Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s top smartphone maker, said Thursday that global sales of its Galaxy S4 smartphones have surpassed the 10 million mark since its release in late April.

The milestone comes 20 days faster than its predecessor, the Galaxy S3. It took seven months and five months respectively for the Galaxy S and Galaxy S2 to reach the milestone, Samsung said.

Samsung said it has released the device in 60 countries, and plans to expand sales of the latest of its Galaxy smartphone line-up into 155 countries through 327 mobile operators by the end of June.

Samsung said earlier that the Galaxy S4 would bask in good results that are stronger than its previous models. Market watchers projected Samsung would sell roughly 22 million Galaxy S4 smartphones in the April-June period.

Thanks to the flagship model that sold more than 40 million units worldwide, Samsung emerged as the world’s biggest handset maker, beating out long-time market leader Nokia Corp.

Also, the South Korean firm emerged as the world’s No.1 smartphone maker in the first quarter, beating Apple Inc. which makes the iPhone.

The Galaxy S4, with a 5-inch full HD Super AMOLED display, is equipped with features that detect a user’s face, voice and motions to enable screen control without directly touching the device.

The “Smart Pause” feature, for instance, pauses a video when a user looks away, then resumes when the user turns back to the screen. The “Smart Scroll” feature also allows a user to scroll up and down without touching the screen.

The smartphone also offers “air view” and “air gesture” features that allow users to control their smartphone displays by moving their fingers just above the screen. (Yonhap News)