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Android, Samsung Smartphones Popular, iPhone 4S Boosts Apple

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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An Android-based Samsung smartphone is the device to beat, according to Friday stats from comScore.

Of the 3,000 people surveyed by comScore, 25.5 percent of smartphone users in the U.S. had a Samsung device, and 46.3 percent of smartphones were running the Android OS in the three-month period ending Oct. 31.

Samsung's share, however, doesn't represent any sort of increase. It had 25.5 percent back in July, too. The only handset maker to see an increase was Apple, which came in at number four with 10.8 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, up 1.3 percent. Apple's latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S, hit store shelves on Oct. 14.

LG was in second place with 20.6 percent, followed by Motorola with 13.6 percent. RIM rounded out the top five with 6.6 percent, a 1 percent drop.

Google's Android OS saw a 4.4 percent increase in the U.S., though, jumping from 41.9 percent to 46.3 percent between July and October. Apple's iOS came in second with a 1 percent increase to 28.1 percent.

RIM, Microsoft, and Symbian made the top five, but all three saw a market share drop, the largest of which went to RIM with a 4.5 percent decline to 17.2 percent.

About 90 million people in the U.S. had smartphones between July and October, a 10 percent increase from the previous three months.

What were they doing with those devices? Texting was the most popular activity, with 71.8 percent people participating. That was followed by using the browser (44 percent), using downloaded apps (43.8 percent), accessing a social networking site or blog (32.3 percent), playing games (29.2 percent), and listening to music (21.2 percent).

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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