HTC Grabs Lead In US Smartphone Sales

Consumers in America love the smartphone and for the last quarter, there have been some changes in the smartphone market here at home. HTC has grabbed the lead in the smartphone market from Samsung and HTC is now the top smartphone brand in the US. As HTC has grown, Samsung and Apple have both declined in the market.

Part of the blame for sagging iPhone sales could be laid at the feet of reduced demand for the iPhone 4 thanks to people holding off last quarter waiting for the iPhone 4S to hit stores. It also appears that HTC was able to grab some of the folks defecting from failing RIM. HTC nabbed 24% of the global smartphone maker in Q3 while Samsung had 21% and Apple took third with 20% of the global market leaving RIM a measly 9% share.

Business Week reports that one of the things that helped RIM in the States was strong relationships with US carriers and the fact that HTC sells its high-end smartphones for less than Samsung. Things might not looks as rosy for HTC in Q4 as the company is already predicting its first shipment decline in the last two years. This is likely due to the iPhone 4S hitting the market and selling by the millions. HTC reported selling 13.2 million devices in Q3 for a gain of 93%.

[via BusinessWeek]