The smartphone blitzkrieg is slowly taking over the techie world with market players rampaging for top honors. Samsung and Apple have locked horns in this ensuing battle of the best smartphone, vying with each other for the "it" phone tag. Market gurus opine that both Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 are eyeing the "favorite smartphone" label, persevering to be the blue-eyed boy of the mobile world.

Having recently unveiled the much-touted Galaxy S3, Samsung is on advantageous terrain and has a slight edge over Apple's yet-to-be-launched iPhone 5. However, the question piquing nearly every smartphone users' mind is "this may be a fantastic phone, but should I wait for the iPhone 5?"

So, will the fabled iPhone 5 be the proverbial nail in Samsung's gilded coffin? A roadblock in the Android phone's path to success?

Samsung can breathe easy. Its latest offering has enough steam to keep it going, if not trounce the much-awaited iPhone 5! The Galaxy S3 has plenty of aces in its kitty, which make it more than just delectable eye candy!

Display and Processor

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has a 4.8-inch AMOLED HD display with 310ppi, compared to iPhone 5's expected 4-inch Retina display and 367ppi. In the battle of the Galaxy S3 versus the iPhone, Samsung teamed up with Qualcomm and scores major brownie points with the Snapdragon dual core processor, clocked at 1.4 GHz in the US. This feature reputedly makes the Galaxy S3 the fastest phone in the nation! On the other hand, the expected iPhone 5 is rumored to come with a quad-core graphics processor and a faster version of its 4S' A5 chip - the A5X. However, given the likelihood of iPhone 5 having 4G LTE connectivity, it remains to be seen if these features are eventually incorporated or if Apple resigns itself to a dual-core processor.

Operating System and Features

Samsung have incorporated the Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) OS into the S3. The upgraded version of the phone will run on Jellybean (Android 4.1), post its launch.

Apple, on its part, has already launched iOS 6 at this year's WWDC and this OS will feature in the iPhone 5. This version integrates several novel features like Guided Access mode, shared Photo Streams toggle, Reading List syncing over 3G et al.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes out trumps with several features like S Voice, S Beam, Pop up Play, and Smart Stay, which give its rival a run for its money. With Apple stating that 200 new features form a part of iOS 6, the iPhone 5 is hot on S3's heels.

Camera and Memory

The Samsung Galaxy S3 sports a zero shutter lag, 8-megapixel camera. Keeping Apple's innovators tag intact, rumors abound that the iPhone 5 will have a 3D imaging camera for both stills and videos.

Earlier, Patently Apple reported that "Apple has invented a killer 3D imaging camera that will apply to both still photography and video. The new cameras in development will utilize new depth-detection sensors such as LIDAR, RADAR and Laser that will create stereo disparity maps in creating 3D imagery. Additionally, the cameras will use advanced chrominance and luminance Sensors for superior color accuracy."

The Galaxy S3 is available with three storage options (16/32/64GB). Additionally, the storage can be expanded up to 64 GB through a microSD card slot. Apple too is expected to have similar storage options; however, the expandable memory card alternative seems unlikely.

Conclusion

Starting at $199.99, the S3 may just about edge out the iPhone 5 on the pricing and battery life barometers. With user preference reigning supreme, it will be the deciding factor in the clash of the smartphone titans. Samsung can sit pretty and rest on its throne. Till the iPhone 5 is launched in October, it can remain the smartphone king. After that, well, it's another story.