Samsung may have revealed a real hardware baseline for the new Android 4.0 operating system when saying that any device had to have at least WVGA at 400×800 to receive an upgrade.

Android 4.0 will help most the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II, both of them getting major phone interface changes. The changes are subtler on a tablet and mainly include updated core applications and face unlock, as well as others that are not dependent on the size of the screen.

While showing Samsung decided to support its older hardware, it is still clear that the Galaxy Nexus is the only device of Samsung to carry Android 4.0 in the near future. Other devices are likely to appear at the CES expo in January and in February at Mobile World Congress.

While Apple dipped to only 14.6 percent of the whole smartphone zone, Samsung touched 23.8 percent. Nokia had 16.8 million devices sold and, with its 14.4 percent, is still behind Apple

The success Samsung was credited with is a consequence of getting “memorable” brands in “elegant” hardware. Most people have connected the recent run to the Galaxy S II. It has managed to sell over ten million devices since its arrival in April. Although sales of cheaper or older models, such as the original Galaxy S versions or budget Galaxy ace phones, had a contribution to these results, their sales are considerably smaller.

Sales of smartphones are a central point for a rather downbeat quarter, with chips and displays dragging the profit down. Apple has had record sales with the occasion of the iPhone launches and it is already established that iPhone 4S sales have even offset the company’s summer drop. Therefore, Samsung may not keep its top position for a long time. Apple is adding KDDI and Sprint to its carrier choice for the first time and expects to see its new phone arriving on Verizon too.

Operating profit at $2.3 billion was over double and came mainly from runaway success of handsets like the Galaxy S II. Although the company did not say how many smartphones and cellphones it had shipped, leaks have mentioned over twenty million smartphones and topped the 17.07 million iPhones of Apple. This success is not supposed to repeat as Apple waits for its iPhone 4S to establish historical sale records.

Samsung’s past fall quarter might get a lift from sales of the holiday, but most of that may still come from smartphones, such as the Galaxy Nexus, as well as closely related components that the company provides to itself and to customers including Apple, like mobile screens and flash memory.

There is no mention of the preliminary bans Apple requested on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany and Australia and also a brief ban related to the Galaxy phone line.

Talks of a November 3 arrival stateside also existed. Whatever the arrival date would be, the device will be available through a number of carriers including Verizon. The handset is expected to support LTE and cost $300 with a two-year contract.

The main features of the new phone are its operating system, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, a 720×1,280, 4.65-inch curved Super AMOLED touchscreen, a very fast five-megapixel camera, and also its slim 8.9mm thickness.

Shipping of the Galaxy Nexus is believed to happen on the 10th of November for $300 with a contract.

This confirmation comes a little late because Google’s staff has already announced an LTE edition at Verizon. Still not answered is the question regarding an eventual exclusivity for the carrier. Samsung’s interest page has mentioned seven major carriers in the United States, but might have rather been gauging interest than representing a commitment to launching on all seven at once.

The device is the first Nexus model of all on Verizon and is one of the few models with a pure Android install during the two years from the original Motorola Droid. The headliner of Samsung is probably very important for Verizon since it skipped the Galaxy S II, saying that it needed a better rival for the iPhone 4S.

The Galaxy S II has been well –received, but it is known to be a little slower and to have lower resolution than Apple’s iPhone 4S. Verizon seems to have dropped its plans for LTE because of the lack of space in the body of the Galaxy S II, which is smaller and thinner.

At a first sight, Samsung might look like it would have an edge. Apple has not revealed the changes it has made to the A5 processor on the iPhone and the 1.2GHz Exynos is not necessarily faster. However, both design changes and the operating system itself could make the difference. Apple is ramping up performance when necessary with the help of a dynamic clock speed. It also has an even faster graphics chip. The dual-core PowerVR SGX543MP2 used by the iPad is twice as fast as the Mali-400 of the Galaxy S II. Apple has to scale down the A5 processor to fit, but its performance is still better.

Photography or videography is also different. Although the cameras are almost similar, some software advantages like faster shooting, multi-face detection or grid lines in still shots are certainly in favour of Apple. When it comes to video, Apple provides stabilized image and live noise reduction. The iPhone is faster at accessing the camera, as users can get it right from the lock screen. Users of Galaxy S II, on the contrary, need to unlock the phone in order to find the camera application and this aspect would only be improved when Ice Cream Sandwich will reach the device.

More subjective is screen quality. The 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus of the Galaxy S II is certainly one of the best displays ever used on a phone, but perfection is still far away. With an acceptable sharpness, the display has a lower pixel density at 480×800. While the iPhone 4S is considered small compared to the common four-inch screens, its 640×960 resolution provides higher density than the Galaxy S II HD LTE or LG Optimus LTE available only in Korea.

Moreover, many people like smaller phones. For example, those with smaller hands or those who prefer a tighter grip would certainly choose a smaller handset. It is true that larger screens allow reading from a distance. However, not everyone needs that. Only a few phones claim to have dual-mode radio (GSM and CDMA) and 64GB of storage packed in such a small size as well.

Eventual advantages of iOS 5 versus Android 2.3 should also be considered. Siri seems to have a certain edge over Vlingo, which is Samsung’s choice. Future tests will prove this superiority or not, but Siri seems to work just like promised and therefore could be better than its competitor.

