Apple and Samsung are enemies for the world, but they are friends in one sense. Samsung is one of the most important hardware suppliers for Apple. Apple's handheld devices already pack a number of "Made by Samsung" components. And here comes the inclusion of another one - Quad-core Exynos processor - for the tech giant's upcoming smartphone.

Rumor king Digitimes reported on Thursday that Apple iPhone 5 is likely to feature quad-core processor. Citing unnamed industry sources, the publication claims that the quad-core SoC (System-on-Chip) is based on Samsung's Exynos 4 Quad architecture.

Samsung unveiled its Exynos 4 Quad processor back in April, prior to the debut of the Galaxy S3. The international variant of Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with the same processor. The SoC is based on 32-nm manufacturing process and boasts four Cortex A9 cores and four Mali-400MP GPU cores. Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is also rumored to pack the highlighted processor.

At the moment, it is unknown whether U.S. version of iPhone 5 will get the quad-core treat or it is only meant for HSPA+ users. Samsung just launched a new variant of Galaxy S3 in Korean, which eventually is the first quad-core powered LTE smartphone. So, we can "yes", for U.S. users to get 4G LTE connectivity and a powerful processor in the same Apple package.

According to a previous report, Apple is also upgrading RAM modules along with processor refreshment. The world's most valuable company is expected to launch its next-generation smartphone with 1GB of RAM. NFC connectivity is also among the rumored features of iPhone 5.

Everyone in the tech savvy world is aware of the courtroom battles between Samsung and Apple that have spread across 10 countries with over a dozen lawsuits. In the past few weeks, Apple tasted success in endorsing sales ban on two Samsung devices - Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet and Galaxy Nexus smartphone.

In spite of the legal battles, the two giants talk business separately. Apple iGadgets are packing Samsung-made chips for ages. Samsung is the largest manufacturer of the Retina display featured in the third-generation iPad.

In addition, Digitimes points out that Qualcomm is gearing up to launch quad-core Snapdragon processor sometime this year.