Six months after its release, Apple's iPhone 5 dethroned Samsung's Galaxy S3 as the U.K.'s favorite smartphone for the month of March.
According to uSwitch.com, an online market research website, the iPhone 5 topped the Galaxy S3, ending the Samsung device's 10-month reign as number one. The Galaxy S3, in fact, fell to third place.
It's both good news and bad for Apple and Samsung when it comes to uSwitch.com's top 10 most popular mobile phones for March. While the Galaxy S3 fell to third, three other Samsung devices made the list. The Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note 2, and the Galaxy S3 Mini ranked seventh, eighth, and ninth place, respectively. The March chart marked the re-entry for the Galaxy S3 Mini.
The good news for Apple is two additional iPhones placed on the chart with the iPhone 4 8GB Black at sixth place and the iPhone 4S 16GB Black jumping up from seventh place to second place.
"It's not just early adopters that are holding out for the Samsung Galaxy S4 to hit the shelves," said uSwitch.com Telecoms Expert Ernest Doku. "Since the Korean manufacturer's new flagship device was announced in mid-March, the S3's popularity has already faded enough for not one but two iPhones to get ahead. That's a big deal for the smartphone that has managed to spend 10 long months at the top of the smartphone table."
The top 10 is not exclusive to Apple and Samsung as Sony's Xperia Z placed fourth, down from February's second place, and HTC's One making its debut at fifth place.
"Although it's still Apple versus Samsung at the top of the chart, there is plenty of mid-table contention between flagship efforts of other manufacturers, including Sony, HTC and LG," added Doku.
The chart is expected to change as BlackBerry Z10 sales continue and with the debut of the Galaxy S4 this month.
The top 10 handsets for March, according to uSwitch.com:
1. Apple iPhone 5 (16GB) (Up two)
2. Apple iPhone 4S (16GB) (Up five)
3. Samsung Galaxy S3 (16GB) (Down two)
4. Sony XPERIA Z (Down two)
5. HTC One (New entry)
6. Apple iPhone 4 (8GB) (Re-entry)
7. Samsung Galaxy S2 (Up two)
8. Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (Up two)
9. Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini (Re-entry)
10. LG Nexus 4 (Down two)
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