Samsung is set to reveal its newest Galaxy device on Thursday, March 14, rumored to be the Galaxy SIV.  The successful phonemaker’s archenemies  Apple, is also set to unveil a new and revolutionary device sometime this year, and it could be the iWatch or the iPhone 5S or 6.  As excited as we are about another smartphone hitting the market, it’s high time for a game-changer.  Known for setting the bar in consumer electronics, Apple has yet to put out a fresh gadget in two years.  This could be Samsung’s chance at innovation.

Here at SiliconANGLE, we usually put devices head-to-head with other devices when they come out, but this time, we’ll be making an exception since we’re not pitting the devices’ specifications against another, but the standout features.

So enough with my rambling, let’s get right into the arena.

Samsung Galaxy SIV

.

PHOLED – This is similar to the current AMOLED display used on Samsung devices but it uses  GREEN-YELLOW colors to make the battery life last 25 percent longer.

Eye Scroll – a technology that would allow the device to track the user’s eyes to know which direction to scroll, if up, down, or sideways.

Air View – Air View isn’t a new technology for a Samsung device since it’s already found on the Galaxy Note II.  The S Pen that comes with the device allows users to hover above on the screen and scroll through data or information without touching the screen.  The SIV will have the feature without needing an S Pen, just the your magical finger.

Photo Sphere – This is something that could earn Samsung another court rival.  The feature is already found on the Nexus 4 which allows users to take 360º Panorama photos of their surrounding

Smart Pause – This feature is for when a user is watching a video clip or a movie.  When the users looks away from the screen, the video pauses and resumes playing when the user’s eyes are back on the screen.  This nifty feature prevents you from missing a scene and eliminates the tedious task of pressing some buttons to pause and play a video again.

Smart Rotation – We’re used to our device’s screen flipping from portrait to landscape, or vice versa, when we rotate our devices or when we suddenly change our position from sitting up or lying down.  But this new feature is different as the display adjusts to angle of view.  It also disables auto screen rotation and uses the front camera to determine the orientation of the user’s face and angles the display accordingly.

Smart Scroll – This is probably an iteration of Eye Scroll.  When you’re reading a document and Smart Scroll is on, when you’re looking at the screen, it automatically scrolls so no need to “turn the page” or flick up or down.  When you look away, the scrolling stops and resumes when you look at the screen again.

Wireless charging – It is rumored to be equipped with Qi,  a technology developed by the Wireless Power Consortium, for wireless charging.

iPhone 5S/6

.

NFC – With the introduction of the Passbook in iOS 6, people were frustrated when the iPhone 5 came out without NFC.  Passbook lets you keep all the important documents in your iPhone such as a boarding pass which has a barcode.  With NFC, barcodes can be eliminated and just use the tap technology to get on a plane, get discounts or pay for things.

Smart Flash – The camera will come with two LED flashes stacked atop one another, one yellow and one white.  The device will then decide which of the two LED flashes to use in taking a photo based on the lighting conditions to deliver perfect photos every time.

Fingerprint scanning – Beneath the Home button, Apple is said to be adding a fingerprint chip for added security.  Users can now opt for passcode which others could easily guess or a fingerprint scan which is quite hard to bypass, to secure their device.

Pressure-sensitive case – The Sony PS Vita has this technology on its back panel.  It gives users better game control.  In the iPhone’s case, it can be used to eliminate physical buttons like the volume and power buttons to improve the aesthetics of the device.

Who’s the winner in this mythical battle?

.

I’m not targeting Apple here, but it’s doesn’t take a genius to decide which of the two mythical devices is the winner – it’s the Galaxy SIV.

The features on the SIV are interesting and useful for users.  It adapts to a person’s actions, making it feel like the device is working for you, not you being a slave to your device by having to learn how to operate it.

Still, the fingerprint scanner in the iPhone 5S/6 is pretty cool, but you have to take into consideration that the Home button is the most abused button on the iPhone, and adding a fingerprint chip beneath it may not be the wisest decision.

As for the wireless charging part, it’s not really that interesting since your physical location is still limited by the wireless charging dock.  As Apple’s Phil Schiller states, “Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated,” and it doesn’t make sense unless you can charge your device as far as 10 feet away from the charging dock.