Top 5 Upcoming Smartphones That Can Halt Apple iPhone 5's Run

The launch of the most anticipated smartphone in the U.S. market - Apple's iPhone 5 - is expected to be just weeks away.

According to a TechCrunch report on comments from France Telecom Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard, the iPhone 5 will come out on Oct. 15. This goes against the rumored release date of Oct. 7, which has been most recently reported by 9to5Mac.

While Apple is delaying the launch of its much-awaited smartphone, rival manufacturers like Motorola, Samsung and HTC have brought out high-end Android smartphones with the latest features. However, one thing that Apple's delay indicates to is that the Cupertino-based tech giant might have been silently working on what seems to be a product to answer them all.

The most rumored and highly expected features of iPhone 5 include Qualcomm Chip Support, iOS 5, iCloud, 8 megapixel dual-LED flash camera, 4-inch retina display, 4G networks for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, 16/32/64 GB internal storage, NFC payment, 1.2-to-1.5 GHz dual-core A5 processor chip, 1GB of RAM and SIM-less design with two to three internal antennas for CDMA and GSM compatibility.

Meanwhile, with so many high-ended Android out (and ready to be out) in the market, smartphone users are spoiled for choices. Although iPhone continues to be the gold standard for the smartphone industry, its upcoming version tends to face a tough challenge from a string of 'smart' smartphones.

Here are the top five upcoming smartphone that can potentially halt Apple iPhone 5's run:

Samsung Galaxy Note

As Samsung calls it, Samsung Galaxy Note is the largest screen size with smartphone portability. Announced at the IFA technology show in Berlin, this new device from Samsung features its Super AMOLED screen technology that offers a sharp 1280x800 WXGA resolution. The screen also offers a 180 degree viewing angle. It is 9.65mm thick (0.38 inches) and weighs 178 grams (6.3 ounces). It has a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel main camera that can record 1080p video and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It can run on HSPA? and LTE networks and uses the Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system.

The biggest draw for the Note may be its advanced pen input functionality. The S Pen allows users to draw, take notes and create content on a touch-screen on a virtual whiteboard.

Samsung Galaxy S II LTE

At a time when smartphone users prepare for the release of Galaxy S2 in the U.S., Samsung issued a press release on Aug. 28, revealing the LTE edition of its Galax S II.

Both in terms of size and hardware, the Galaxy S II LTE is a larger cousin of Galaxy S II. Powered by its 1.5GHz dual core processor, the Galaxy S II LTE is also blessed with 3D graphics and and offers 16GB internal memory.

Pre-loaded with Android Gingerbread, the Galaxy S II LTE sports a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display with 800x480 screen resolution. The phone is 0.37-inch thick and weighs 4.6oz. Galaxy S2 LTE will also feature an 8-megapixel rear-facing and 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It is fitted with a Li-on 1850 mAh battery.

HTC Titan

At the IFA 2011, what's running is the trend of super-sized smartphones, and one of the latest entries on the list is HTC Titan, a showcase for the latest version of Windows Phone 7 'Mango'.

The HTC Titan comes with a 4.7-inch super LCD screen and a thickness of 9.9 mm. The device allows users to type quickly with a large virtual keyboard and store documents in the cloud with Microsoft's OneNote software. The phone is powered by 1.5 GHz single-core processor and offers 16GB of on-board storage.

The HTC Titan sports two cameras, a forward facing 8-megapixel camera, and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. The phone comes with a juicy battery of 1600 mAh. However, it offers only 800 x 480 pixels of resolution.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

Sony Ericsson unveiled its latest Xperia range Android smartphone, Xperia Arc S, at IFA in Berlin on Wednesday. Follow-up to the Xperia Arc, the new Xperia Arc S is, as the company claims, the fastest and most entertaining Xperia to date.

The Xperia Arc S brings a faster 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an 8.1-megapixel camera with an Exmor R image sensor and 2D and 3D sweep panorama technology. The 4.2-incg phone offers 854x480-pixel Reality Display Mobile BRAVIA engine and 3D Sweep Panorama technology.

Running on Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, the Sony Xperia Arc S has 512MB RAM and is preloaded 8GB microSD card.

HTC Sensation XE

With Beats Audio technology, the HTC Sensation XE sports 4.3-inch touch screen with qHD (540 X 960) resolution and 1.5GHz dual core processor. The device also features an 8GB or 16GB microSD, 768MB of RAM and 8MP camera with LED flash and 1080p video recording. The HTC Sensation XE runs Android 2.3 with HTC Sense UI 3.0.

The phone is based on the same Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon chipset. It is the first smartphone to carry the Beats Audio logo in the Taiwanese company lineup. Its other key features include dual-band 3G with HSPA support, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth 3.0.