Apple's iPhone (News - Alert) 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 are the top selling smart phones on the market. So from a techie point of view, which one is really the best?

Strengths of the iPhone 5
The iPhone 5 only weighs 112 grams, making it one of the lightest smart phones on the market. It also wins on software and operating system. The Apple (News - Alert) iOS is more secure because it vets all applications before they are available to iPhone users through the Apple app store. Apple states that to date, no developer has loaded a malicious application to the Apple app store. In contrast, the Android (News - Alert) applications are only vetted after they are official, and malicious software has made it to users' devices through the Android store. Another advantage iPhone users have is the sheer number of applications available to them. The iPhone even has a Siri virtual companion. 

Weaknesses of the iPhone 5
It cannot be ignored that the iPhone 5 has an inferior light sensor, causing it to produce worse images than the Samsung (News - Alert) Galaxy in low light. The iPhone also has worse image quality and color balance. It loads web pages and video slower, due to its lower computing capacity. In this case, Apple traded computing power for weight. An enormous complaint users have is that the iPhone does not have a MicroSD slot, while the GS4 does. There is also a lack of openness in Apple's operating system. This is evident in that developers must use Apple tools in order to complete their work, and movies downloaded in iTunes cannot be played on other mobile devices without third party software. Perhaps newer versions of Apple’s iPhone will finally address some of these long standing weaknesses.

Advantages of the Galaxy S4
Samsung's Galaxy S4 has 2 gigabytes of RAM (News - Alert), which is twice the capacity of the iPhone. It is a quad-core, while Apple's iPhone 5 is only dual core. The Galaxy S4 also beats the iPhone on picture quality. The rear facing camera has 13 megapixels compared to the iPhone's 8 megapixels. The front facing camera for the Samsung is 2 megapixels, while Apple's front facing camera has 1.2 megapixels. The S4 has a 441ppi display that rivals, if not surpasses, the iPhone's display quality. It is superior to the iPhone's 4 inch display with a weak 326 ppi. Samsung's touch screen is so sensitive that it can even be used while wearing gloves.  

Weaknesses of the Galaxy S4
Apple made the iPhone out of a metal chassis. The iPhone's chassis is more durable than the polycarbonate shell used in the Galaxy S4. The polycarbonate back plates have reportedly been prone to chips and dents. The battle for technological domination continues in the smart phone world. At one time, Apple was the indisputable leader of the race, but Samsung’s smart phone is now an unmistakable contender. Android is a favorite that now beats IOS in every category except Siri. There’s no longer a question regarding which phone is “better.” The question for now is this: which features do you prefer?