Samsung Galaxy S3 becomes world's best selling smartphone
Apple’s iPhone 4S falls behind the S3 for the first time ever.
For the first time ever, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has overtaken the Apple iPhone 4S to become the world’s biggest selling smartphone in the third quarter of 2012, according to Strategy Analytics.
The figures show that during the third quarter of 2012, the Samsung Galaxy S3 shifted 18 million units, while Apple recorded 16.2 million sales of its iPhone 4S.
Neil Shah, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "Samsung's Galaxy S3 smartphone model shipped 18.0 million units worldwide during the third quarter of 2012. The Galaxy S3 captured an impressive 11 per cent share of all smartphones shipped globally and it has become the world's best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever.
He continued: “A large touchscreen design, extensive distribution across dozens of countries, and generous operator subsidies have been among the main causes of the Galaxy S3's success. Apple shipped an estimated 16.2 million iPhone 4S units worldwide for second place, as consumers temporarily held off purchases in anticipation of a widely expected iPhone 5 upgrade at the end of the quarter."
Having fallen behind the Samsung Galaxy S3 for the first time ever, the recent findings follow news of iPhone ownership loyalty also dropping for the first time.
Global Smartphone Shipments & Marketshare by Model in Q3 2012
Shipments by Model (Millions of Units) |
Q2 '12 |
Q3 '12 |
| Samsung Galaxy S3 |
5.4 |
18.0 |
| Apple iPhone 4S |
19.4 |
16.2 |
| Apple iPhone 5 |
0.0 |
6.0 |
| Others |
128.0 |
127.6 |
| Total |
152.8 |
167.8 |
|
Marketshare by Model (% of Total) |
Q2 '12 |
Q3 '12 |
| Samsung Galaxy S3 |
3.5% |
10.7% |
| Apple iPhone 4S |
12.7% |
9.7% |
| Apple iPhone 5 |
0.0% |
3.6% |
| Others |
83.8% |
76.0% |
| Total |
100% |
100% |
