I have made plenty of mentions about Apple’s iPhone 5 in my other articles, and it only seems natural in the Apple era that they always seem to get the most attention. However, as the last third of the year approaches, it could be worth looking into the many other offerings that will be available as the Holiday season approaches.

Companies like Nokia, Sony and others are planning on unveiling – and some already have unveiled – some serious gadgets that could easily stand up to the now already-made-legendary iPhone 5. Let’s show some other companies the love that we can’t help but give to Apple all of the time, shall we? If you’ve been keeping track of the news, you’ll have plenty of reasons to be excited about offerings yet to arrive.

Nokia – The Lumia Series

Image Source: nokia.com

The Finnish company Nokia may have had a few financial scares this year (as they have been experiencing more and more of), but they aren’t letting their past turbulence stop them. The company announced alongside Microsoft last week that they will be coming out with a series of phones that will be backed by Windows 8. Nokia has had a big of a difficult time breaking into some markets, including the United States, which is saturated between iOS and Android offerings. Nokia had recently unveiled the Lumia 920, which is a powerful phone backed up with 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 processor, and 720p display, with a big 4.5 inch screen that takes the Lumia series to a next level.

Windows 8 is expected to be released on October 26th, which is just in time to combat the oncoming Apple iPhone 5 (anything iOS6 in general).

Though the names of the two phones expected to be released before 2013 have not been made official, they are going under the code names of “Arrow” and “Phi”. You can learn more about these when the official unveiling happens next week in New York City. Many will surely be covering this event.

Sony – Xperia J, T and V

Image Source: sonymobile.com

This is a pretty fresh announcement that was made by Sony just this week at Berlin’s IFA conference. Alongside a new tablet, Sony will be releasing three Android phones, all with nothing more than a single letter name for each, in Q4. The phones all seems to have pretty similar properties, of course with some distinctions in there of as well.

For instance, Xperia V will contain 4G LTE capability, while Xperia T will have a Snapdragon S4 Processor, a thirteen megapixel camera and plenty more. It sounds like Xperia J will be the most basic phone. There will be an option to upgrade to Android Jellybean, but all phones will start out with Ice Cream Sandwich.

Also, though not directly phone-related, Sony also unveiled the Xperia Tablet S, which will come in a variety of options for storage space.

Samsung – ATIV S

Image Source: samsung.com

Alongside the Sony Experia announcement, Samsung just announced the ATIV S today as well (August 29th). Just like the Nokia Lumia duo, ATIV S will also be equipped with Windows 8, which will be part of a rare family of phones that aren’t Android OS.

Though this isn’t exactly the most attractive sounding name for a phone, the ATIV S looks like it will be armed with some pretty strong features. According to Jessica Dolcourt over at CNET, some of the main backings of the phone include a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, a 2,300mAh battery (which is pretty big) and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Based on the images available, it also looks to be a pretty thin phone.

Other Mentions

The three mentioned above are a taste of what is to come, and the news on fresh offerings seem to roll out almost every week. If you’re wondering what’s been going on with BlackBerry, they are still in the game. More people have been discussing the release of a new device, which apparently aren’t actually phones, but rather just developer-friendly.

Research in Motion (RIM) released the Alpha Dev 10 to get some developers warmed up to the new operating system from BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10. There’s a chance that RIM can maintain their presence, but it’s always gamble towards this time of year.

Even though the iPhone 5 will be the hot item, as Apple always seems to make happen, these other devices will certainly be a good alternative. Some discussions I have overheard and engaged in have people already saying that iPhone 5 may not really be that much different from the 4S anyway, so the other companies could have a good shot.

Written by Michael Lamardo. Edited by Rahul Chowdhury.

Mike is pleased to give this article to daPazze. He also provides writings on social media, internet marketing, and entertainment offerings like Direct TV. Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!