Are Apple and Samsung Leaving Everyone Else Behind?

The great smartphone battle currently taking place in the technology industry is still early in process, but there are clear cut winners emerging. A new report showing key trends in the United States still has Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) battling it out for the top of the hill, while everyone else targets third place.

According to comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, 125.9 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the final three months of 2012, representing a 5 percent increase from the September-ended quarter. However, only two companies contributed to the majority of gains.

As the chart above shows, Apple ranked as the top original equipment manufacturer in the fourth quarter with a 36.3 percent market share in the U.S., up 2 percent from the previous quarter. Samsung came in second with 21 percent market share, up 2.3 percent from the third quarter. Other companies such as HTC and Motorola both logged market share declines quarter-over-quarter. LG, a South Korean multinational conglomerate, managed a modest 0.5 percent gain in market share.

A slightly different story in smartphone platforms…