Samsung ranks 1st on phone sales but Apple tags higher on Profit!

Samsung was the world’s number one Smartphone seller for the first quarter of this year in terms of revenue, overtaking Apple, data from Strategy show.

According to a report from Yonhap News, sales of Samsung’s Smartphone topped $23.63 billion during the first three months of 2013, toppling the iPhone maker which had occupied the top spot in the previous quarter.

Apple posted $22.95 billion worth of Smartphone sales in the first quarter, down $7.71 billion from the previous quarter. Comparatively, Samsung’s first-quarter sales figure was up $952 million from the previous quarter.

Data released by Strategy Analytics yesterday saw Samsung chalk up a record figure of 12.5 million Smartphone being sold in China during the first quarter of 2013.

The latest Yonhap report said solid demand for Samsung’s high-end Smartphone that run on the long-term evolution network helped to boost its sales.

Last week, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 passed 10 million channel sales within a month of its launch, becoming the company’s fastest-ever selling Smartphone. The Galaxy S3 took two months to reach the same milestone.

In the latest Strategy Analytics data, Nokia came in third with sales of $3.64 billion, followed by LG Electronics with $2.95 billion in sales.

Apple, however, ranked first in terms of operating income earned by handset makers globally in the first quarter, taking a 31 percent share. Samsung came in second with a 21.8 percent share, LG third with 4.1 percent, followed by Sharp with 3 percent, the report showed.

Samsung posted operating profit of $$7.9 billion and net profit of $6.5 billion in the first quarter of 2013, while Apple recorded $9.5 billion in profit for the second fiscal quarter of 2013.