Apple, Samsung Lead Q2 Smartphone SalesApple, Samsung Lead Q2 Smartphone Sales

Samsung Unleashes New Mobile Devices: Visual Tour

Apple reported stronger-than-expected iPhone sales during its most recent quarter. The news shows that demand for smartphones is still as strong as ever, and offers a glimpse of just how healthy the market really is.

According to Apple, it sold 31.2 million iPhones, a record for the June quarter, compared to 26 million in the year-ago quarter. That represents a mix of the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 4. Apple didn't provide a breakdown on individual device sales. Either way, the company sold plenty of devices, far more than Wall Street expected. The iPhone 4, which first debuted in 2010, remains a strong seller thanks to its entry-level price point. The 2011-era iPhone 4S is also still selling well due to discounted pricing.

Samsung, Apple's biggest competitor, has sold about 23 million Galaxy S4 smartphones since its late April debut. Samsung doesn't report on its smartphone sales, other than to brag about the GS4's progress so far. Considering the wide array of Android smartphones that Samsung offers, its total number of smartphones sold in the most recent quarter is estimated at about 71 million, or more than twice Apple's numbers.

[ Apple's iPhone is still hot. Read Apple Sets iPhone Sales Record For Quarter. ]

LG had a strong quarter, too. LG's mobile phone business shipped 12.1 million smartphones between April and June, the highest ever in the company's history. LG doesn't break down sales of individual models, but the Optimus G Pro, its equivalent to the Samsung Galaxy Note II, launched in the U.S. and other markets during the second quarter, which surely helped its sales numbers.

LG trounced BlackBerry, which sold just 6.8 million smartphones during its most recent quarter. Perhaps the worst part of BlackBerry's sales report is that only 2.7 million of those 6.8 million are the newer BlackBerry 10-based smartphones. The remaining 4.1 million handset sales were of its older, BlackBerry 7-based models. Clearly, BlackBerry 10 (and the Z10, Q10, and Q5) haven't helped turn around BlackBerry's outlook much.

Nokia had an interesting quarter. The company sold 61 million devices in total, but only 11.1 million came from its Smart Devices division. That 11 million figure isn't all Lumia smartphones, however. Nokia sold 7.4 million Lumia smartphones and 4.3 million Asha phones. The remaining 50 million devices were a mix of Series 40 and Symbian. Nokia said that its Lumia sales were the best ever for the company, but they are woefully shy of the numbers coming from Apple and Samsung. LG outsold Nokia by several million devices, though Nokia also managed to sell more smartphones than BlackBerry.

According to research firm TrendForce, smartphone shipments during the second quarter of 2013 totaled about 221 million. That's up 6.6% over the previous quarter and 31.4% over the previous year. By the time 2013 comes to a close, smartphone vendors are expected to ship a total of 928 million devices. Apple and Samsung show no sign of ceding the market to competitors.