South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. retained the top spot in the global mobile phone market in August on the back of steady sales of its products worldwide, industry data showed Friday.

According to the data released by Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Technology Market Research, Samsung topped the world’s handset market last month with a market share of 29 percent.

The research firm attributed Samsung’s outstanding performance to a sweep of both expensive and cheaper phone segments.

Samsung’s mobile phones beat U.S. Apple Inc.’s iPhone 35 percent to 32 percent in the category of premium handsets selling at more than $400, the data said.

The South Korean firm also led the mid-price phone market with a share of 24 percent, while Apple has no cheaper handset models alongside its iconic iPhone series.

Finnish Nokia Corp. topped the cheapest segment with a share of 23 percent but is struggling in the expensive market due to sluggish sales of its flagship Lumia models.

Samsung’s products were popular in the world’s most populous countries, including the United States, China and India, to help the company retain the No. 1 spot in the entire handset market, the data indicated.

The research firm said the latest iPhone 5 will trigger fiercer competition in the premium handset market in September. (Yonhap News)