Galaxy S III world's best-selling smartphone, but not for long

During Q2 2012, Samsung shipped 18 million Galaxy S III smartphones. Meanwhile, in the same quarter, Apple shipped 16.2 million iPhone 4S models, according to new figures released by Strategy Analytics.

"The Galaxy S3 captured an impressive 11 percent share of all smartphones shipped globally and it has become the world's best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever," said Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics.

That all sounds a bit grim for Apple; the company has recently been troubled with accusations of uninspiring technology updates as well as the fracas with Google Maps.

However, there's a glaring reason for the Galaxy S III's current world domination - the iPhone 5. As is often the case, sales of the previous model, the iPhone 4S, slowed in the run up to the release of the new model.

"The Apple iPhone 5 has gotten off to a solid start already with an estimated 6.0 million units shipped globally during Q3 2012," writes Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston in a recent blog post. "We expect the new iPhone 5 to out-ship Samsung's Galaxy S3 in the coming fourth quarter of 2012 and Apple should soon reclaim the title of the world's most popular smartphone model."

Tags: Apple, mobile market, sales, Samsung, smartphone trends