Tech giants Apple and Samsung are expected to hold another battle this year with their respective versions of tablets.

It seems though the tablet PC market will become the next battleground for the companies later this year as a Samsung Galaxy Note 12 is rumoured for around the same time as the iPad 5 is released.

New rumour suggests that Samsung is working on a 12.2-inch tablet PC. It is being claimed that the new device will use a similar but larger display that is seen on the Nexus 10 with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 and 247ppi pixel density.

This display will be supplied by Sharp and could be of the IGZO variety that would mean an ultra-thin display with bright colours and low battery consumption. The yet to be announced device is tipped to arrive at some time during the third quarter of this year, which if true should come around the same time as the next version of the full sized Apple iPad.

There is also a rumour that Apple will themselves launch a supersized iPad model later this year that will also be around the 12-inch mark dubbed as iPad Maxi. However, these rumours should be treated as grain of salt as none of the companies confirmed the aforementioned speculations.

On the other hand, the iPad 5 is rumoured to have no bezels, and the whole form factor has been made sleeker. Horowitz believes this design indicates that Apple will be calling on Sharp's IGZO screen technology. Sharp, however, according to Horowitz, has been struggling, and its ability to deliver components on time will play a key role in the release of the next iPad.

Moreover, the new iPad is rumored to come in different colors, including navy blue, gold, and grey, and will be 33% thinner and lighter than the iPad 4. The device will also have a thinner piece of glass, at just 0.2mm thick.

There are also claims that the iPad 5 will allow phone calls, as it will include a microphone and SIM port. It may also feature a vibrating mode for message alerts and haptic feedback from gaming. The resolution of the rear-facing camera will be upgraded to 8MP, according to accessory maker Tactus.