Samsung Galaxy S3 Sales Touch 20 mln in 100 Days; Can Apple iPhone 5 Break Record?

Apple now has a bigger reason to seek a ban on Samsung's Galaxy S3, given the rampant sales of flagship device which could possibly tame sales of its yet-to-be-released iPhone 5.

The South Korean electronic powerhouse on Thursday announced that Galaxy S3 sales crossed the 20 million mark in just 100 days since its launch in worldwide markets this May.

Read: Patent Dispute: Will Apple Succeed in Banning Samsung Galaxy S3?

The third-generation Galaxy S3 has built hysteria among ardent smartphone lovers, bringing much needed relief to the Korean tech giant who is presently battling Apple's threat to ban several of its products, including Galaxy S3.

Despite the escalating digital patent war between the two tech giants, Galaxy S3 continues to be among the top smartphones in the market and has overtaken sales record of its predecessors. Reports said that the device registered a three times faster sales rate than Galaxy S and is selling six times faster than Galaxy S2. To cash in on its popularity, Samsung has reportedly decided to come with three more colour variants of the Galaxy S3 for its worldwide buyers.

"Samsung said sales in Europe topped other regions with 6 million, while Asia and U.S. sales followed with 4.5 million and 4 million. Sales in Korea, Samsung's home turf, reached 2.5 million. The top smartphone maker said it plans to keep up robust sales by adding three new colour options to the current blue and white versions," reported the Korean Times.

Reports on Samsung's milestone came in the backdrop of Apple's hosting event on Sept 12, when the Cupertino tech giant is expected to unveil its much-awaited iPhone 5.

Considering the mounting popularity of Galaxy S3, the tech world is counting on Apple to unveil overblown features and specifications in its fifth iteration of the iPhone.

At present, Apple is engaged in an aggressive legal pursuit against its South-Korean rival and is seeking sales ban on Samsung products over violation of its patents. The two technology firms were long involved in patent disputes in several countries. Besides Galaxy S3 the iPhone maker is also pushing for a ban on Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Note just before its new device hits stores.