Apple's Biggest Competitor to Undercut the iPhone 5's Unveiling

Apple AAPL is expected to announce the next version of the iPhone in early September, but not before Samsung unveils its next major smartphone. According to The Wall Street Journal, Samsung has sent out invitations to an event that will take place on August 29 in Berlin, Germany. The invitation did not specify which device would be shown, but a Samsung spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that it would unveil the next version of the Galaxy Note. Designed to be a hybrid that combines the best of smartphones and tablets, the Galaxy Note features a 5.3-inch screen that dwarfs the size of most other smartphones. The device was initially believed to be a niche product that would satisfy a very specific market. In March, Samsung announced that the company had shipped five million Galaxy Notes in just five months. While that pales in comparison to the millions of iPhones that are sold every quarter, Samsung's success is not to be ignored. The Galaxy Note is just one of many smartphones that Samsung produces. Collectively, the company sells more smartphones than Apple. Details regarding the Galaxy Note II are scarce. However, rumors suggest that it will feature a larger screen (5.5 inches) and a faster processor among other notable enhancements. Apple is expected to increase the size of its next smartphone as well. While the company has yet to release any specifics about the device, the iPhone 5 is rumored to be 10 percent thinner than the iPhone 4S and contain a four-inch Retina Display as well as a quad-core processor. In November, Apple is also expected to release another version of the iPad. This one will not be a direct sequel to the current tablet, however. Instead, Apple is believed to be developing a seven-inch device to compete against the Kindle Fire from Amazon AMZN and the Nexus 7 from Google GOOG, as well as Microsoft's MSFT first tablet, Surface. Apple may also face competition from Dell DELL and Hewlett-Packard HPQ, both of which are expected to release new Windows 8 tablets in 2012. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