Samsung Galaxy S II hits the 10 million mark

It is now the most popular Android phone in the world, but still trailing the iPhone

Samsung announced Sunday that it has sold 10 Million Galaxy S2 phones worldwide in the last six months, giving Apple's iPhone a run for its money.

The sales doesn't include the U.S. market. Samsung started selling its Android 2.3.4 “Gingerbread-based S II" last April in Korea, then expanded its reach to South Korea, Japan and  European countries. 

It just finally reached the U.S. market September 16. 

Despite Samsung's astounding growth, Apple so far retains the crown as the No. 1 smartphone vendor in the world and doesn't have much to fear. Apple sold 108 million iPhones (3G, 3GS and its original model), from inception to March 2011, according to analyst reports. In its second quarter alone, Apple sold 20 million iPhone devices.

“Since its launch in late April 2011, the GALAXY S II has seen continued sales success, demonstrating Samsung’s industry-leading capabilities in - and commitment to - the smartphone market” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung's Mobile Communications Business, in a press release. 

“In just five months the GALAXY S II has seen tremendous growth, reflecting its tremendous popularity with customers around the world, who in selecting the GALAXY S II as their device of choice have driven the device’s strong market position globally.”

 The Galaxy S II's success may be attributedd in part to access to the high-speed 4G LTE network.  It  is running at speeds that are two to three times faster than the iPhone 4, which is a 3G device. Its large AMOLED (Super Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode screen) and ease of use is also appreciated by users.

Now the question is will this pace keep up once Apple's iPhone 5 launches this fall?

Knowing the almost-fanatic and deep loyalty converts feel to the Apple brand, it is very doubtful that Apple will be knocked down from its first position. After all, when have you heard of anyone camping out to be first in line for a Samsung Galaxy product? Unlikely. 

Here's Samsung's release:

SEOUL, Korea – September 25th, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced that the Samsung GALAXY S II (Model: GT-I9100) has achieved 10 million global channel sales, doubling from five million in just eight weeks.

The GALAXY S II is Samsung’s flagship smartphone device - a beautifully thin (8.49mm) and lightweight dual-core smartphone that combines an unmatched Super AMOLED Plus viewing experience with powerful performance, all on Android, the world’s fastest-growing mobile operating system. The next generation smartphone also includes Samsung’s four content and entertainment hubs, seamlessly integrated to provide instant access to music, games, e-reading and social networking services.

“Since its launch in late April 2011, the GALAXY S II has seen continued sales success, demonstrating Samsung’s industry-leading capabilities in - and commitment to - the smartphone market” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung's Mobile Communications Business.

“In just five months the GALAXY S II has seen tremendous growth, reflecting its tremendous popularity with customers around the world, who in selecting the GALAXY S II as their device of choice have driven the device’s strong market position globally.”