iPhone 6 Concept Image by Dani Yako
iPhone 6 Concept Image by Dani Yako Dani Yako via Concept-Phones

As speculations surrounding the iPhone 6 release date continue to mount, one analyst is convinced that no real contender will arrive in 2014 to effectively challenge the iOS smartphone dominance.

However, Michael Walkley of Cannacord Genuity clarified that Apple is not really alone at the top as Samsung's Galaxy devices, specifically the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series, will continue to slug it out with the tech giant's upcoming iPhone models.

Walkley based his forecast on the recently-concluded 2014 CES in Las Vegas. The analyst lamented that so far, the smartphones that were in display in the annual gadget showcase failed to impress.

According to Apple Insider, Walkley conceded that for this year, upscale smartphones feature impressive specs such as "a slightly fast processor, slightly better graphics, marginally better camera, slightly thinner form factor and slightly bigger screen."

But "we walked away from CES essentially unable to distinguish what was new or different about any of the essentially identical looking LTE Android smartphones introduced," said the analyst in a research note issued to investors.

So for the year 2014, the mobile phone competition will be mostly defined by brand and ecosystem, in which Apple and Samsung thrive, added Walkley.

The Cannacord analyst insists that his forecast is not without basis, pointing to the record December 2013 quarter that Apple will likely report later this January. By Cannacord's estimates, around 80 million iOS devices were sold in the last three months of 2013.

From these numbers, 54 million are iPhones and the bunch is likely dominated by Apple's 2013 flagship, the iPhone 5S, with ample help from the less-expensive iPhone 5C.

And there is reason to believe that Apple will sustain its Q4 2013 performance in the better part of 2014 as the iPhone maker supposedly make its smartphones more interesting by stretching the screen size and further improving display resolution.

According to NDP DisplaySearch, two iPhones should come out later in the year bearing 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens. The former will be showcased in 1600 x 900 resolution with pixel density of 386ppi while the latter is a 1080p device that will boast of 401 pixels per inch.

DisplaySearch analyst David Hsieh told Gotta Be Mobile that the display panel bumps that Apple will bring about is the key to achieve great sales numbers as "the display is the most important user interface for devices, which utilize it to provide differentiation and enable innovative features."

The same GBM report noted that Hsieh called it accurately when Apple first introduced the Retina display panel with the iPad 3 in the first half of 2012, giving solid credence to earlier reports that the next iPhone will come in two builds - one with a screen size that is not too far from that of the iPhone 5S and another that will compete with Android and Windows phablets.

Previously, release date of the iPhone 6 is rumoured to come around May 2014 but in order to accommodate the production of an enhanced TouchID fingerprint sensor, it is now believed that the rollout is set for late Q3 2014.