Samsung and LG were the second- and third-ranked mobile phone vendors in the United States during the first quarter of this year, according to a U.S.-based market research firm Sunday. Samsung Electronics accounted for 17.6 per cent of the U.S. mobile phone market for the three months ended March 31, compared with LG's 15.1 per cent, NPD Techworld said in its latest report.

Motorola Inc. kept its No. 1 spot in the U.S. market with a share of 31.6 per cent during the period, it said.

Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia, the world's largest handset maker, came fourth with a 14.0 per cent share, the report showed.

NPD Techworld covered about 50 per cent of the total sales centering on distribution networks in the U.S. market.

Last year Motorola also held the No. 1 ranking in the U.S. market with a share of 28 per cent, followed by Nokia with 21 per cent, Samsung with 16.6 per cent and LG with 15 per cent, according to another research house, International Data Corp.