Android continues to be the most popular smartphone operating system, with 38 percent of smartphone consumers owning Android devices. However, while Android also leads among those who recently purchased a new smartphone, it is the Apple iPhone that has shown the most growth in recent months, according to a recent survey from Nielsen that covered the three-month period ending in May.

According to the survey, Apple grew its share of “recent smartphone acquirers” from 10 percent to 17 during the period, while Android acquisitions remained flat at 27 percent. Research In Motion’s (RIM) share of recent smartphone acquirers fell from 11 percent in February to just 6 percent in May.

Android controlled 38 percent of total smartphone market share, followed by Apple (27 percent) and RIM (21 percent).

On the whole, smartphone ownership among mobile subscribers continued to grow. According to Nielsen, 38 percent of all mobile users in the U.S. now own smartphones. And 55 percent of those who purchased a new handset in the past three months reported buying a smartphone instead of a feature phone, up from 34 percent just a year ago.