"There isn't really any major differentiator between the players at this phase, " said Neil Mawston, an analyst at research firm Strategy Analytics.

WSJ: Apple to Begin iPhone Production This Quarter

Average selling prices are falling, while manufacturing volumes are beginning to peak, says Neil Mawston, director of wireless device strategies at Strategy Analytics.

FORBES: Mobile Firms Fight For Third

"Samsung shipped almost two times more smartphones and grew nine times faster than Apple during the quarter, " said Strategy Analytics Executive Director Neil Mawston in a report digging into the first quarter.

CNN: Samsung is spanking Apple in earnings, sales

"Despite tough competition in stores and courtrooms, Samsung continued to deliver numerous hit models, from the high-end Galaxy Note2 phablet to the mass-market Galaxy Y, " wrote Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, in a press release.

CNN: Samsung profit soars to $6.6 billion record