Although having the higher build quality, Apple has this time conceded in what is known as the thickness war. Depending on the version, Samsung’s Galaxy S II may be as thin as over a third of an inch. Even if only slightly thinner, it is symbolic.

Apple does not value its front camera, which is still VGA, at 0.3 megapixels, while Samsung uses a two-megapixel sensor. Although the difference does not always matter, it represents strict functionality versus ore creativity.

The Galaxy S II may be faster online depending on the carrier. T-Mobile and AT&T owners get 42Mbps or 21Mbps data. Only Sprint may be caught behind with WiMAX. However, performance is dependent on real-world speeds. It is known that AT&T users do not benefit much from peak speeds in all areas, while T-Mobile owners do not always have enough coverage. As for LTE, it is certainly faster but with only limited coverage and a battery life of four to five hours on some LTE Android phones in Verizon’s network. This is not sufficient to match up with what Apple offers as battery expectations.

The real danger for the iPhone is to be an upgrade by-the-numbers. Users knew what expectations to have. Siri itself was somehow anticipated. An owner of the iPhone 4 who is perfectly happy with its performance would have no serious reason to upgrade, as would do those who bought android phones during the past year. Nobody can say clearly whether Apple is breaking even or lagging. It is potentially faster, may have better software and is more convenient to handle. These features may count in practice more than imagined.

The professors claim to have sold the patents to Samsung in 2007; these have not been used in litigation with Apple yet. The patents cover technology which switches between several antennae and Apple could infringe on two of them, which relate to how and using which apparatus the handset will switch antennas.

Professor Pederson thought that Apple could have included the method that chooses the antenna based on whether the smartphone is in landscape or portrait mode. He also said that this technology is not innovative, as Apple claims, but that this has been in use for very long time in DECT cordless phones.

Samsung is currently searching for an injunction to ban Apple from selling its iPhone 4S in Europe, even if this is based on using WCDMA standards for 3G without any licensing agreement.

Other 3.4 million units have been sold on the European market. Southeast Asia, excluding Korea, was significantly less with only 2.3 million tablets sold. Samsung’s goals include only very little of the North American market, since the Galaxy S II went on sale through Bell only in Canada in July and was limited to unlocked and full-price versions until that moment.

The sales rate is low in comparison to what happened with the iPhone 4, which reached 1.7 million units sold in only three days. However, the Galaxy S II is only one model of a much larger lineup, it could bring Samsung closer to Apple with respect to smartphone sales than it was in the past. Apple might keep the lead, but its final ranking is dependent on the eventual success of the iPhone 5.

Although facing legal pressure, Samsung might see an increase of its current rate when the US Galaxy S II models and the Galaxy S II LTE will arrive. Apple has succeeded to successfully negotiate a preliminary ban it faced in the Netherlands and might get more after an eventual successful hearing in the United States in October.

Apple is believed to already pay the royalty rate to Samsung in Europe. It pays through Intel, which acquired Infineon and thus the producer of the current GSM iPhones chipset.

Apple also said that Samsung had deceived ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) as it helped the development of 3G standards. The Korean company seems to have introduced its patented technology into this standard and had revealed its work only five years later, provoking a patent ambush, according to Apple. Legally, the Korean firm was forced to unveil its assertions before the finalization of the standards and it may be in trouble. This happens mainly because it was trying to use what was considered as an essential patent for a quite excessive amount.

A well known example was Rambus. It was forced to change its patent policy in order to prevent any standard-related ambush in the future. Although it had not pressed to include its own technology in a standard, the European Commission insisted on this change of policies in 2009.

Samsung is also suing Apple under French law, where a judge could force the Korean company to use a particular price in case talks broke down. However, Apple said this had not happened yet. It added that its license in France was perfect.

Samsung virtually disputed all the assertions and challenged them before the legal team of Apple had made its case. The Korean company tried to demonstrate that Apple obscured its suppliers of components and that ten companies provided the 3G chipset used in the GSM iPhone. Apple claimed that all parts were coming from Intel. As Samsung said, Apple was aware of the existence of the patents and should have struck a deal four years ago for the first model of iPhone, but had no intention to get a license.

Samsung said to have had a FRAND offer to Apple but it was denied as Apple did not believe this fit. It is not clear if it was about the 2.4 percent figure.

It is not known how sincere Apple could be, but if its allegation is true, Samsung might have a weak case. Samsung is known to be sitting on the patents and to be selective in enforcing them. A menace of a possible ban on 3G iPhones and iPads is believed as a bargain to counter the successful early ban of Apple on Galaxy phones mainly in the Netherlands, but also in other areas of Europe.

Apart from a few cosmetic changes, Samsung’s focus S would be a Windows Phone 7, an equivalent of the Galaxy S II, and would have the same 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen and an eight-megapixel camera on the rear side. The chassis requirements of the Mango update will lead to a slowdown to a single-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon. It will also use a front camera with a lower resolution at 1.3-megapixel, for video chat and photos.

The filings at the FCC usually give only rough clues likely to the moment when a phone could ship. The Focus S model is supposed to ship in mid-October and could get a formal unveiling at the CTIA show on the 11th of October.