Galaxy S III becomes top selling US smartphone, overtaking iPhone 4S

Apple’s iPhone 4S has not finished first in monthly smartphone sales for the first time since its launch eleven months ago.

Apple Insider reports that the recently released Samsung Galaxy S III won out in August, though the trend is not expected to continue.

Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley expects the lead to be short-lived, with Apple’s impending iPhone 5 announcement set for next week.

Walkley states his checks with US carriers found that iPhone sales have been particularly weak leading up to the reveal and subsequent launch of the new iPhone. That, he claims, is the sole reason attributed to last month’s victory for the Galaxy S III.

"We believe this is the first month since the iPhone 4S launched in October 2011 that it was not the top selling smartphone in the U.S. market," Walkley wrote. "However, our checks indicated strong consumer interest and likely demand for the iPhone 5, and we believe Apple will return to strong number one smartphone share in the U.S. post the iPhone 5 launch."