Samsung Galaxy S3 sales top 20m

Students walk out of a showroom at the headquarters of Samsung Electronics in Seoul in this October 28, 2011 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL - Samsung Electronics, the world's No. 1 smartphone maker, said Thursday that global sales of its Galaxy S3 smartphone topped 20 million at a faster pace than any of its predecessors.

According to an e-mailed statement, global Galaxy S3 sales breached the 20 million mark in just 100 days after its debut in May 2012. The record-breaking sales were three times faster than Galaxy S2 and six times quicker than Galaxy S.

The Galaxy S3 sales exceeded the 10 million mark in 50 days since its debut, equaling to 200,000 sales per day, Samsung said.

"The GALAXY S3 has enjoyed tremendous attention and popularity since its launch in May, and we are thrilled with its success," said Shin Jong-kyun, president of Samsung's IT & mobile communications division.

The Galaxy device was evenly sold across the globe with sales in Europe, Asia and North America reaching 6 million, 4.5 million and 4 million respectively. Sales in South Korea amounted to 2.5 million until now.

The record sale came as Apple was seeking to ban on sales of the Samsung's newest smartphone in the United States. A US federal court jury sided with the iPhone maker, ruling last month that Samsung infringed on six of seven Apple patents.