Nielsen is providing some more insight into Android’s meteoric rise to the top.

The consumer research firm reports that 56 percent of consumers who bought a new smartphone in the past three months picked an Android device.

“The preferences of these so-called ‘recent acquirers’ are important as they are often a leading indicator of where the market is going,” Don Kellogg, Nielsen’s director of telecom research and insights, said in a blog post.

An August survey found that 43 percent of all smartphone owners have an Android device, with the iPhone in second place at 28 percent.

Kellogg warned that Android smartphone makers should not rest on their laurels – consumer sentiment could change quickly if Apple comes out with a new iPhone.

The rumor mill has been churning out steady reports that Sprint will get the iPhone in October. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has danced around the rumors, neither confirming nor denying the reports. Hesse recently said the iPhone was the “number one reason customers churn.”

Rumors have also surfaced that Apple will debut the iPhone 5 on Oct. 4.