Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. would have been a fight for the ages but the much-awaited boxing showdown did not push through. This year, the best of America and Asia are expected to take their animosity to new heights when Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) release new smartphones at about the same time just months from now.

Lawyers of the two tech behemoths commenced the battle in courtrooms in more than dozen countries. Apple has accused Samsung of imitating the design and functionality of the iPad and iPhone. The South Korea-based has countered that Apple has infringed on Samsung's wireless patents.

Samsung Electronics set the bar for smartphones when it unveiled the Galaxy S 2 in February last year. With a 4.3-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus screen, an 8-megapixel camera with flash and 1080p HD video recording, a 1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos system on a chip processor, and 4G-LTE connectivity, the Galaxy S 2 has been tagged as one of the best smartphones to date. The Korean electronics giant even bragged in an ad that Apple Inc.'s latest smartphone doesn't have 4G support and a big screen real estate that are available in the Android smartphone.

Given Apple's brand, Apple founder Steve Jobs' demise, an expansion into China and emerging markets, and an impressive virtual assistant exclusive to the device, the iPhone 4S was a massive success. The Cupertino, California-based company sold 4 million iPhone 4S units in a mere three days, a feat achieved by the Galaxy S 2 in three months. The iPhone 4S, which was unveiled by Apple in October, met lukewarm reaction from fans and critics -- the company known for its aesthetics recycled the design of the fourth generation iPhone; and the founder who turned "technology into magic" came up short in terms of innovation and instead released a phone that doesn't have adequate battery life, 4G support, and a bigger screen.

But Apple is out to redeem itself with the iPhone 5, which would have a launch date at the annual developers' conference in June or in October (exactly 12 months after the iPhone 4S launch date). CEO Tim Cook's new iPhone 5 should silence silence critics and prove that the world's most valuable tech company continues to be a leader in innovation.

The rumored features of the mythical iPhone 5 are:

* new design, tear drop or symmetrical shape; thinner and lighter than previous;

* longer and wider than predecessor to fit 4-inch or 4.3-inch screen;

* Corning Gorilla Glass 2 display;

* 1.2 GHz to 1.5 GHz quad-core A6 processor, the same chipset as the upcoming iPad 3;

* 1 or 2 GB of RAM, an upgrade over the 512 MG of RAM of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S;

* 2-megapixel front camera for video chats, compared with the 0.3-mp VGA camera of the predecessor;

* 12-megapixel rear camera;

* iOS 6 operating system

* 4G LTE support;

* Near Field Communications (NFC) support;

* Better battery life than iPhone 4S's Li-Po 1420 mAh, which provides up to 8 hours of talk time on 3G and up to 14 hours on 2G (GSM).

Samsung, on the other hand, aims to surpass Apple as the world's top smartphone seller and Nokia as the top mobile phone seller with a portfolio of new phones, led by the Galaxy S III. Samsung's advertising agency has confirmed an April launch date for the third generation phone from the Galaxy S series.

According to reports, the Galaxy S 3 would have these features:

* a 4.8-inch 1280 x 720 pixels Super AMOLED plus capacitive TouchWIz screen, bigger than the 4.3-inch screen of the predecessor;

* slimmer than the Galaxy S 2, which measures just 8.5mm;

* a 1.5 GHz or 1.8 GHz Exynos quad-core processor, which would make the device as powerful as laptops and desktops;

* 2GB of RAM;

* a 2-megapixel front-facing camera;

* an 8-megapixel or 12 mega-pixel rear camera;

* Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system;

* Support for Near Field Communications (NFC); and

* a 2250 mAh battery.

Will Samsung, with the Galaxy S 3, knock out Apple?

To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail c.fernandez@ibtimes.com.au