King of smartphones revealed: Will it be Apple or Samsung?

 

Samsung's outselling the iPhone, but Apple's still making more profit

Global smartphone giants Apple and Samsung have once again switched places on the sales chart, with Samsung outselling its rival's iPhone by almost 12 million units in the first three months this year.

According to data from Juniper Research, of the 139 million smartphones sold around the world between January and March, nearly 60% were either Samsung or Apple handsets - up from 46% in the last three months of 2011.

During the first quarter of 2012, Apple sold 35.1 million iPhones worldwide, while Samsung shifted a phenomenal 46.9 million units from its expanding range of smartphones, including the bestselling Samsung Galaxy S II.

However, despite selling more products, Samsung is still trailing behind Apple in terms of actual earnings and profit. Apple's iPhone revenue was $22.7bn (£14bn) in the first three months of the year, compared with Samsung's $17bn.

In recent years, Samsung and Apple have taken it in turns to lead the smartphone market. Although Samsung is the latest to emerge victorious, whether it can hold onto the crown remains to be seen.

The UK release of the highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy SIII - the follow-up to its immensely popular Galaxy SII smartphone - is thought to be a matter of days away. But there are also strong rumours that Apple may release an "iPhone 5" by the end of 2012.

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