Nokia, HTC mock Samsung Galaxy S5 on Twitter

Samsung launched the Galaxy S5 on Monday to a largely underwhelming response from fans and critics alike. While existing Galaxy smartphone owners expressed disappointed about the same-old design, those obsessed with specifications pointed to the similarities with the Galaxy S4.

(Also see: Who stole Samsung Galaxy S5's thunder?)

Rivals Nokia and HTC were quick to pounce on the public sentiment, with jibes of their own via popular micro-blogging Twitter. First up was Nokia UK, that urged people to 'stand out from the crowd' by buying a Lumia. That is Nokia for you - taking a phone that doesn't find many takers, and giving it a positive spin.

HTC - not without trouble of its own - took an even more direct route. "Buyer's remorse: Coming soon to S5 owners," said HTC, with a reference to March 25 thrown in. That, incidentally, is the date HTC will announce its next flagship device.

Clearly, HTC has not learnt its lesson, as the battle of the previous generation flagships proved you don't necessarily need to have the best smartphone to 'win'. While HTC One was widely regarded as being a better smartphone than the Samsung Galaxy S4 by most critics, the market gave a completely different verdict.

The Galaxy S5 may not be an impressive upgrade, but it's unlikely that the digs of HTC and Nokia will make a difference, given the marketing muscle of Samsung. For better or worse, Samsung's latest flagship will sell by the truckloads, a fate that may not be shared by its Nokia and HTC counterparts.