LG Electronics, the Korean mobile phone manufacturer, has overtaken rival Samsung to take second place in the US handset market behind Motorola in the latest quarter.

The figures, prepared by Strategy Analytics, a Boston-based research firm, underscore the popularity of several touchscreen-based handsets made by LG, including the Vu and Voyager. Both are sold by Verizon Wireless in competition with Apple's iPhone offered exclusively by AT&T in the US.