Samsung is planning to ship a half billion phones in 2013

A new report from The Korea Times points out that Samsung plans to increase handset shipments by 20 percent next year following a record-setting 2012. In total, the Korean electronics giant wants to move some 510 million phones in 2013, up from the 420 million they are expected to ship by the end of this year.

Specifically, 390 million of the 510 million handsets will be smartphones while the remaining 120 devices will be feature and budget phones. All of this data comes from unnamed sources at Samsung and various suppliers, according to the publication.

As the LA Times points out, that’s a pretty lofty goal for any handset maker but if anyone is up to the task, it’s Samsung. In fact, they are on track to overtake Nokia as the world’s top handset maker this year.

The company has seen tremendous success with their Galaxy line of smartphones such as the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II. And with the Galaxy S IV rumored to be just around the corner, 2013 could certainly be another booming year for the tech giant. We are also hearing that Samsung is planning to release even more handsets based on Windows Phone 8 next year as demand for LTE devices continues to rise.

Do you believe Samsung will be able to keep up the momentum that carried them through 2012 or will competition from Apple, Nokia, HTC and others keep them at bay?