Samsung has been the biggest player in the global phone market since early 2012, overtaking the incumbent, Nokia, for the first time. Samsung has also been the dominant player in the US market for some time, but now LG Electronics has regained the No. 2 spot in the North American mobile phone market.

According to Counterpoint Research, LG increased its market share to 13%, just edging out Apple, on 12% in December 2013. LG had maintained its number two position in the US market until the third quarter of 2011, when it was overtaken by Apple, mainly thanks to releases of the iPhone 4.

The popularity of LG’s Optimus G and Nexus 4, combined with lower than estimated sales of Apple’s iPhone 5 have helped LG gain market share in one of the most important markets in the world.

By the end of 2012 LG had shifted over 1M units of its Optimus G device globally. HTC and Motorola have also seen gains in the US, achieving 9% and 8% market share, respectively. Samsung remains the dominant player with 33%.