Samsung Electronics widened its lead over rivals in the North American mobile phone market in the third quarter, helped by the popularity of its key models, a market researcher said Monday.

According to U.S.-based Strategy Analytics (SA), Samsung sold 12.1 million handsets in the July-September period, garnering a 25.6 percent share of the North American market. The figure was up 0.9 percentage point from three months earlier.

Samsung, the world’s second-largest handset maker after Nokia, was the top seller in the North American market for five quarters running. Samsung’s sales also topped the 12 million mark for the first time.

LG Electronics, the world’s No. 3 mobile phone maker, sold 9.8 million units in North America in the third quarter, down 900,000 units from the previous quarter. LG’s market share declined 1.9 percentage points to 20.7 percent.

Motorola shipped 7.9 million handsets, with its market share dropping 0.6 percentage point to 16.7 percent. Research In Motion (RIM), the Canadian maker of the smartphone BlackBerry, sold 5.8 million units, with its market share unchanged at 12.2 percent. Apple shipped 3.5 million units in the third quarter, with its market share soaring 1.5 percentage points to 7.4 percent on the back of its flagship iPhone, according to SA.

Market watchers predict that Samsung is expected to clinch the top spot in the North American market this year for the first time since its entry there in 1997.

Last year, Motorola was the No. 1 seller of mobile handsets in the North American market with a 22.1 percent share, trailed by Samsung with 21.7 percent and LG with 20.9 percent.

YonhapNewsAgency

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