Galaxy S3 smartphone sales top 10 mln mark: executive

Samsung Electronics Co.'s global sales of its Galaxy S3 smartphones have surpassed the 10 million mark less than two months after its official release, a senior executive of the world's largest mobile phone maker said Sunday.

   Shin Jong-kyun, the president of Samsung's information technology and mobile communication division, told reporters that the phone has become a 10-million seller after it was first unveiled on May 29 in London. He, however, did not give exact numbers.

   This translates into about 190,000 Galaxy S3s being sold every day, and easily ahead of its very popular predecessor -- the Galaxy S2 -- that reported sales hitting 10 million, five months after it reached consumers.

   Industry watchers said that since Samsung's main rival Apple Inc. is not expected to unveil its next generation iPhone until September or October, the Galaxy S3s sales should remain strong in the third quarter.

   For the whole of 2012, sales of the smartphone that runs on the Android latest 4.0.4 "Ice Cream Sandwich" operating system, and features a 4.8-inch screen with Samsung's Exynos 4 quad core processor, could top the 40 million mark, making it an all time high for phones made by the South Korean tech giant.

   The smartphone, which is currently offered in marble white and pebble blue colors, is receiving positive consumer reviews and is considered the top runner among Android devices.