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Apple came up with the iPhone 5, and this got me curious. Fanboys beware: There will be some disturbing questions asked on this article, like “Will it stand up to what Nokia is going to serve?” or “How about that phone that Samsung already has on the market?”

The competition is certainly strong this year for Apple, particularly in the smartphone department. The Samsung Galaxy S III is a kick-ass phone, and Nokia is coming up with a new model of its Lumia series (the Lumia 920) which is totally going to show other phones the birdie.

The problem is that Apple relies on its ever-loyal customer base that accepts all of its shortcomings as a company and embraces them, holding onto them like they’ll reach some kind of Apple heaven at the end of the line. That’s not a slur against Apple. Take a deeper look into what I said. I’m more inclined to express disappointment in Apple’s customers than I am at Apple as a company. The company’s fine. It makes decent products and has found a role in the market of making little flaky adjustments to some devices in its limited line of phones to keep the brand alive. Speaking of its brand, there are volumes to be written about Apple judging by how its logo appears on practically every movie.

Not too long ago, the smartphone-pumping giant released a new version of its iPhone series, namely the iPhone 5. This new phone has a slightly larger display, an ultra-light feel to it, and a design that’s… uhm… nice. It’s not a bad phone. Heck, even the Nokia 3310 isn’t a bad phone. Some people still use them as hammers.

All snide comments aside, there are better phones than Apple’s iPhone 5, particularly if you want to do more than tweet about purchasing another Apple product. Samsung’s Galaxy S III, for example, is a stellar phone, has a bigger screen, sports a higher resolution, and has more RAM. Want more? Look here and see how the Samsung Galaxy S III trumps even the latest iPhone. Although I think that advertisement is quite exaggerated, there are some elements there that show a significant increase in performance beyond what the iPhone 5 can muster up.

As far as operating systems go, Android 4.0 – which is installed in the Galaxy S III – goes far beyond what we’ve seen with previous versions of iOS. The improvements seen in Android 4.0 include noticeably better multitasking, a comprehensive notification system, and Android Beam.

If you’re not yet smelling what the rock is cooking, you should seriously consider turning up the flame with the new Nokia Lumia, a phone that will debut with Windows Phone 8. Although I’m not inclined to believe in Microsoft’s abilities in putting together a proper phone market, it’s only because people don’t really give the company the attention it deserves. Nokia joined Windows in alliance not too long ago and ended up getting beaten to a pulp by other manufacturers. Its market share has glided steadily to a halt and people are blaming it on Microsoft. Nokia didn’t make a bad move, in my opinion, and this will become very clear as we see its next phone hit store shelves.

Compared to the iPhone 5, the Nokia Lumia phone has a weaker back-facing material (polycarbonate plastic). This is compensated by the fact that Nokia put some effort in ensuring that the paint in the plastic area goes deep into the material. This means that if you drop your smartphone and it scratches slightly, you won’t see any dreadful white marks on it. Oh, and the screen’s bigger. Did we mention that?

Besides having a monstrous screen, the Nokia Lumia makes up for its shortcomings with a front panel made of gorilla glass. You can literally browse the Web with a screwdriver without giving your screen a single scratch. I’d love to walk around the street using my scalpel to swipe through the phone while staring at little kids and repeating “you’re next.” This is especially wonderful at birthday parties. But let’s get back to the subject.

Windows Phone 8 can’t really be compared to iOS simply because Apple implemented iOS as a placeholder for apps. Windows Phone 8 is just another thing on its own that reeks of awesomeness compared to its predecessor. For one, it’s more flexible. Unfortunately, some features supported by the operating system aren’t supported in the new Nokia Lumia. It’s especially disappointing that the phone doesn’t have a microSD card slot – something that might piss off Android veterans thinking of dumping their sucky phones for the Lumia.

In conclusion, the iPhone 5 doesn’t seem to make a bold enough impression in the face of its competitors. The Nokia Lumia, Samsung’s Galaxy S III, and other phones I was too lazy to mention have all significant features that might make the market a little diverse if the Apple fans would dig their noses out of their iCrap.

By the way, I laughed my ass off when I saw how the iPhone 5 really looked like compared to what artists were thinking it was going to look like.

Compare this artist’s rendition to the actual product:

Here’s what Apple released:

Now compare the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 4S:

Holy smartphone, batman! Creativity at work! As for those who believe that the iPhone 5 battery is something more sophisticated than what other phones have:

It’s just a regular 3.8V/1440 mAh Li-Ion battery.