SEOUL, KOREA - Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S3 smartphone lost the top spot to Apple iPhone 5 in the fourth quarter of last year. According to a U.S. market research firm Strategy Analytics (SA), the iPhone 5 was sold 27.4 million units in the last quarter of 2012, renewing its sales record, with a market share of 12.6 percent.

The Galaxy S3, which ranked No. 1 in the third quarter with sales of 18 million, saw its sales fall to 15.4 million units in the fourth quarter with its market share falling to 7.1 percent from 10.4 percent.

Thanks to the growing popularity of the iPhone 5, Apple sold 17.7 million of smartphones in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of last year, overtaking Samsung's 16.8 million.

The sales of the Galaxy S3 was lower than not only the iPhone 5 but also the iPhone 4S which was released in 2011. Despite the release of a follow-up model, the sales of the iPhone 4S remained strong at 17.4 million units with a share of 8 percent.

enews@hankyung.com

*Article provided by The Korea Economic Daily

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