According to the latest industry research, mobile handset customers–in the U.S. and abroad–have been snapping up smartphones at dizzying rates. The NPD Group reports that the percentage of smartphones sold during the third quarter increased to 11 percent of all handset sales in the U.S., up from just 4 percent one year earlier. The growth is equivalent to a stunning 163 percent rise from prior-year figures.

One reason for smartphones becoming more popular is that smartphone makers have been reducing the complexity of their smartphones, said Gartner’s Roberta Cozza. Touch-enabled smartphones from vendors such as Apple and HTC have been opening up new vistas for manufacturers beyond the Qwerty-style products popular with enterprise users.