Galaxy S smartphones from Samsung outsold Apple iPhones in Japan during the first quarter of 2011, which places Samsung in the ranks of the top four handset vendors of Japan for the first time, according to Strategy Analytics (http://www.strategyanalytics.com). Android smartphones are now outselling iOS smartphones in Japan, according to the research group.

“The Japanese market had always been tough to crack for foreign vendors as all previous attempts had failed," says Tom Kang, director of the Handset Country Share Tracker service at Strategy Analytics. "With smartphones, things are changing rapidly. First, Apple shook up the market with the iPhone, and now, for the first time, Samsung, is shipping more handsets than most local vendors, such as NEC, Casio and Kyocera.”

Neil Mawston, Director, Strategy Analytics, adds: “Strategy Analytics believes that the healthy demand for the Android-powered Galaxy S at NTT DoCoMo drove Samsung growth in Japan. Samsung is the main player behind surging Android smartphone sales, followed by Sharp. Japan had always had a unique competitive landscape, but is now looking more and more like any other advanced smartphone market in the world as Android has flown by iOS in just three quarters.”

Japan was not the only market affected by changes in the handset vendor rankings,” says Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics. In China, Huawei surpassed most foreign brands, such as LG and Motorola. Huawei even leaped ahead of local rivals like Lenovo and ZTE, entering the top-5 vendor list for the first time.