The next couple of months will bring techies a treasure trove of handheld devices. It started with the iPhone 5, which has already been selling like crazy, and will soon be followed by the upcoming Windows Phones from HTC and Nokia. The real onslaught, though, is about to begin. A massive helping of Android handsets will land at various carriers this fall just in time for the holiday season. Here are a few that stand out from the pack.

LG Optimus G/Nexus

Is it a Google Nexus phone? Or is it a standalone handset chock full of carrier-locked applications nobody asked for? AT&T officially announced that the LG Optimus G would be arriving someday soon, but the news was immediately overshadowed by rumors that the LG Nexus 4 is actually the handset to wait for. The Nexus 4 will feature the same specifications as its sister phone, including a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor and a 1280×768 4.7" display, but it will run a stock version of Android. Also, there is some speculation that the phone will have a slightly different chassis depending on its carrier—the one appearing on Sprint will apparently have rounder edges, while the other on AT&T will appear more rectangular. What’s still unclear, however, is whether or not it will be the flagship phone that Google will use to announce Android 4.2.

HTC One X+

The plus sign in its name means that the HTC One X+ is a beefier version of its predecessor, the HTC One X. With a Tegra 3 1.7GHz quad-core processor fueling the 4.7" display, the One X+ continues the trend of bigger handsets this quarter. The phone will feature Jelly Bean with HTC Sense 4+, and will reintroduce Sense Online, a backup utility for HTC Android handset users which was shut down in April. Almost subtly, HTC revived the Sense Online site, and it looks like it’s ready to use for HTC users outside of the United States. It’ll be interesting to see if the revamped service adds any value when compared to the third-party backup utilities available in the Google Play store—or to Apple’s iCloud.

Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD

Due out next week on Verizon’s network, Motorola’s super-thin Razr Android phone will also feature a gargantuan 4.7" screen, along with a 3300 mAh battery to power it. Compared to the HTC One X+ and Optimus G/Nexus's 2100 mAh battery, the Razr Maxx HD appears to be more properly matched with its high-resolution display because of its battery capacity. We can also imagine how hot a battery pack like that could get with such a thin piece of plastic surrounding it, and we wouldn't want to be holding the phone while it's charging.

Samsung Galaxy Note II

Is it a phone, or is it a tablet? Or is it a phablet? Is that even a thing? Which market the Galaxy Note fits into best is still a question, but the Note has taken off since its introduction a year ago. This second iteration is bigger and it’s easier to hold up to your ear. It also boasts a hefty amount of processing power—a 1.6Ghz quad-core Exynos 4412 with 2GB of RAM—and looks much more phone-like than the original Note. Fortunately, it also comes with Android’s latest operating system, Jelly Bean.

Sony Xperia TL

The 4.6" (Sony couldn't be bothered to bump it up to 4.7 like the rest of the smartphones features in this roundup) LTE Xperia TL will be available on AT&T and is basically a re-branded Xperia T phone with a new model number. It wil come with a 1.5Ghz dual-core S4 processor, which puts it a bit behind its quad-core competitors, and it will be preloaded with Ice Cream Sandwich. Sony is also including a 13-megapixel camera with a 720p HD front-facing camera, which it will likely pitch as the phone's main selling point. Frankly, we’re still waiting for Sony to prove its relevancy in the mobile handset market, and we’re not sure that an Android phone with older specifications topped off by a high-megapixel camera will do it.

Which one should you hold out for?

The first thing to keep in mind is that there is no guarantee as to which handset will actually receive Android updates after launch. For now, it's safe to say that the most future-proof phone would be whatever flagship phone is announced at Google’s rumored November event, where it is believed the company will officially announce Android 4.3.

There is also a big difference between the rumored LG Nexus 4's quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor and the HTC One X+'s Tegra 3. Both do power management much differently, and initial benchmarks are already showing the Snapdragon to be considerably faster.

Obviously, we can only assume which handset would perform better and which merits passing up based on the listed specifications. For now, know that these are the handsets on our radar, and we'll be keeping an eye out to help you decide which ones are worth your upgrade dollars.