Apple iPhone 5 versus Google Nexus 4G - Who will rule the smartphone jungle?

Apple's next generation iPhone, dubbed iPhone 5, which is expected to feature a radical new design and boast of major hardware and software changes, could rule the smartphone jungle but it faces a powerful adversary in Google Nexus 4G.

iPhone 5, which is expected to be launched in September, will reportedly feature a radical new case design, keeping in line with Apple's reputation as a company which is always on the bleeding edge of industry design.

iPhone 5 is expected to boast of the following features:

> A5 processor in the range of 1.2-1.5 GHz
> Aluminum metal backing of the original iPhone instead of the current glass surface back piece
> A teardrop design, like the new iPod Touch, with the top being thick and then tapering to a skinnier bottom
> An improved antenna (no more Antennagate, yay!)
> More RAM, possibly 1GB
> Better camera (perhaps 8-megapixel) with 1080p video playback and panaromic photo capture capability and an improved dual-LED flash unit
> Bigger-edge-to-edge 3.7- to 4-inch curved glass screen (iPHone 4 has 3.5-inch screen)
> A SIM-less design
> 3-4 internal antennas for both GSM and CDMA networks
> 4G connectivity
> iOS 5, which will be true multitask capable and come with loads of new features such as News Stand, Reminders, Delta Updates and iMessage
> Improved speech recognition features, and
> Wireless charging capability
> Better talktime and standy time

On the other hand, Google Nexus 4G smartphone is expected to be an absolute beast, according to BGR, that can seriously rival the iPhone 5 with a potential 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz Krait-based Snapdragon processor.

Nexus 4G is expected to sport a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera (with advanced sensor delivering superior low-light performance) and a front-facing 1-megapixel camera for video chat, edge-to-edge monster-sized 4.5- to 5-inch screen, NFC technology and slim form factor.

However, the most important thing Nexus 4G will be featuring is the latest Android OS 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich.

Ice Cream Sandwich, Google's next version of Android OS, which will combine the best features of Honeycomb (Android tablet OS) and Gingerbread (Android smartphone OS), is expected to boast of features like expanding and resizing widgets and apps, facial detection with the camera and will allow Android devices to be used as USB hosts to allow gamers to plug in external hardware devices such as an Xbox controller. It will additionally feature voice-guided GPS feature and Adobe Flash 10.1 support.

Nexus 4G is expected to be released just after Apple releases the iPhone 5 in September at the iPod refresh event.

Who will be the king of the smartphone jungle? According to latest surveys and reports, Android smartphones are selling better than iPhones and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS could tilt the balance in favor of Google forever.

However, iOS 5, which will power ipHone 5, is no push-over.

According to Apple, iOS 5 boasts of 200 new features and promises an incredible user experience. Some of the features are:

Improved Notifications System - Scaled beautifully, the new push notifications system is no longer annoying or obtrusive and will be displayed on the lock screen together with stock and weather alerts.

News Stand - Similar to iBooks, News Stand will be dedicated to magazines and newspapers.

Improved Mobile Safari - The mobile web browser now comes with tabbed browsing feature even as the Safari Reader allows users to quickly save stories for later reading in the Reading List.

Reminders - The new Reminders app in iOS 5 now makes it possible to maintain multiple list and save them with dates to alert you. The Reminders has geolocation capabilities i.e. it can send reminders to user based on user location.

Camera – The camera can now be accessed faster as it gets a shortcut on the lock screen. To access, double tap the home button and then tap the camera icon. For taking photos, simply tap the volume up button. Other new camera features include crop and rotate, edit, red eye reduction, auto focus and auto exposure, and auto enhance (using iPhoto).

Mail – The new Mail feature in iOS 5 has seen some significant changes. It now comes with rich text formatting message flagging and draggable addresses. Now entire messages can also be searched.

There are also keyboard enhancements: Now it is possible to drag the keyboard up, split the keyboard (to make it more ergonomic). The size of the keyboard can also be reduced to facilitate thumb-typing.

PC Free Function – iOS 5 is PC free i.e. now there is no need to hook up mobile Apple devices with PC to access iTunes. iOS updates are now possible over the air. iTunes library can also be synced wirelessly via Wi-Fi. iTunes sync is now automatic and possible even while an iOS device is being charged.

Delta updates are also available i.e. software updates are now over the air and you can download only the necessary update and not the entire app/software.

iMessage – iMessage is perhaps the most important feature in iOS 5. The iMessage, which is only available to iOS users, allows sending text and multimedia messages over Wi-Fi and 3G. It comes with read and delivery receipts and real time typing indication. The iMessage can be pushed out to all iOS devices a user owns, thereby allowing, for instance, the user to start a conversation in iPhone and continue the same on an iPad right where it was left off.

Most importantly, iOS 5 will give iPhone users immediate access to Apple's new cloud-based photo, video, music and data backup and push out service called iCloud. RBC Capital has predicted that 150 million iPhone users could sign on to Apple's new iCloud service and help Apple generate an additional $750 million in revenue annually, which will be shared between Apple and music labels.

If that is true, it would spell disaster for rivals like Google Music Beta digital locker and Amazon Cloud Drive.

But that's another story.

Who will rule the smartphone jungle? iPhone 5 or Google Nexus 4G. Leave your comments below.

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