Nielsen just released its latest numbers with regard to new smartphone owners, and it would seem that the iPhone (particularly the 4S) is quite popular among those migrating over to the smartphone segment.

In fact, since the iPhone 4S launched in October, the number of recent smartphone buyers who chose the iPhone has reached 44.5 percent, up from just 25 percent in October.

What’s interesting is that new smartphone buyers seem less and less interested in Android, as Android market share among noobs has gone from 61.6 percent in October to 46.9 percent. Of course, Android still leads in total market share with 46.3 percent.

General interest in smartphones is also on the rise, with 60 percent of new phone buyers saying they chose a smartphone over a feature phone. Meanwhile, 57 percent of those who bought a new iPhone chose to go with the flagship 4S.