Motorola still has fight left as it nabs No. 3 spot in the US market

It turns out the market can still surprise. You can figure out which company has the first and second position in the U.S. market. You would be forgiven for doing a double-take after learning that the company has been able to get third place.

It hasn't been a smooth decade for the brand. Things have been rocky for the firm since the turn of the millennium. The Mobility wing of the company was sold off to Google in 2011. Three years later, the phone company switched hands again, this time with a different company.

The former brand has been more stable at Lenovo. Its success can be attributed to its decision to largely shun the high-end of the market dominated by the aforementioned brands. Brazil and India are key markets for the company. The U.S. has remained a stronghold and the company has been more than happy to fill the vacuum created by a thinning out of the herd in the mid- and budget tiers.

According to Counterpoint's figures, the company saw a 131% year over year growth in 2011. The firm is number two in the U.S. and number three overall. Its sub-$300 phones have gained traction, with Moto nabbing around $10 of the total market.

Counterpoint Research has an image.

It's not quite a return to its 2008 dominance, but it's the company's best showing since the smartphones came to dominate the phone market. Metro, Cricket and Boost are pre-paid providers and now control around 28% of the market. The names that aren't on the list are the most important. It has been a weird few years for the industry, and it was clear that Lenovo was well positioned to pounce.

Following its inclusion on the U.S. entity list, it is no longer a factor. The jury is still out on the move, but after selling off a huge chunk of its R&D to Google,HTC has largely gone quietly into that good night. The biggest no-show is the company.

In April of last year, the South Korean hardware firm exited the smartphone market. The company said at the time that core technologies developed during the two decades of mobile business operations will be retained and applied to existing and future products.

The move appears to have opened a hole in the market. The company's success has been supported by its position as a legacy brand. It may have faded from consciousness a bit, but there is still enough goodwill from its glory days to expedite buying decisions. If you have a tight budget and find yourself shopping for a $300 phone at a store like Walmart, you are going to gravitate towards a name you know. And you know what? You wouldn't be wrong. The company has a good track record of making budget phones.

Yes, call it a comeback. I will not stop you.