Apple iPhone 5 and 4S both outsell Galaxy S III in fourth quarter

Apple had not just one but the top two bestselling smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a report released Wednesday.

Strategy Analytics estimates that Apple sold 27.4 million units of its iPhone 5 in the quarter, and 17.4 million units of the iPhone 4S. Together that accounted for more than 20% of all smartphones sold globally during that period.

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In the previous quarter, Samsung’s Galaxy S III was the top-selling smartphone, with 18 million units sold. But GS3 sales dropped to 15.4 million units in the fourth quarter. Apple rolled out the iPhone 5 in September.

Despite the drop, Strategy Analytics said that Samsung could quickly recapture the sales crown with its next flagship Galaxy smartphone, which could be revealed as early as next month.

“Global demand for the Galaxy S III appears to have peaked and Samsung will surely be keen to introduce its rumored Galaxy S IV upgrade in the coming weeks to fight back against Apple’s popular iPhone range,” the report said.

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