Samsung expects to ship a half billion phones in 2013

Samsung is looking to eclipse its 2012 sales record by shipping more than a half billion phones in 2013.

To be exact, Samsung is planning to ship 510 million phones next year, according to The Korea Times. That would represent a 20% increase over the 420 million phones Samsung is estimated to ship for 2012, according to the report.

Broken out, 390 million of the devices are expected to be smartphones while the other 120 million would be feature and budget phones, according to The Korea Times, which cites unnamed sources at Samsung and its suppliers.

PHOTOS: Top 10 tech products of 2012

That’s quite a goal for Samsung, but if any company in the world could do it, it would be the South Korean tech giant, which this year is set to overtake Nokia as the top cellphone brand on the planet.

According to market research firm IHS, Samsung accounted for 29% of 2012’s global cellphone market, knocking Nokia off the top perch for the first time in 14 years. Nokia held a 24% market share.

Samsung’s 2012 sales were fueled by its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, whose sales held up well against that of Apple’s popular iPhone.

The company’s next flagship device, the Galaxy S IV, is expected to incorporate flexible displays made out of plastic, which could make them more durable and give Samsung a strong selling point over its competitors.

The phone is expected to go on sale in the first half of 2013.

ALSO:

‘Back to the Future’ Lego set coming soon

Micro-who? CES not hurt by Microsoft’s absence this year

Randi Zuckerberg posts private photo on Facebook, sees it go public