Samsung beats Motorola to become No. 1 handset seller in U.S.

SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-largest mobile phone maker, outperformed Motorola Inc. to become the top seller of handsets in the U.S. in the third quarter, according to an industry report released Friday.

The South Korean company accounted for 22.4 percent of all mobile phones sold in
the U.S. during the July-September period, outstripping Motorola Inc., whose
shares dropped to 21.1 percent, market research agency Strategy Analytics said in
a report.
The research firm said handset shipments in the U.S. -- the largest mobile phone
market in the world -- grew 6.2 percent from a year before to 47.4 million phones
in the quarter.
Samsung's performance, which stood at 17.9 percent a year ago, marks the
company's first quarterly lead in the U.S. market, traditionally dominated by
homegrown Motorola.
LG Electronics Inc. stood at third place, accounting for 20.5 percent of all
mobile phone shipments, according to the report.
Samsung's growing retail presence and an attractive high-tier handset portfolio
was cited as factors in the company becoming the top seller in the world's single
largest handset market, the report assessed.
The South Korean tech behemoth reported last month that it sold 51.8 million
mobile phones globally in the third quarter, compared with 45.7 million units in
the second quarter.
odissy@yna.co.kr