A new study released by market research firm Nielsen on Thursday shows that more people are buying smartphones and Apple is seeing growth in the market.

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]According to Nielsen’s May survey, 38 percent of mobile consumers in the U.S. purchased a smartphone in the previous three months. That’s up from 34 percent one year ago.

In the smartphone market, Android leads with 38 percent share, Apple’s iOS has 27 percent share and RIM has 21 percent share.

“Android continues to be the most popular smartphone operating system, with 38 percent of smartphone consumers owning Android devices,” wrote Nielsen. “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.”

Of course, it is important to remember that comparing Android to iOS is comparing many devices to one device. Android has many manufacturers making hundreds of devices, while Apple has one device.