If you look beyond iPhone 5, you would be surprised to see a range of smartphones, launched in the latter part of 2012, which have the potential to challenge the iPhone 5. Here is a list of some of the best smartphones minus the iPhone 5:

1. HTC Droid DNA – The HTC Droid DNA is easily one of the best phones ever produced by HTC. It ships with a 1.5 GHz quad core processor, 2GB RAM, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and 16GB internal memory. Additionally, it boasts of an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel front facing camera. The 5-inch Super LCD 3 Screen is absolutely brilliant and the phone offers 4G connectivity as well. The stunning design is the final icing on the cake. To sum things up, the HTC Droid DNA is a gem of a smartphone, one that can give the iPhone 5 a run for its money.

2. Nokia Lumia 920 – In terms of smartphones, Nokia has been lagging far behind the likes of Samsung and HTC. With the release of Nokia Lumia 920, the company is hoping for a major turnaround. The Lumia 920 runs on Windows Phone 8, a relatively new OS for smartphones. The 8.7-megapixel camera employs the much-talked about PureView feature, making way for high quality pictures. Overall, the phone is heavier and bulkier than a regular smartphone, but it has a lot to offer, including an all new OS.

3. Motorola Droid Razr Maxx – The USP of Motorola Droid Razr is its strong battery, thanks to which, the phone comes with unbelievable battery life. The phone ships with Android 4.0 ICS, a 5.2-inch AMOLED HD screen and an 8-megapixel primary camera. The design is flawless and the phones functions smoothly without any glitches.

4. LG Google Nexus 4 – One can’t deny that the LG Google Nexus 4 has it’s share of flaws, but it also has other features to make up for them. To begin with, the phone boasts of a 1.4GHz Qualcomm quad core processor and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The 8-megapixel camera is impressive and the overall design is sleek enough for a smartphone. However, it lacks 4G connectivity along with the oomph factor. The LG Google Nexus 4 might not be extraordinarily brilliant, but it still offers quite a lot for anyone looking for a topnotch smartphone.

At alaTest, we are going to do a comparative analysis of these newly launched gadgets with their predecessors just to give you an idea of what exactly has or hasn’t changed. After all, if you are going to spend some extra dollars on the fancy new gadgets, you must know what you are paying for. Alternatively, if you are having second thoughts about getting an upgrade, this analysis might come as a huge relief. Let’s begin with the smartphone that currently dominates its respective niche i.e. iPhone.

1. iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4S

To begin with, iPhone 5 is larger, lighter and it comes with a bigger display. The iPhone 4S came with a 3.5 inch display and weighed 4.9 ounces whereas its successor has a 4 inch display and weighs 3.95 ounces. Let’s get down to more technical stuff. Apple iPhone 5 has a faster A6 processor as opposed to the A5 processor in the 4S model. Besides that, the latest iPhone has a longer battery life and a better front facing camera. Even the camera at the back comes with the all new ‘panorama’ feature which will allows you to click photos even while recording videos. Broadly speaking, these are the major distinctions between the two models. In terms of price, iPhone 5 is priced at $199 for the 16 GB model over a two year contract. Interestingly, when iPhone 4S was launched, it carried the same price tag but now it is available at a discounted price of $99 with a two year contract.

2. Nokia Lumia 920 vs Nokia Lumia 900

The announcement of the Nokia Lumia 920 was the second most prominent release of the last week. The latest association between Microsoft and Nokia is being dubbed as a do or die attempt for the ailing Finnish giant. Therefore, the announcement of Nokia Lumia 920 was more anticipated in some senses since the future of the company might rest on its success. That being said, Nokia has put everything into this new phone which is powered by Windows Phone 8 as opposed to Windows Phone 7.5 in Nokia Lumia 900. As a matter of fact, Lumia 920 comes with several upgrades- the processor is dual core 1.5 GHz compared to the single core processor in its predecessor. Additionally, the RAM stands at 1 GB (as opposed to 512 MB in Lumia 900) and storage at 32 GB, an upgrade from 16 GB. The latest offering from Nokia also has the much talked about Pure View camera feature.

3. Kindle Fire HD vs Kindle Fire

Kindle recently announced two versions of the new tablet, one with a 7 inch display and another with 8.9 inch display. Both of these boast of faster processors- 1.2 Ghz dual core and 1.5 Ghz dual core as opposed to 1 GHz dual core in Kindle Fire. At the same time, the OS is 4.0 Android as against 2.3 Gingerbread in the earlier model. It might not be enough to compete with the likes of the Apple iPad, but it does put Kindle right up in there in the competition.