Key difference: Samsung has now expanded its’ offerings in the phablet category by introducing the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3. The Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 is named such because of its 5.8 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen, with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. The phone is powered by a Dual-core 1.4 GHz processor with a 1.5 GB RAM. iPhone 5, bigger than its predecessors, supports a 4-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD screen with 640 x 1136 pixels and 16 million colors. iPhone 5 comes with the latest Apple iOS 6 that is upgradeable to 6.1. It includes a 1.2 GHz dual core Apple A6 processor, PowerVR SGX543MP3 and 1GB RAM.

Samsung is a major player on the world smartphone platform. It is the second most popular smartphone retailer in the world by number of units sold, after Apple. It is in fact the first most popular Android smartphone retailer in the world by number of units sold. The company’s Samsung Galaxy S3 was the first phone that gave the iPhone a real competition. Hence, effectively making the Galaxy brand, a brand to be reckoned with.

Samsung is also credited with creating the ‘phablet’ category by introducing the Samsung Galaxy Note. A phablet is a cross between a phone and a tablet; it sized as a table but with all the properties of a phone. Samsung has now expanded its’ offerings in the phablet category by introducing the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3.

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 is named such because of its 5.8 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen, with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. The phone is powered by a Dual-core 1.4 GHz processor with a 1.5 GB RAM. The phone runs Android 4.2.2, the latest version of Android at the time of its launch. The phone also features an 8 MP primary camera and a 1.9 MP secondary front-facing camera.

In addition to the above mentioned features, the phone also boasts several features that are available on the Samsung Galaxy S4. This includes ‘Group Play’, which enables easy content sharing for up to 8 devices on the same Wi-Fi network; ‘Samsung WatchON’ that transforms the phone into an IR remote controller to connect to the home entertainment system; ‘Samsung Link’ for streaming photos, videos, notes, or music to the television, tablet or computer; ‘S Translator’ that provides instant translation, using text or voice translation on applications including email, and ChatON, which allows the user to share the phone’s screen with other users.

Furthermore, the phone also has a split screen capability that allows two or more applications to share the screen. These applications include email, messages, ‘MyFiles,’ ‘S Memo,’ ‘S Planner’, and more. The phone also has the popular ‘Air View’ feature, which allows users to preview information in emails, photos in Gallery, and speed dial contacts, before opening them. In addition, the ‘S Travel’ feature trip information, local guides and resources, etc., while the ‘Story album’ allows users to create albums of daily events, keep special moments in one place using a timeline, geo-tag information and publish digital albums in hard copy.

The iPhone 5 is the latest innovative product of the Apple Company. They have made the new phone slicker, thinner and lighter with even more packed features. Apple claims that the iPhone 5 is 18% thinner, 20% lighter, and has 12% less overall volume compared to the iPhone 4S. iPhone 5, bigger than its predecessors, supports a 4-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD screen with 640 x 1136 pixels and 16 million colors. The phone also offers safety features such as corning gorilla class as well as oleophobic coating that keep fingerprints off the front screen. iPhone 5 comes with the latest Apple iOS 6 that is upgradeable to 6.1. It includes a 1.2 GHz dual core Apple A6 processor, PowerVR SGX543MP3 and 1GB RAM.

The phone is available with non-expandable 16, 32 or 64 GB internal storage capacity. The problem with the new OS is that many features that work only with the iOS 6 do not work in certain territories and Apple has a rolling program that it said will take time to implement across more regions. The phone can also act as a hotspot and can share internet connection over WiFi, Bluetooth, or USB. Similar to the older versions, iPhone 5 is equipped with Siri that allows the user to operate the iPhone via vocal commands. However, Siri has been improved to and supports additional features such as being able to make restaurant reservations, launch apps, make twitter updates, search the internet for queries, etc. iOS 6 features several new and/or updated apps, which includes Apple Maps and Passbook. Apple Maps has faced hostility as does not execute properly and has also been known to give wrong directions. The Passbook app is able to retrieve documents such as boarding passes, admission tickets, coupons and loyalty cards. The phone also offers a new charging port, which is much smaller and more compact compared to the old chargers. They will also require a converter if you want to use them with the old charger, docks and other accessories. The phone has also shifted the headphone jack to the bottom of the phone.

The information for the detailed table about the two phones has been taken from the Apple website, samsungmobilepress.com, samsungtomorrow.com, gdgt.com and GSMarena.com.

Image Courtesy: samsungtomorrow.com, forbes.com