Seoul, Aug 10 (IANS): Samsung Electronics further expanded its dominance in the domestic smartphone market in the second quarter of the year, a report showed on Tuesday, as its rivals struggled to gain presence.

Samsung logged a share of 73 percent in the South Korean smartphone market in the April-June period, up 6 percentage points from a year earlier, according to data from market researcher Counterpoint Research.

Its second-quarter market share was also 6 percentage points larger than a quarter earlier.

Apple stayed on as the runner-up with a 16 percent share, down 3 percentage points from a year earlier. The U.S. tech titan's second-quarter market share was also smaller than its 22 percent share in the first quarter.

LG Electronics, which announced its exit from the mobile business, posted a market share of 10 percent in the second quarter on home turf, down 3 percentage points from a year earlier, reports Yonhap news agency.

Counterpoint Research said the South Korean smartphone market in the second quarter shrunk 3 percent from a year earlier and also contracted 12 percent from the first quarter, citing that it lacked sales momentum without new models.

"In South Korea, Samsung's Galaxy A52 and A72 were not released due to chip shortage issues," it said. "Unlike last year, Apple did not release the iPhone SE series, while the new product effect from the iPhone 12 appears to have diminished as people wait for the iPhone 13."

Samsung's Galaxy S21 5G was the bestselling smartphone in South Korea in the second quarter and defended its top position from the first quarter, Counterpoint Research said. It was followed by the Galaxy A32 and the Galaxy S21+ 5G.

Seven of the 10 top-selling smartphones were from Samsung, while the rest were from Apple, Counterpoint Research said. The iPhone 12 Pro was the highest-ranked Apple smartphone in sixth place.

Although the domestic smartphone market suffered a setback in the second quarter, Counterpoint Research predicted the market will recover in the third quarter thanks to the release of Samsung's new foldable smartphones and Apple's iPhone 13.