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Apple extends lead over Samsung in U.S. smartphones

Apple's iOS also took market share away from Google's Android in the first quarter, according to ComScore.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Roger Cheng
2 min read
Samsung Galaxy S4 flanked by the iPhone 5 and HTC One
Josh Miller/CNET

Maybe it's time to hold off on the Apple negativity.

The iPhone franchise captured 39 percent of the U.S. smartphone market in the first quarter, extending its lead over Samsung, which garnered 21.7 percent of the market, according to research firm ComScore.

Interestingly, Apple's iOS took market share away from Google's Android, which traditionally has seen more rapid growth.

Apple saw its smartphone market share rise by nearly 3 percentage points in the quarter, while Samsung's share inched up slightly. The next three largest handset vendor, HTC, Motorola, and LG, all lost market share in the period.

The first quarter was fairly quiet when it came to new smartphones hitting the market, with heavy hitters such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One not debuting in the U.S. until early in the second quarter.

As a result, it appears the incumbents continued to flourish, giving the edge to the iPhone 5 and its older models, as well as the Galaxy S3.

The numbers come as Apple continues to get hit with concern that the company has lost its edge, and that it won't be able to continue the torrid pace of growth it has enjoyed for the last several years. In addition, there's an increasing view that the competition, particularly Samsung, has caught up.

But the first-quarter results show Apple still has some mojo left, although it may fade in the second quarter as several high-profile phones go on sale.

Google's Android remains the largest platform, with 52 percent of the market, although it lost more than 1 percentage point of market share. Microsoft's Windows Phone was the only other gainer, inching up to 2.9 percent.