Samsung on track to surpass 300 million handset sales mark

Samsung has revealed that it will surpass the 300 million mobile handset sales mark this year, confirming reports that it is on track to surpass its own annual estimates for total handset sales.

The milestone caps a banner year for Samsung. The company saw a continuation of last year's record handset sales, and in November surpassed Apple and Nokia to become the top smartphone vendor in IDC's rankings.

"We are incredibly proud of this record-breaking sales milestone and have exceeded the annual target announced early this year, which is testament to the enduring appeal of Samsung phones with consumers around the world," said Samsung president and head of mobile communications JK Shin.

"Samsung is the only manufacturer bringing such an exceptional choice of handsets to customers across a broad range of platforms including Android, Windows Phone and Samsung's own Bada, and on a truly global scale."

The year has not, however, been without its challenges for Samsung, which remains locked in a bitter patent dispute with rival mobile vendor Apple.

Ongoing claims of intellectual property violations have seen the companies looking to block sales of each other's products around the globe.

Apple claimed a small victory recently when an effort by Samsung to ban sales of the iPhone handset in France was denied, but Samsung then won an injunction banning Apple from selling a range its products in Germany, including the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2.