Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's top smartphone makers, still hold a strong foothold in North America with their premium lineups, despite the growing challenge from cheaper Chinese rivals, data showed Wednesday.

Samsung and LG took up 32 percent and 15 percent of the market in the region in the second quarter, ranking second and third, respectively, according to the data by market tracker Strategic Analytics.

When combined with the share of Apple Inc., the reigning smartphone maker in the region, the figure spikes to 73 percent, showing that North America, the world's largest smartphone market by revenue, is still dominated by high-end smartphone makers, the market tracker said.

This contrasts with how they have recently fared in other parts of the world, especially in China. The three firms have been losing presence in the world's second-biggest market as fast-growing upstarts like Xiaomi Inc. and Huawei Technologies Co. crank out mid- to low-end phones.

But neither of the two Chinese smartphone companies made the top five list in North America in the cited quarter, the data showed.

The market tracker said they lag behind their premium rivals in sales and supply channels in the region.

Strategic Analytics expects heated competition in the region among Samsung, LG and Apple in the upcoming months as they are headed for another fierce battle with their upcoming new high-end models.

Samsung has announced it will hold an unpacked event for the new Galaxy Note 5 and the next version of the Galaxy S6 Edge later this month. LG is also planning to release its next premium smartphone as early as the third quarter. (Yonhap)