Todays cell phone market is similar to the computer market few years ago. Many consumers can say the difference about the specs, processor and speeds.

 Apple has been mum about any new product developments over the last few months, but the company is certainly not rolling over to the likes of Samsung in its ongoing patent.

Samsung leads

 Samsung's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy, is the closest anyone's ever come to an "iPhone killer." Samsung has sold more than 50 million S3s, and its successor, the S4, is the fastest selling smartphone in Samsung's history.

The Galaxy's success stems from a few basic ingredients. First of all, it features a big, beautiful screen that dwarfs the iPhone's. Secondly, it included the latest-and-greatest version of Android, which featured significantly more polish than previous iterations. And finally, it wasn't an iPhone consumers who didn't want to buy into Apple's ecosystem had a worthy alternative.

The phone also includes a multitude of cool features. One of the most lauded is near-field communication, or NFC. Consumers can make "no-touch" payments using their phone! Another is wireless charging; just sit your phone on a special pad and it will charge through special magnetic induction.

Apple

Of course, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is just as guilty of over-hyped features. When VP Phil Schiller introduced Siri in 2010, he billed it as the "coolest feature" of the new iPhone 4S -- the "best thing yet" for the company's flagship phone. Back then Siri was awfully cool, and fairly useless. Apple has developed the technology since then, and for many Siri has become the personal assistant Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) originally billed her as. It just took a few years.

Still, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has a good history with introducing useful and, more importantly, usable features. The Passbook app, debuting with iOS 6 last year, was initially a little weak, but rapid adoption by airlines has made it a popular choice for travelers. Smart decisions like making tickets accessible from the lock screen make the feature eminently more usable.

Both companies are at important points in developing their product sets. With the U.S. smartphone market nearly saturated, the developing world is the next battleground, and there Samsung's focus on price could provide a leg up. The company's success so far with the Galaxy, as well as its low-cost tablets make it a safe buy in the short and medium-term.

Apple has undeniable cache with consumers, and with rumors of a low-cost iPhone swirling; the company has the potential to make a splash in the new market. I'm eagerly awaiting Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)'s next big event in June to see what they have in store for the iPhone.