Strategy Analytics, IDC and Juniper Research are in agreement-- Samsung sells more smartphones than Apple in Q2 2012 as it leads both global smartphone and general mobile sales races. 

The exact analyst numbers differ, but only slightly. Strategy Analytics says Samsung smartphone shipments total 50.5 million, IDC says 50.2m and Juniper puts the total as 52.1m. Driving Samsung's mobile success are the flagship Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note smartphone/tablet dark horse. 

On the other hand Apple ships around 26m iPhones according to the 3 analysts, as customers wait for the iPhone 5 instead of buying the iPhone 4S. 

The usual suspects follow far behind-- Nokia shipments total 10.2m (IDC) as the Lumia sales remain "steady," HTC struggles against to compete against Samsung and ZTE climbs the global rankings through low-cost entry-level smartphone shipments in its home China and the Americas. 

According to Strategy Analytics Samsung owns 34.6% of the smartphone market, while Apple share lies at 17.8%. IDC numbers are similar-- 32.6% Samsung, 16.9% Apple.

Samsung also leads in the general mobile phone stakes, with Q2 2012 shipments reaching 93m units (Strategy Analytics), up from 74m in Q2 2011. Former leader Nokia shipments are down to 83.7m from 88.5m a year earlier.

If the analyst estimates are correct, the writing on the wall is more than clear-- Customers prefer Samsung to Apples. Or anything else, really. With the next iPhone to emerge sometime around September-October, expect Samsung to continue reigning in the Q3 2012 rankings. 

Go Global Mobile Shipments Reach 362m in Q2 2012 (Strategy Analytics)

Go Strong Demand for Smartphones in Q2 2012 (IDC)

Go Strong Sales of Galaxy S3 Helps Extend Samsung's Lead over Apple (Juniper Research)