The iPhone 5S has been touted as one of the anticipated phones of the year, if only because the iPhone 6 is most likely to be headed toward concrete production and distribution territory come 2014 and there have been so many rumors on the iPhone 5S being just a refresh with better features.

With the latest news surrounding the iPhone 5S being that it may start production as early as June, as reported by IGN, other manufacturers may now be focusing their sights towards possible ways to counter the Apple attack.

For the most part, iterations of the iPhone have found great following for loyal Apple users, as well as those who are slowly swayed by the improving features of the phone.

And if the fall release does pushes through, four other brands are aiming to either push a similar device that can counter the giant's offering or release much-awaited devices to sway the majority's eye.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 3

No doubt one of Apple's competitors, Samsung has been reported to release its anticipated tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 around the same time as the iPhone 5S.

Expert Reviews reports that, as far as rumors go, the most concrete to be given is a potential unveiling at the IFA Show in Berlin this September, a possible course if you look back last year, wherein it was also in the same show that the Note 2 was revealed.

Considering how Samsung revolutionized smartphones with its latest smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4, there are high expectations for the Galaxy Note 3, with rumors putting the device at a powerful Exynos 5 Octa octo-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 5.9-inch 1080p display, and a 13-mp camera.

Gotta Be Mobile also adds the possibility of flexible display technology, which if done right, may put Samsung at the helm of headlines once more.

Google's Nexus 5

The release date for the Google Nexus 5 has not yet been confirmed, but Know Your Mobile reports that it may come in as early as a May reveal at the Google I/O. Though this may not necessarily come into complete conflict with the iPhone 5S, the fact that it come at an earlier release date may be a disadvantage to Apple.

The expected specs of the Nexus 5 ranges from 5-inch 1080p display, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 CPU, three choices for storage options at 16GB, 32GB, and 64 GB, a 3300 mAh battery, and the awaited Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie OS.

HTC's Butterfly 2

The HTC Butterfly has been a success for the most part and it's only a matter of time before the next iteration is released. According to Ubergizmo, it may be as early as Q3 of 2013.

So far, the rumors surrounding the device include an Ultrapixel camera, BlinkFeed, BoomSound speakers, and a full HD display.

TechnoBuffalo adds that apart from the rumored features, what users can look forward to in the HTC Butterfly 2 would be a Verizon-carried device, as the HTC Butterfly was already passed up before.

BlackBerry's R10

Following the success of its revamped keyboarded phone Q10, there have been several recent leaks of BlackBerry's third phone for the year, the R10.

Though it's a budget phone that is also rumored to carry the keyboarded phone, it has its own niche market, while also taking advantage of putting pretty good features side-by-side with the high-end iPhone 5S.

What is known about the unannounced phone is that it will take most of the Q10's top-notch features and integrate it into the handset without setting back consumers with the price of a Q10, reports G For Games.

Imagine having a 3.1 display, solid 720x720 resolution, 2GB of RAM 8GB of internal memory, 5 mp, rear-facing camera, and the new BlackBerry 10 OS for a budget phone price.

While it's by no means on equal footing with the iPhone 5S, those who are thinking of waiting it out for the iPhone 6 next year may be swayed to going to sticking with their old iPhone models and going for a budget phone as a second phone instead.

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