The Samsung Galaxy 3 entered the market before the iPhone 5.

The iPhone launched with a bang, with around 5 million advance orders and almost 45 million sales in the fourth quarter of 2012 predicted. The iPhone has however received quite a lot of criticism so far and the Samsung has been widely regarded as one of the best gadgets of 2012.

So why then has the iPhone been so tremendously successful compare to its Samsung rival.

Marketing

The answer to this is clear, Apple have done incredibly well producing a buzz around their products that touch the general public. Those that delve deeper into the specs and the performance, the techies, know that the iPhone 5 is probably not the best phone on the market. But my sister in law just exclaimed with glee to me that she is getting an iPhone 5 on upgrade tomorrow. I asked her if she had considered an HTC Droid DNA or Samsung S3 and she laughed. She just wanted an iPhone. My mum has an HTC. It is amazing. When she picked it up and chose it she actually thought she was picking an iPhone, lol. She is very happy with her choice even if it isn’t what she thought she was choosing.

Comparing Features

My review of the two phones is that the Samsung does better on its display, memory processor, and connectivity. The iPhone is perhaps superior on Dimensions, Design and the Camera. On OS and battery the two phones are comparable. So I think that the Samsung is the better phone. The reviewers out on the web think the Samsung is the better phone.

The Market Speaks

More importantly than all the reviews is the way that the general public is struck with awe by the iPhone series. We all want a phone to impress and the iPhone, we are confident, will do that.

I think that Apple is going to work harder on their innovations to stay ahead in the market. It won’t be good enough in the future to simply make their screen bigger, or their phone thinner. The power of the iPhone will gradually dwindle if other phones are continually reviewed better and perceived as higher spec devices.

iPhone Alternatives

Phones like the Samsung Galaxy S3, Google Droid Nexus 4 and HTC Droid DNA are snapping at the iPhone’s heels. They are incredible phones.

With Google and Microsoft entering the market with force, Microsoft with their very reasonable Windows Phone 8X, competition is only going to increase for Apple; competition that is going to be increasingly well-funded and increasingly determined to win the smartphone race.

So where are you on the iPhone debate? Are you a lover or a hater?

Phil Turner thinks that Apple phones are only really for the image-conscious. This includes teenagers for whom an iPhone 4 (pay as you go) is probably the best compromise.