Apple remains the top dog in the mobile phone universe, with Samsung falling behind. However, the two bitter rivals accounted for an astonishing three-quarters of all new cell phone activations in the fourth quarter of 2014.

The iPhone, pushed by hew iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, bolstered Apple’s stranglehold. Samsung was led by the Galaxy S5. Only LG could account for more than 5 percent of the remainder, with 11 percent of sales. No other manufacturer — Nokia, Blackberry, Sony — could account for more than 5 percent. This also includes the Amazon Fire Phone.

CNET reports that these figures come from a survey conducted by CIRP of 500 Americans who activated a phone during October, November, or December 2014.

The numbers are relatively flat for Apple, which had a 48 percent share of new sales in Q4 2013. Apple’s struggle is in gaining new ground, but it is excellent at keeping its customers locked up. A whopping 86 percent of those surveyed were upgrading an older iPhone to a new model.

Samsung actually lost ground, dropping from 31 percent last year.

About The Author

John Guilfoil is the editor-in-chief of Blast: Boston's Online Magazine and the Blast Magazine Network. He can be reached at [email protected]. Tweet @johnguilfoil.

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