According to a new report released by Nielsen Co. on Monday, substantiating the fact that Android handsets are becoming increasingly popular, especially among new buyers, the US sales of the Google Android-based smartphones beat the sales of the Apple iPhone this year.

Going by the Nielsen statistics, Android-based handsets accounted for nearly 27 percent of the overall smartphone sales in the country during the first half of 2010; while the iPhone sales accounted for 23 percent.

The Nielsen figures, incidentally, do not include the sales for the month of July; thereby leaving out the sales numbers for the new iPhone 4 and the backordered Motorola Droid X.

Nonetheless, despite the fact that, at 13 percent, the total market share of the Android is fairly lower than iPhone’s 28 percent and market-leader RIM BlackBerry’s 35 percent, the success of the Android clearly implies two things – that the triumphant run of the iPhone can be slowed; and that the Android handsets offer a competitive alternative to other currently-available handsets.

Yet another confirmation that the Android is growing by leaps and bounds comes from a separate report from research firm Canalys, which has revealed that the sales of the Android-based handsets have increased a staggering 866 percent in the last one year – giving clear indications that not only will the Android potentially remain ahead of the iPhone, but may also beat RIM in the future!