Samsung's handset sales top 300 mln in 2011

South Korea's tech behemoth Samsung Electronics said Sunday that its handset sales topped 300 million units this year for the first time in its history. The world's second-largest maker of mobile phones shipped more than 300 million mobile phones for the first 11 months of this year, marking the first annual sales of over 300 million units since it started its handset business in 1988, according to an e-mailed statement by Samsung. "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 Shin Jong-kyun, president and head of Samsung's mobile communications business. Samsung attributed the strong sales results to the success of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S series, which continued to gain popularity among consumers and propelled the Galaxy brand to become one of the most recognized mobile brands in the world.