The US smartphone market isn't quite like what we see in other regions around the world. While Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme thrive in Europe and Asia, they don't really have a presence in the States. Deep American pockets are also crazy for iPhones, and everyone else (led by Samsung) often looks like they're just scrambling to play catch-up. While those two top spots seem as solid as ever, Motorola has made a big breakthrough, managing to climb to spot number #3 in the US last year.

According to research firm Counterpoint, Motorola has climbed through the ranks to become the third best-selling smartphone company in the United States, and has remained in that spot for a full year. Granted, Moto found quite a bit of success during its golden days in the 2000s, but this is the first time we're seeing it begin to return to that stature in the modern smartphone age (and under Lenovo's ownership). Furthermore, the company has also become the second best-selling entity in the budget segment ($400 and below), giving us a hint as to just where this renewed success is coming from.

A large part of this success seems attributable to the end of LG's smartphone division. Despite going through plenty of challenges over the years, LG remained the third best-selling phone company in the US, and its mobile division crashing and burning left a void in the market that Motorola was quick to enter and fill.

Moto phones have been a boon to US carriers, and that's especially true when it comes to its budget phone range — specifically its Moto G lineup, which is seeing great success through prepaid channels like Verizon Prepaid, Metro by T-Mobile, Boost, and Cricket.

The company still has a long way to go, with Samsung holding a tight grip on the second place and Apple in the top spot. It might not be anywhere close to its former 2008 glory, but hey, baby steps.