Samsung has announced that it has sold 300 million mobile handsets during 2011, making it a first for the company.
Nokia remains the global market leader, with 303-million phones sold by the end of September. However, this is the closest Samsung have yet come to their tally.
Apple sold well under 100-million iPhones in 2011. Current estimates project iPhone sales at around 85-million for the year, after 55-million had been sold by the end of September.
‚We are incredibly proud of this record-breaking sales milestone and have exceeded the annual target announced early this year, which is testament to the enduring appeal of Samsung phones with consumers around the world,‚ said Paulo Ferreira, Head of Mobile Product and Business Solutions at Samsung SA. ‚Our performance in the mobile industry remains unrivalled. Samsung is the only manufacturer bringing such an exceptional choice of handsets to customers across a broad range of platforms including Android, Windows Phone and Samsung’s own bada platform ‚Äî and on a truly global scale. We look forward to extending this success going into 2012.‚
Samsung’s 2011 sales results cap a hugely successful year for Samsung across its entire handset portfolio. The company’s flagship Galaxy S range of products ‚ Galaxy S and Galaxy S II ‚ contributed significantly to the success, as the products have continued to gain popularity among consumers and propelled the Galaxy brand to one of the most recognised mobile brands in the world. The Galaxy S II, launched in 2011, set a new sales record for Samsung, generating 10 million sales quicker than any mobile device in the company’s history.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s portfolio of bada smartphones continues to gain sales momentum around the world, further boosted in 2011 with the launch of the newly upgraded bada 2.0. This year Samsung announced exciting new additions to the bada-powered Wave smartphone portfolio, including the flagship Wave 3 which is currently available in Europe and continues to gain sales traction in all its launch markets.
In 2011, Samsung also pushed the boundaries of the mobile device category with product innovations such as Galaxy Note, a smart mobile device featuring the world’s first 5.3” HD Super AMOLED display that retains all the portability of a smartphone while introducing a unique user-interface that combines touch-screen and pen-input technologies. Galaxy Note continues to excite consumers around the world since its introduction in South Africa in November.
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