Samsung has a miniature army of smartphones that have been built to take on the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone. Some have posted impressive sales, particularly the Galaxy S III. Not wanting to rest on its laurels, Samsung will release an even better product, at least in its estimation — the Galaxy Grand. The South Korean company says it is “an ideal smartphone for users with fast-paced mobile lifestyles who demand more from their phone.” Samsung does not say what those lifestyles are. At any rate, Samsung has so many versions of the Galaxy that consumers likely will become confused about which of the models is an iPhone killer and which is not. That gives the iPhone 5 an edge.

Even though Apple is under siege as investors question its future prospects, the company has stuck to one simple philosophy. It sells one flagship product both in the smartphone and tablet markets. Older versions are available, but there is only one iPhone 5. Apple can easily promote its features, which enhance the already powerful Apple brand.

The Galaxy Grand has a number of features that many buyers will not use, or even understand. The same can be said of the iPhone, but at least it has only one model, which limits user feature options. The new Galaxy Grand comes with a an 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, a 5.0″ display, a camera with zero shutter-lag and ultra-quick camera start-up, a system that allows users to automatically dial a call by raising the device up to the ear, “Popup Video” that allows users to watch video in a pop-up window anywhere on the screen while running other tasks, “S Voice” that lets users control the phone using their voices and “AllShare Play” that lets owners share content across Samsung devices using a single account. The iPhone has features that match the most advanced of these, more or less. In some cases, the Galaxy S III and Galaxy II do as well, but the instruction book might be necessary to tell for certain.

Apple must have made the decision long ago that it would not simultaneously market several lines of its newest iPhones all at once. Instead, it has one product to market, with very few variations, other than that it comes in black and white with three GB sizes. But all of them look the same. One iPhone, hardly any options, one message about the power of the device, one basic choice for consumers instead of half a dozen or more.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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