Samsung Galaxy S2 sells 20 million

The Samsung Galaxy S2 has sold 20 million. That's a lot of phones -- not as many as the market leader, the iPhone, but a good sign for the hotly-anticipated Galaxy S3.

The S2 is a fantastic phone and thoroughly deserves its boffo business. Samsung also revealed that between the S2 and the original Galaxy S, the Korean giant has shifted more than 40 million of its flagship S phones.

The Galaxy S2 -- or Samsung Galaxy S II, if you're of a Latin persuasion -- leads the hugely popular Galaxy pack. It has emerged as the most serious contender to the iPhone's smart phone sales crown, in the process making Samsung the leading Android phone manufacturer.

On sales figures, Apple's policy of launching just one phone a year means it trumps competitors -- Apple's profit is more than twice Samsung's -- but that shouldn't detract from the phenomenal success of the S2 and Galaxy phones in general.

In the last three months of 2011 alone, Apple sold over 37 million iPhones, buoyed by the arrival of the iPhone 4S.

Samsung had built and shipped 10 million S2 phones by September 2011. The original black version was joined last year by a white model, and a pink version sashayed along this month.

And the S2 is only going to get more attractive, getting a new lease of life when an update to the latest version of Android arrives. The S2 is expected to receive Ice Cream Sandwich in March.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 will follow some time this year, although the Korean company is staying tight-lipped on when it will arrive. Click play on our handy video guide to learn more about what the S3 could have in store for us:

Do you own the S2? Tell me whether it's the best phone you've ever owned in the comments or on our Facebook page. If you own the Galaxy S2 and want to do some tinkering, check out our guide on how to root your Samsung Galaxy S2 -- or learn more about the fascinating and bizarre history of Samsung.