Samsung's Galaxy S3 smartphone has outsold Apple's iPhone for the first time to become the world's number one mobile.
New figures show the S3 shifted 18 million handsets between July and September compared with the iPhone 4S which sold 16.2 million.
But experts predict that Apple will bite back by the end of the year when figures for iPhone 5 sales are expected to give it back the king of gadgets crown.
Strong sales of the S3 gave the South Korean electronics firm record profits of £3.7 billion in the last quarter - up 91% compared with the same time last year.
Analysts say Apple was pipped as gadget geeks held off updating their iPhone4 by skipping the 4S and hanging on for the launch of the iPhone 5 in September.
Neil Mawston of research firm Strategy Analytics said: "Samsung's Galaxy S3 has proven wildly popular with consumers and operators across North America, Europe and Asia."
But he added: "We expect the new iPhone 5 to out-ship Samsung's Galaxy S3 in the coming fourth quarter.
"Apple should soon reclaim the title of the world's most popular smartphone model."
Tale of the tape
Apple iPhone 5 16GB
Screen size: 4 inch touch retina display
Camera: 8 megapixel with panorama and video features
Operating system: iOS 6
Wi-fi: Yes and 4G enabled
Selling point: Bigger screen - up from 3.5 inches from previous models
Worst point: Poor maps app
Best deal : Free handset, monthly fee £46 over two years, www.carphonewarehouse.com
Samsung Galaxy S3 16GB
Screen size: 4.8 inches
Camera: 8 megapixel with video
Operating system: Android 4
Wi-fi: Yes and 3G
Selling point: Easy to use, sharp camera
Worst point: On the bulky side
Best deal: Free handset, monthly fee £25 over two years, mobilephonesdirect.co.uk
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