Android Cements Lead in the US

Android continues to hold its lead as the most popular smartphone platform in the US, according to the latest figures from comScore’s mobiLens service, reporting on key trends in the US mobile phone industry for the three-month average period to the end of December 2011, based on a survey of more than 30,000 mobile subscribers.

97.9m people in the US owned smartphones during the period, representing 40 per cent of all mobile subscribers. Android posted a 47.3 per cent market share, up 2.5 percentage points from the previous quarter ending September, while Apple remains in second place, on 29.6 per cent, up 2.2 per cent. The rest of the platforms in the top five are seeing their market share slip – RIM, in third place on 16 per cent, is down 2.9 percentage points, followed by Microsoft, falling 0.9 percentage points to 4.7 per cent, and Symbian on 1.4 per cent, down 0.4 percentage points.

Samsung remains the top handset manufacturer overall, with a 25.3 per cent market share, remaining level from September. LG ranks second on 20.0 per cent (down 0.6 percentage points on the previous quarter), with Motorola in third on 13.3 per cent, down 0.5 percentage points. Apple gained 2.2 percentage points to finish in fourth place with a market share of 12.4 per cent, while RIM rounded out the top five at 6.7 per cent, 0.4 percentage points down on the previous quarter.