Galaxy S III sales set to hit 10m

Samsung Electronics has said it expects global sales of the latest Galaxy smartphone to pass 10 million in July even as it struggles to keep up with demand because of component shortages.

Shin Jong-kyun, president of Samsung's mobile communications business, said the Galaxy S III will hit the 10-million milestone within two months of its launch.

"It has been tough to keep up with demand," he told reporters.

Samsung's failure to procure sufficient mobile components for its latest smartphone has fuelled concerns that its second-quarter smartphone sales could be much lower than expected. Mr Shin said the company expects to resolve the supply issues with mobile components sometime in the next week.

"Despite the tough economic situation in Europe and problems with supplying components for the Galaxy S III, the second-quarter earnings will be better than the first quarter," he said.

Samsung began sales of the Galaxy S III in Europe on May 29 and released the smartphone through all major mobile US carriers last week. In its home market, the company started sales of the latest iteration of Galaxy earlier on Monday.

Samsung's sales estimate for the S III reflects robust demand from mobile operators. Unlike Apple, Samsung does not disclose sales figures to consumers.

The South Korean company said the S III will be released by nearly 300 mobile carriers around the world by the end of July, aiming for an early start before rival Apple announces a new version of the iPhone in the third quarter.

Samsung overtook Nokia as the world's biggest mobile-phone maker in 2011 and competes with Apple for the top smartphone maker position. It aims to double its smartphone sales this year to nearly 200 million phones.