Will Apple iPhone 5 Face 'Demi-God' Samsung Hercules in Smartphone Race?

The U.S. market is still waiting for the arrival of Samsung Galaxy S2, which is gaining credibility and good reviews from other parts of the world. So Apple Inc.'s most-expected iPhone 5 will be facing the Samsung phone in smartphone battle.

The Galaxy S2 smartphone is expected to arrive on Verizon network as Function in July and Sprint may have it as Within in September. Even AT&T will have its hands on “Attain” version of it.

There was no confirmation on any version going to T-Mobile, but a new rumored smartphone known as Samsung Hercules has emerged out of the blue and is expected to be T-Mobile’s flagship phone. The Hercules phone may make its first appearance in August.

Hercules, which will have Google Inc.'s Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, will come with a 4.5-inch 800x480 Super AMOLED Plus display that is very similar to AT&T’s Samsung Infuse 4G. On the other hand, the iPhone 5, which will have iOS 5, is anticipated to feature a display screen between 3.7-inch and 4-inch.

Samsung Hercules handset with a rumored $350 price tag can tick all the boxes on the super phone list making a big impact in the crowded smartphone market.

Below are the expected features of Apple's iPhone 5 in comparison with the Samsung Hercules:

Operating systems: Samsung Hercules runs the latest version of Google’s smartphone operating system, Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. On the other hand, Apple’s iPhone 5 will be running on iOS 5, which is the newest of the OS versions. The new iOS 5 is expected come with 200 new features that will include Improved Notifications System, News Stand and iMessage.

Though Gingerbread isn't quite as refined as iOS yet, it has true multitasking support and is Google's best bet yet against iOS -- at least until it releases Ice Cream Sandwich. It is left to see which platform will outsmart the other in the long run.

Camera: Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to have an 8MP dual-LED flash camera with 1080p video playback and panoramic photo capture, while iPhone 4 has 5MP camera with 720p video playback. The Hercules, when compared, sports a rear-facing 8MP LED camera with 1080p video capture capability, and has an additional front-facing camera for video chat.

Screen: The new Apple iPhone 5 is expected to have a bigger edge-to-edge 3.7 to 4-inch curved glass screen, compared to iPhone 4's screen size of 3.5-inch with multi-touch display. Hercules is expected to have a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with 800x480 screen resolution.

Processor: Hercules will be powered by a dual-core 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm APQ8060 processor with 1GB RAM. Apple's iPhone 4 runs on 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, and the iPhone 5 is rumored to sport a 1.2-1.5 GHz dual-core A5 processor, which powers the iPad 2, with probably a 1GB RAM. The Galaxy S2 is powered by Samsung’s Exynos CPU which is Samsung’s dual core processor, but Hercules is not expected to have it.

Storage: Hercules boasts of 16 GB internal storage and via a microSD card slot it can expand up to 32 GB, while iPhone 4 has fixed 16/32 GB internal storage. Apple iPhone 4 doesn't have external storage, but that doesn't matter as 32 GB at the maximum is enough for the users. It is expected the iPhone 5 will have 16/32/64 GB internal storage.

Pricing: Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to hit the markets in September and has been rumored to be priced at $600, while iPhone 4 is listed on Verizon at $649.99 on unsubsidized. The Hercules is expected to be priced at $350.

NFC: Samsung Hercules and Apple iPhone 5 are expected to support near field communication (NFC). NFC technology can transform the device into a convenient way for payment and device communication. NFC has potential to do more than just money transaction. The technology could offer features that allow multiple mobile devices to sync for speedier information exchange and gaming.

3G: Hercules will have category 24 HSDPA capability to exceed the max speeds of 42 Mbps downstream, which will make it the fastest HSDPA plus for a smartphone in the market. Today, HSDPA speeds found in most of the smartphones are 21 Mbps or 14 Mbps. Also, the phone is expected to have hidden radios for AT&T HSDPA plus as well, which is a unique feature. Hercules will also have MHL port which combines microUSB and HDMI port as one single port. On the other hand, iPhone 4 has HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 5.76 Mbps support, while iPhone 5 is expected to have HSDPA 14 Mbps to 21 Mbps.

Apple certainly knows how to surprise and already has a few things in place like iCloud which can steal the thunder from Android devices. Apple's iPhone features are extensively varied from Hercules, which means loyal Apple fan base remains the same. And for Apple, there is no reason to fear a potential loss with respect to buyers.

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