Samsung will launch the Samsung Galaxy S4 early next year to rival the newly released iPhone 5 from Apple.

According to Korea Times, the South Korean firm will follow up the popular Galaxy S III at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next February.

The daily newspaper says the new release will have a 5-inch display, featuring the best hardware and software Samsung has to offer, as it tries to compete with record iPhone 5 sales over the weekend.

“The S4 will see some external changes but retain its popular rectangular shape with rounded corner concept,’’ says a Samsung official to the newspaper.

Samsung’s apparent release comes days after pre-orders of Apple’s new iPhone 5 topped two million in just 24 hours of trading, more than doubling the past record of the previous model.

Yet after announcing the Galaxy S III in May this year, Samsung sold over 20m units of the phone with sales reaching 200,000 per day as both companies strive for the lead in the smartphone industry.

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