According to a recent NPD report, US smartphone sales exploded in the second quarter - but not enough to overtake feature phones. Feature phones accounted for 72% of handset purchases during the quarter as carriers push message-oriented devices to drive text messaging revenue. The report listed the LG enV2 and the Samsung Rant as the top-selling feature phones for the quarter.
Although feature phones dominated the market, smartphone offers from Apple and Research In Motion are gaining ground. Smartphones claimed 28% of overall purchases in the second quarter, with the iPhone 3G and BlackBerry Curve stealing the limelight. Despite additional data plan costs, smartphones are drawing customers away from feature phones with their sophisticated abilities.
Ross Rubin of NPD said that with the price gap narrowing between the two handset types, feature phones need to develop a better Web experience, drive widgets, and sidestep the applications arms race in order to remain competitive.