The sustained success of iPhone and Galaxy smartphone releases in the past years is anchored on the lifestyle they represent, a new report said, which surprisingly remains a mystery to other mobile device makers.

The duopoly that Apple and Samsung enjoy is underpinned by the mobile gadget 'culture' that the tech giants had gradually built, ensuring avid following for the companies that translates into billions of revenues each financial quarter's closing, UK-based GfK said in a new research note.

It is a puzzle why rivals seem unable to decipher the glaring reason why the iPhone and Galaxy makers are romping their way to billons of cash reserves when it is becoming obvious that the brandings are now synonymous to a hip mobile lifestyle, the report said.

The likes of Nokia and HTC are completely missing the essence of competing with the twin Apple and Samsung juggernauts - that their business models needs to steer away from just developing new devices to slug it out with the latest iPhone and Galaxy builds.

"The emphasis needs to shift from selling products to operating like a lifestyle brand," BGR reported the GfK note as saying.

A product is a game-changer when it is able to deliver a fresh smartphone perspective and experience the way Apple did in the iPhone, which is amply supported by the iOS ecosystem - from apps that are optimised for amusement and productivity to accessories that further spice up the whole iPhone deal, said the same report.

The same goes for Samsung, which boldly funded its Galaxy marketing endeavours with billions of dollars, now seems to be paying of as the Android platform is increasingly becoming more identified with the South Korean mobile device brand.

Also, accessories from third-party providers are fast catching up with the slew of Galaxy mobile phone models are pushing out, making the Samsung mobile environment more attractive to consumers.

Makers of Android handsets outside the Galaxy sphere and Windows-powered devices must deal with the new reality that "a smartphone and everything it enables, is transformative and empowering so there should be many options as to what its lifestyle message could be."

Apple and Samsung are playing this exact game and are laughing their way to the bank.

Besides the efforts to connect their products with lifestyles that click with their respective fanbase, the two tech titans are seen to further tighten their grip on the global smartphone market by introducing price-sensitive gadgets.

Samsung has been in the game for a long time with its mid-range and entry-level Galaxy series while Apple is gunning to capture a good slice of the emerging markets via its iPhone 5C, which will be supported by the discounted retail price of its legacy iPhones - from the iPhone 4S to iPhone 5.

The focus of the competition now shifts to a gadget pricing war and "the only other way to compete in this fierce product category is on price. Once price becomes the primary lever, the game is truly over," said the GfK report.

That is one way of saying that minus the ability and willingness to modify their strategies, most mobile device manufacturers can look forward to witnessing the continued dominance of Apple and Samsung in the years ahead.