WASHINGTON, November 9 (RIA Novosti) – South Korean electronics company Samsung has dealt another blow to United States tech giant Apple, as its Galaxy S3 smartphone outsold Apple’s iPhone 4S, becoming the world’s best-selling smartphone according to the market research firm Strategy Analytics.
“Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has proven wildly popular with consumers and operators across North America, Europe and Asia,” said Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics.
According to the report, Samsung sold 18 million models, compared with Apple’s 16.2 million, in the third quarter of 2012.
However, Mawston says Apple’s new iPhone 5 is expected to reclaim the top sales spot, and that the boost in Samsung sales may have come because loyal Apple customers were waiting for the launch of the iPhone 5.
Rivals Samsung and Apple have made headlines in recent months due to ongoing legal battles over patent infringement claims in various countries. Earlier this year, a US court awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages, after ruling Samsung infringed on some of the companies software and design elements.