
Samsung has packed in a much bigger 2,100 mAh removable battery in the Galaxy S3 smartphone that lasts up to 9.2 hours of video play and also supports wireless charging.
Both the Apple and Samsung smartphones have 4G LTE support. The Apple iPhone 5, however, lacks NFC technology which we can find in S3.
Camera
The iPhone 5 will sport an 8-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera with sapphire crystal lens. The camera also has Face detection, autofocus, and LED flash. An f/2.4 aperture and a hybrid IR filter will be present on the device, which includes a low light mode for improved snapping.
Samsung's Galaxy S3 features a 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash. Additionally, the iPhone 5 packs in a 1.2-megapixel front-facing FaceTime HD camera, compared to the S3's 1.9-megapixel one.
Which phone is more value for money? Only time will tell.
