Samsung Galaxy S III Surpasses iPhone 4S Smartphone Sales in U.S. for First Time

Apple beat Samsung to a pulp in court over patent infringement claims and is now owed over a billion dollars in damages, but when it comes to stateside smartphone shipments, Samsung has reason to boast. The company's flagship Galaxy S III device topped the iPhone 4S in smartphone sales in the U.S. in August, which is the first time that's happened.

"We believe this is the first month since the iPhone 4S launched in October 2011 that it was not the top-selling smartphone in the U.S. market," said T. Michael Walkley, a Canaccord Genuity analyst.


Be careful not to read too much into that. American consumers aren't boycotting Apple by any stretch, they're just preparing for the iPhone 5 launch. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 5 at a press event later this month, with shipments of the new smartphone expected to go out to consumers in October, provided Sharp can get a grip on its iPhone 5 display production issues. When that happens, don't be surprised to see the iPhone 5 quickly become the best selling smartphone in the U.S., just like the 4S has been up until last month.

In the meantime, Samsung get enjoy a stint as maker of the most popular smartphone in the country.