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Samsung has sold 10 million units of its popular Galaxy S II smartphones worldwide, including 5 million in just the last two months.
The top Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android handset OEM, which is locked in patent infringement suits with Apple in court over its Android handsets and tablets, began selling the Android 2.3.4 “Gingerbread”-based S II last April in Korea.
The handset, which employs a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, sold 1 million units in that country in less than a month and 3 million in 55 days.
Proving that this wasn’t just some aberration in a single country, Samsung reported in July that it sold 5 million Galaxy S II handsets in 85 days, spanning South Korea, Japan and some European countries. This all happened before the handset launched in the United States.
Samsung actually hit the 10 million unit sold mark with minimal U.S. sales, as the Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch from Sprint has only been on the market since Sept. 16.
That device is different from existing S II units overseas, featuring a 4.52-inch display. eWEEK found the Epic 4G Touch to process applications quickly and smoothly on Sprint’s 4G WiMax network.
T-Mobile has not revealed when it will launch its S II, although AT&T (NYSE:T) will begin selling its own S II Oct. 2 for $199.99 on contract.
eWEEK has been playing with that device, which has the same 4.3-inch screen of its overseas cousins, and will publish the full review this week.
With 10 million sales in roughly six months, the SII is on pace to shatter sales of the original Galaxy S line. That family, Samsung’s first high-end Android phones, sold over 10 million units total in 2010, including one device each by Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.
Now it’s time to eat a little crow. eWEEK questioned whether Samsung waited too long to sell its S II handsets in the United States. While the Epic 4G Touch is the only model available, it’s clear the S II’s momentum has accelerated abroad.
It will be interesting to watch whether sales of the S II continue their torrid pace this fall after Apple’s iPhone 5 launches, likely in October or November.
Moreover, S IIs may be competing for consumer sales in the United States versus another Samsung handset: the Droid Prime (or Nexus Prime), the first Android 2.4 “Ice Cream Sandwich” phone, which is rumored to launch this fall on Verizon.