Samsung likes to boast that with the Galaxy S3 in its pocket, the company produces the world's most popular smartphone, but that's a claim it can't make anymore — at least, not after 2012's holiday quarter.

In the never-ending smartphone war, the iPhone 5 has overtaken Samsung's Galaxy S3 for the first time ever.

According to the latest data from the research firm Strategy Analytics, not only did the iPhone 5 sell more units globally than the Galaxy S3 during the fourth quarter of 2012, but so did the iPhone 4S. Ouch.

Earlier in February, the same firm found that Apple became the number one mobile phone maker in the United States for the first time ever. These global results seem to confirm a surge in momentum for the Cupertino-based company since the iPhone 5 was released.

The Galaxy S3 didn't do poorly by any means; Samsung still sold more than 15 million devices around the world, but it simply couldn't stand up to Apple's performance. The iPhone 5 sold about 27.4 million units in the same timeframe, while the iPhone 4S moved almost 17.5 million. Apple's phones combined to capture about 20 percent of the global market, while the S3 took home 7 percent.

Of course, it probably shouldn't be too surprising that the Galaxy S3 finally fell from the top spot. The phone has been out for more than nine months, while the iPhone 5 was released around the time the fourth quarter was beginning, meaning that intense interest around the launch combined with the increased consumer spending during the holidays and boosted the device's sales considerably. At the same time, the iPhone 5's launch meant lower prices for the 4S, fitting the phone into more budgets around the world.

Strategy Analytics concludes that global demand for the Galaxy S3 has peaked, and that Samsung "will surely be keen to introduce its rumored Galaxy S4 upgrade in the coming weeks to fight back against Apple's popular iPhone range."

Recent rumors suggest that the Galaxy S4 will be revealed at a March 14 event in New York City.