In case you hadn't heard, Apple launched the iPhone 5 today, so how does the new smartphone stack up to the competition? As a largely academic exercise, we've already compared it to its predecessor, the iPhone 4S. Now, we're pitting it against 2012's hottest mobile prior to 12 September, the Samsung Galaxy S3. Which handset comes out on top? See for yourself, though bear in mind that not all details have been revealed at this stage.
Size and weight
It looks like the iPhone 5 is actually following the lead of the Galaxy S3 in some respects, with Apple's new smartphone confirmed as being the US company's most slender handset to date: it's 20g lighter and a full 1mm more slender than Samsung's flagship device, making it one of the most svelte mobiles on the market. That said, it's not quite "the world's thinnest smartphone" as Apple claimed tonight - unless the American firm has now patented the 'S' section of the dictionary.Display
Apple has sought to up the ante to compete with Samsung in terms of screen size and the improved multimedia performance that typically corresponds with a larger display. The iPhone 5 measures 4in diagonally, though the Galaxy S3 is known for being one of the tallest non-hybrid handsets, sporting a 4.8in display. The attractiveness of the respective devices all depends on how big a piece you're happy to slot into your pocket, but for us, the iPhone 5's new 4in display looks plenty big for quality video playback and gaming needs, without being a burden.
Storage and memory
Both handsets feature 1GB of main RAM in the UK, though the US version has 2GB, as does the Galaxy Note 2 worthy of 2GB but Apple may argue it is unnecessary to run its iOS 6 operating system. Both devices are going to be available with a variety of internal storage options, with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions on offer. The Galaxy S3 also sports a microSD slot, allowing further expansion currently of up to 64GB. Quite why anyone would need 128GB in their phone is beyond us, but with no iPhone 5 128GB currently, the choice is yours.Processor
Apple's new-gen A6 chip is dual-core, and though the clock speed wasn't announced, it should see a modest bump above the 1GHz of the iPhone 4S. We reckon around 1.2GHz. Apple claims it is up to twice as fast as the A5 chip in the iPhone 4S though that remains to be tested. This still risks lagging behind the Samsung Galaxy S3 which sports a quad-core Exynos 4 processor at 1.4GHz in the UK, though our American cousins have to make do with 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon, itself no slouch.The A6 has an as-yet-unconfirmed GPU "up to twice as fast" as the PowerVR SGX543MP2 in the iPhone 4S; a tasty prospect indeed as phones rapidly chase down console-quality gaming graphics. We look forward to pitting it against the Mali-400MP in the UK-spec Galaxy S3.
Software
The Android-running Galaxy S3 might ship with Ice Cream Sandwich, but it's getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in the immediate future, making for a fascinating showdown with Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 6. It's hard to say which device's interface functions more seamlessly or features the best apps - for the time being, it's a matter of personal preference, though anyone with significant investment in paid-for apps might be better sticking with their existing platform.Camera
On paper, the two devices are exactly the same, offering an 8-megapixel primary camera and HD video at 1080p. Whether or not all of the features Apple bragged about earlier today - the dynamic low light mode, and the optimised five-element, sapphire lens, for example - make a real difference to the handset's imaging capabilities remains to be seen. Again, we'll have to wait to get hands-on with the iPhone 5 before we can pronounce more assertively.