The South Korean company led for the second month in a row, based largely on sales of its touch-screen F480 Tocco.

The survey of European wireless retailers conducted by Avian Securities, a Boston-based brokerage services firm, found that ground was gained by No. 4  Apple, with 8 percent, and No. 7 RIM, with 3 percent, while LG lost in position.

Overall the survey said that 3G, touch-screens, and 5 megapixel cameras were the most popular features. Of the top 10 devices in the survey, nine had 3G capability, six had 5 megapixel cameras, and three had touch-screen interfaces.

Both Nokia and Sony Ericsson, which tied for No. 2  the second month in a row, were flat at 26 percent compared with Samsung's gain of 2 percent  in the last month.

Motorola, which topped the U.S. market in terms of shipments in the second quarter, according to a Strategy Analytics report, received no mentions in the Avian survey for the second month in a row. (see Mobile Phones Soar in US Despite Slump)

Interest in Apple's iPhone 3G and RIM's Curve and Bold fueled gains by both companies for smartphones with strong data capabilities, according to the survey.

“Apple has taken usability to a new benchmark level, so we predict a series of iPhone lookalikes in 2009 from firms like Nokia, which will make full use of touch-screen capabilities in the mid-tier to high-end models,” said Bonny Joy, an analyst with Strategy Analytics.

Strategy Analytics, which measures shipments, had Nokia in the top spot in Europe in the second quarter of 2008 with 43 percent of the market. Samsung was No. 2 with 19 percent, followed by Sony Ericsson, LG, and Motorola.

Motorola led the U.S. market in terms of second-quarter shipments, followed by LG, Samsung, RIM, and Nokia, according to Strategy Analytics. Despite recessionary concerns, the U.S. handset market grew 5.3 percent in the last year because of the popularity of smartphones and touch-screen phones, the research firm said.