Samsung retakes top spot from Apple in US smartphone market, Kantar says

• Samsung is the top smartphone seller in the U.S., Kantar Worldpanel says.
• The Galaxy S8 helped Samsung retake the leadership position from Apple.
• Other firms, such as comScore, say Apple remains the top firm, however.

A view of the new Samsung Galaxy S8 at its Samsung launch event, March 29, 2017 in New York City.

Drew Angerer | Getty Images

Samsung again has a larger market share than Apple in the United States, according to data released by Kantar Worldpanel on Wednesday.

The company said Samsung's Galaxy S8 helped it overtake in May, even though it lost some market share year over year.

"Samsung regained the top sales spot in the USA in the three-month period ending in May 2017, with market share rising to 36.2% from 32.9%" in the prior quarter, Kantar Worldpanel global business unit director Dominic Sunnebo said. Apple's market share came in at 34 percent, which Sunnebo said is up 4.7 percentage points from last year.

Sunnebo said the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are the two most popular smartphones in the U.S., followed by the Galaxy S7 and . Combined, Apple and Samsung dominate the top 10 most popular smartphones in the United States, leaving little room for other players such as Lenovo's Motorola Mobility or LG to establish a footing.

Kantar Worldpanel's data differ substantially from at least one other industry watcher. ComScore said earlier this month that as of June, Apple's market share in the U.S. remains at 44.9 percent, followed by Samsung at 29.1 percent.