Motorola Inc. (MOT) managed to cling to its lead in U.S. market share at 26%, when many thought it would fall from that perch. Its cellphone unit posted a wider loss of $346 million in the second quarter, and the company has said it plans to split off its handset unit from its other operations, which were profitable enough to offset cellphone losses in the quarter.

South Korea’s LG made a return to No. 2 in the U.S. market as it sold 16.8 million phones in the first half of the year and aims to hold 22% of the market by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Research In Motion Ltd.’s (RIMM) Blackberry phones gained a double- digit market share for the first time in the U.S. as the Canadian firm continues to increase the number of handsets it offers.

Overall, the quarter appeared better than expected for phone makers as worldwide leader Nokia Corp. (NOK) reported a large jump in sales while Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE) said its handset sales helped boost its profit 51%.

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