Samsung has shipped more than 30 million units of its flagship Galaxy S III smartphone in five months, the company announced today in a somewhat misleading blog post.

The company claims it “surpassed 30 million global sales,” but the company later clarified that these were “channel sales” (aka shipments) rather than direct sales to customers.

The Galaxy S III went on sale in June, and we’re fans of the device. In September, Samsung said that it had sold 20 million Galaxy S III smartphones to retailers. At that rate, the company shipped a head-spinning 10 million units during the past two months, even with heavy competition from Apple’s iPhone 5 and other powerful Android smartphones.

“The Galaxy S III continues to be a runaway favorite with customers around the world,” JK Shin, President of Samsung’s mobile division, said in a statement. “Meeting this sales milestone in five months sets another record for Samsung, and we are extremely proud and yet motivated to continue to provide our customers with products that they love.”

Filed under: Mobile