Editor's note: Mario Armstrong is HLN's Digital Lifestyle Contributor. You can follow him on Twitter.

Yes, I'm going to say it: There are alternatives to the new iPhone 5.

Yikes, I better prepare for all the hate mail from Apple fanboys and fangirls.

Look I'm not against the iPhone 5 -- actually, I like it a lot. And yes Apple gets a lot of media attention, but times will shift. I mean, I can still remember the days when Blackberry dominated the news cycle. Nowadays the iPhone 5 tends to dominate. Well, that was until the Samsung Galaxy SIII "Next Big Thing" ads started really taking off. 

The bottom line is that there are other phones out there that are awesome in their own way.

Here are my three choices for iPhone 5 alternatives (in no particular order):

1. Samsung Galaxy SIII

• HUGE, beautiful screen that's 4.8 in size
• Fast, 4G LTE internet connection
• Expandable memory
• Cost: $199 and up

2. Motorola Razr M

• 4.3 inch screen size
• Fast, 4G LTE internet connection
• Water resistant
• Great price for a new Android smartphone
• Cost: $99

3. Nokia Lumia 920 (coming out soon)

• New! Windows 8 Flagship phone
• 4.5 inch screen display
• 8.7-megapixel rear-facing camera and full 1080p HD video capture

What is your smartphone of choice? Why do you love it? What are you getting next?