It's hard to say whether sales of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 would have stopped the Android slide had reports of its exploding battery not caused Samsung to recall --and retrieve -- the phone. Still, Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge accounted for nearly the same amount of sales during the holiday period as the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 6S -- 29 percent for Samsung compared to 31 percent for Apple. And in China, Huawei alone commanded 25 percent of sales for the three month span, out of 80 percent of Android sales total.

China has been a key market that Apple has been anxious to crack, And while Android still holds sway in many countries around the world, Apple still has room to grow -- and continues to do so, Updated at 2:32 p.m, PT: with more details and fleshed out numbers, CNET Magazine: Check out iphone case or no case a sampling of the stories you'll find in CNET's newsstand edition, right here, Google's mobile software continues to eat iPhone's lunch in the US, Europe and China, but Apple is catching up in key markets, according to a Kantar Worldpanel ComTech report..

Apple's iPhone had a strong holiday season, according to a report by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech published Wednesday. But Google's Android continues to dominate overall. In September, October and November 2016, Android phones sold far better than iPhones in China, Germany, France, Italy and Spain -- and edged Apple's iPhones in the US, the report said. But Apple is catching up. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.

Lee Jae-Yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, He's a suspect in a bribery investigation, At issue is whether millions in donations Samsung made iphone case or no case to two foundations controlled by President Park's friend and confidant, Choi Soon-sil, were bribes to get the South Korean pension fund to back a merger between two of Samsung Group's holding companies, The merger strengthened the Lee family's control over Samsung, Samsung Chairman Kun-Hee Lee has been in poor health for the past couple of years, and his only son, Jay Y, Lee, has assumed some responsibilities overseeing the conglomerate that makes up more than a fifth of South Korea's gross domestic product, The younger Lee was handpicked by his father to one day take control of the company, An investigation -- or even worse, a prosecution -- by the South Korean government could delay those plans..

Having its leader named as a bribery suspect is the last thing Samsung needs right now. The company continues to dig itself out of the troubles from the massive recall of its defective Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. A Samsung Group representative declined to comment. South Korea's government has been in an uneasy state over allegations that President Park confided in her friend Choi, who has no official role in the government. Choi in turn has been accused of extorting millions in bribes. Prosecutors have indicted Choi and two of Park's former aids for extortion, fraud and divulging classified information. Millions of protesters have gathered on the streets to demand Park's ouster, and the Korean National Assembly last month voted to impeach her.