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Market share data like this suggests which companies might be more inclined to play it safe and which might feel the pressure to gamble and innovate with future devices.
The latest numbers from comScore’s MobiLens smartphone U.S. market share report are in for the three-month period ending in January and while the findings don’t suggest any sort of change in the industry status quo, they do illustrate a couple noteworthy insights.
Looking at the overall list, Apple maintains a healthy lead in the top spot, dominating control of the American mobile landscape with 44.6 percent of smartphone subscribers nationwide. Samsung takes a distant second with exactly 28 percent, followed by LG, Motorola, and HTC, in that order. Of the back three, LG is the only one to crack double digits with 10.3 percent market share. Motorola claims 4.3 percent, and HTC sits at 2.3.
More: Apple took a whopping 92 percent of smartphone industry profits for Q4 2016
In terms of the order of smartphone manufacturers, nothing has changed compared to comScore’s previous report released in October. Looking at the point changes, however, things get a little more interesting. Apple rose roughly two percent, while Samsung slid by the same amount. Meanwhile, LG bumped to 10.3 percent from its previous 9.6.
Although it’s difficult to quantify precisely what factors contributed to each company’s gains and losses, it wouldn’t be a reach to suggest Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 troubles may have contributed, in some part, to the relative success of its two closest competitors. The phablet was first recalled for exploding battery concerns in early September, placing the beginning of the saga squarely in the middle of the August-to-October reporting period of comScore’s survey.
Meanwhile, Apple’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were met with a somewhat tepid response when they were released in mid-September, due to perceived similarities between those two devices and their preceding 6 and 6S counterparts. Samsung’s faults may have prevented it from capitalizing on a less-hyped-than-usual Apple launch and clawing back a narrow slice of the pie.
On the other hand, those struggles may have given LG some room to grow and simultaneously distance itself from the rest of the pack. It may also be a forbearer of continued good tidings for the company if its upcoming products are any indication. The G6 impressed us with its almost bezel-free design, gorgeous display, and excellent build quality at Mobile World Congress last week, earning it our Best in Show award.
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