As the smartphone market continues to flip flop, the Android platform recently pulled ahead of top rival Apple, regaining the top spot as the best-selling U.S. smartphone operating system.

According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech data, approximately 49.4 percent of smartphones sold in the three-month period ending Jan. 2013 ran Android, up 6.4 percent compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Apple's iOS fell into second place, with 45.9 percent of sales, down 4.7 percent from 2012. Microsoft's Windows Phone platform saw 3.2 percent growth in the same time period.

In early January, Kantar found that Apple led global sales during the 12-week period ending Nov. 25. With 53.3 percent of the U.S. smartphone market at the time, it was the first time the platform surpassed 50 percent sales share, according to Kantar. During the same period, Android sales dropped 10.9 percent to 41.9 percent, and Windows took third place with 2.7 percent.

Part of Android increase, Kantar analyst Mary-Ann Parlato said, can be attributed to high Sprint smartphone sales. In the fall of 2012, sales on Sprint were divided almost 50/50 between Android and iOS, Parlato explained in a statement. But in the most recent period, Android's share of Sprint sales increased by more than 22 percent, from 49.3 percent to 71.9 percent.

Recent price drops in Sprint's Android lineup have also helped: last year's levels remained steady  iOS for $130 and Android for $127  but a significant decrease to $95 for Android phones, while iOS actually rose to $146, helped push the Google-run operating system into first.

Samsung smartphones rounded out most of Sprint's January sales  a total 60.3 percent. The manufacturer's flagship Galaxy S III model, launched in mid-2012, led the charge. While it captured only 14 percent of Sprint's smartphone sales by October, a $100 price drop and the holiday shopping season gained the S III a 39 percent push.

Samsung confirmed today that it will unveil its next flagship phone, the Galaxy S IV, on March 14.

A changing market also managed to rearrange the top carrier rankings, pulling Verizon back to the top spot with 35.2 percent of smartphones sold in the three months ending in January. AT&T fell into second place, carrying 28.2 percent of sales. And while Sprint helped contribute to Android's success, the service provider remains in the third position, with 14.2 percent share; the company gained only 0.8 percent year-on-year sales.

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