Can the Galaxy S3, Nexus Prime Hope to Compete with Apple's iPhone 5?

Despite the lack of any official information, with the iPhone 5's rumoured release date just around the corner, analysts and consumers alike have already begun to speculate which future devices could topple the fabled smartphone.

The iPhone 5

Though Apple is yet to release any official word on the device, the iPhone 5 has already become one of the most hotly anticipated smartphones in recorded history.

Undeterred by the lack of official information, the world's media has still managed to report numerous claims regarding the iPhone 5's tech spec and release date.

Most recently a slew of reports suggested that Apple planned to unveil its next entry into the iPhone franchise next month.

The claim of an early October release initially stemmed from tech site All Things Digital. It suggested Apple's new CEO Tim Cook will announce the iPhone 5 during the company's next "big media event" on 4 October.

All Things Digital's report later gained momentum when Apple board member Al Gore allegedly revealed that Apple planned to release "new iPhones" in October.

Running in tandem to the rumoured release date a report from 9to5mac emerged suggesting the device would be equal in power to Apple's current iPad 2 packing a dual-core A5 processor boasting 1GB of RAM. The report also alleged the iPhone 5 would house an improved 8 mega-pixel camera.

Apple has not confirmed any of this.

The Android Duo

Since "news" of the iPhone 5 broke, speculation regarding the device's competition has also emerged. Chief among the competitors listed are Samsung's, also unconfirmed, Google Nexus Prime and Galaxy S3.

The most recent report regarding the two fabled device stemmed from CNET UK. It alleged that an unnamed source had posted information allegedly taken during a visit to Google's office to 4Chan. Though the post only confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S3 was currently being developed, it posted several details regarding the Nexus Prime.

The details alleged that the Google Nexus Prime would run using the company's future Ice Cream Sandwich Android operating system. It later followed up that the device would be "blazingly fast," packing a 1.5GHz Exynos dual-core processor and come with 1GB of RAM.

The source went on to allege that the device would house a curved 4.65-inch 1,280x720-pixel Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen neatly contained in an 8.8mm metal body.

The spec detailed in the new rumour runs contrary to a previous report from CNET UK that emerged earlier in September. The previous report alleged Samsung had accidentally let the Prime's existence slip in a leaked user agent profile.

The file reported that the Nexus Prime would be released housing an 480x800-pixel screen and an ARM11 processor.

At the time this article was written Samsung had not released a statement addressing either alleged "leak."

A full copy of the original post sent to 4Chan can be read at Android and Me.

The iPhone 5 vs the Galaxy S2

Despite the unconfirmed status of the two devices numerous analysts have already speculated that HTC and Samsung's high-end Android devices may be able to offer serious competition to Apple's iPhone 5.

A recent research paper from comScore indicated that the two tech companies were hot on Apple's heels. Specifically, the paper suggested HTC devices constituted the largest share of the Android market accounting for 34.6 per cent of Android devices used. Galaxy series maker Samsung followed closely behind accounting for 31.7 per cent. The statistics indicated that use of the Android OS had overtaken that of Apple's iOS.

The research mirrored the findings of a slew of other researchers and analysts, including many at IDC.