Apple leaped past Samsung and LG to become the best-selling U.S. handset brand in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the NPD Group, a market research company.
In a quarter that featured the launch of the iPhone 4S and the addition of Sprint as an official iPhone carrier, Apple’s three available models combined to capture 43 percent of the U.S. smartphone market in Q4.
Together, Android and iPhone accounted for more than 90 percent of smartphone sales, with Android holding on to 48 percent of the smartphone market during the quarter.
Android devices performed better among first-time smartphone buyers. Based on the latest data from The NPD Group’s monthly Smartphone Track service, among the first-time smartphone buyers in Q4, 57 percent purchased Android phones compared to just 34 percent who bought iPhones.
“Android has been criticized for offering a more complex user experience than its competitors, but the company’s wide carrier support and large app selection is appealing to new smartphone customers," said Ross Rubin, executive director of Connected Intelligence for The NPD Group.
Smartphones make up 68 percent of all mobile phones in the U.S., the report said. That's an increase of 18 percentage points in one year.
The data shows the average sales price for smartphones increased eight dollars over the prior quarter, reaching $143 in Q4 2011, which is still below average price of $149 in Q4 2010.
