A recent research conducted by ABI Research shows that the interest in touchscreen phones grows daily and the number of handsets that have touchscreen displays will go up as well in the next years.

According to the research, in 2009 there will be about $5 billion touchscreen devices. Yet it seems that the iPhone does not rule the market. Actually, ABI says that the world leader in touchscreen handsets in Samsung, owning about 33 per cent of the global touchscreen units.

Apple doesn’t even have the second place. Motorola owns about 30 per cent and Sony Ericsson about 24 per cent. Apple finds itself quit down on the list as ABI Research places the company within the 13 percent that is shared by other cell phone makers.

It may be that Apple lost some terrain, nevertheless the numbers in which iPhone sold are phenomenal and won’t be easily matched by any other handset in the near future.