Latest Smartphone Numbers Show Android, Samsung Faring Well

comScore, Inc. is out with its latest market share numbers for mobile phones and subscribers, which covers the month of May, 2012. While Apple retains a very strong position in the smartphone game, both Samsung and Android are faring remarkably well in the U.S. market. Here are the details.

The comScore study polled more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers and found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 25.7 percent market share. Google Android continued to increase its share in the U.S. smartphone market, accounting for 50.9 percent of smartphone subscribers, while Apple captured 31.9 percent of smartphone subscribers.

As far as overall U.S. smartphone penetration goes, consider this stat: For the three-month average period ending in May, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices.

It's also very clear that Samsung is the leader in Android smartphones. Consider comScore's breakdown of percentage share of U.S. smartphone subscribers for the top handset makers:

 Samsung - 25.7%

LG - 19.1%

Apple - 15%

Motorola - 12%

HTC - 6.1% 

Remember when HTC drew all the headlines for Android phones and being a champion of the Android platform? Samsung has built its smartphone strategy around Android and is charging ahead. 

Still, not all reports on the Android front are rosy. There is some research showing that developers continue to favor Apple's iOS platform, and there is no question that developers have more economic incentives to develop for the iPhone. 

As Google ramps up its plans for Motorola Mobility, though, it will help drive the Android platform in significant ways, and Google may even introduce fresh incentives for Android development. Without a doubt, competition on the smartphone front is remaining fierce.