iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5 release date, specs, and price: iPhone display scratch-resistant and S5 waterproof?

iPhone 6 concepts by Ciccarese

There are the dedicated iPhone followers who will never compromise no matter what the price.  And then there are the practical people who want the substance and the style but would just rather spend their money on other things.  

For those in the first category, they probably won't be put off by the fact that the rumored sapphire crystal display on the iPhone 6 may push the price up. 

The plus is that the displays will be scratch-resistant, being second in toughness only to the diamond.  In other words they are virtually unbreakable and much more durable, and should allow the iPhone to keep its polished, stylish look for longer.

That will be great for consumers who see the iPhone as an investment purchase to last them a few seasons, as opposed to regular upgraders.  

Being much tougher than the current Gorilla Glass, it is highly likely that the cost of the superior display will be borne out in the product's final price tag - the iPhone 5S retailed at $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB.

Rumors started surfacing recently that Apple has started production on 100 to 200 million units of the display.  

Other rumors point to two new models in the pipeline, both featuring larger displays, to make the iPhone more competitive against rival Samsung, which has held considerable market share with its Samsung Galaxy Note models.

One is rumored to come with a display around 4.7 or 4.8 inch 1920x1080 pixel resolution display, and the other with a 5.5 inch display with a pixel resolution of 2272x1280.

It's likely to be powered by an A8 processor and a 1,800mAh battery, with 2GB of RAM, and using iOS 7.2 software rather than the initially anticipated iOS 8.

It's also predicted for a September 2014 release.

A Samsung S5 concept picture by SamsungS5Info.com

Samsung Galaxy fans needn't wait that long for the S5, which O2 Germany let slip is heading for sale at the end of February.

An update on O2 Germany's website teased that shoppers could find out more about the device at the end of this month.
It suggested the UK market would be the first to get its hands on the next Samsung smartphone and that it would follow in the footsteps of the Sony Xperia Z1 in being waterproof.

The device is due to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress on 24 February in Barcelona, so if the assumptions are correct, it would be available to buy just a few days after that.

Similar to the next flagship iPhone, two variants are expected - one with a metal finish and a cheaper variety sticking to the familiar plastic.
The display is predicted to be 5 inches and come with a 2k resolution. On the inside, the more expensive model is expected to feature a quadcore, 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, while the budget version will run on the octa-core Exynos 6 chip and have a lower display resolution.

Android 4.4 Kitkat is expected to be the operating system in both versions, and it is possible that they will have a slightly tweaked interface borrowing elements from Apple's iOS 7.

The battery is predicted to be 2,900mAH and there may be a built-in fingerprint scanner for extra security.