Korean mobile phone maker Samsung could become the leading cell phone vendor on the European market, a recent study conducted by the GFK market research group shows. The company is currently the second largest phone vendor in the world, with a global market share of around 20 percent, and its chances to dethrone Nokia from the reign on the European market are rather big.

According to the report, Samsung has managed to “top the list of the most popular mobile phones” in countries like the UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and Russia. At the same time, Samsung's touchscreen phones have become quite successful in Europe and on other markets around the globe, as the F480 has been globally sold in more than 5 million units.

The report also shows that Samsung has accounted for about 30 percent of the mobile phone market in Russia, Italy and the Netherlands. There are no details on the amount of handsets that Nokia sells in the said countries, yet, given the current market share of Samsung, the competition in the area should tighten up in the following months, and we might also see some different market strategies announced.

For what it's worth, the Korean phone maker is expected to perform quite well on a global scale during the ongoing year. The company's handsets have been recently reported to see a lot of traction on the US market, where Samsung, LG and Pantech are expected to account for as much as 50 percent of the handset shipments.

When it comes to the European market, Samsung has been able to strengthen its position lately through the introduction of premium mobile phones, such as full touchscreen devices, and its market share has been rising. At the same time, the company has also launched devices meant for other segments of the market as well, including entry-level simple phones or mid-level ones, not to mention the fact that the handsets are aimed at a wide range of consumers, such as music enthusiasts, photo lovers, or business customers.