Samsung Electronics Co., is gearing up to increase its handset shipments by 18 percent next year to 330 million units, according to a recent media report. The Electronic Times Internet quotes an unnamed senior Samsung official as saying that the electronics giant’s growth will reach 280 million units this year and will far exceed industry forecasts’ of around 300 million units next year.

Expected to drive such sales are products including Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphones and Galaxy Tab tablets. Samsung Electronics recently reported that it has sold more than 600,000 Galaxy Tab devices since its global launch about one month ago, likely making it the most popular Android-based tablet computer on the market today, according to the Korean Herald.

And TechZone360.com’s Beecher Tuttle reported earlier this month that officials with the electronics giant told the news source that consumer demand for the 7-inch tablet has been overwhelming in most countries. The Galaxy Tab, which went on sale in most locations in mid-October, didn't hit stores in Korea until Nov. 14. During the week after its domestic launch, the tablet was ordered by more than 30,000 Koreans. With its recent success, and the fact that the holiday shopping season is now upon us, Samsung believes that it can sell more than 1 million units by the end of 2010.

In October, Samsung Electronics, a manufacturer of computer memory chips, announced revenues of 40.23 trillion Korean won for the third quarter ending Sept 30, 2010, a 12-percent increase year-on-year. The figure tops the previous record for quarterly revenue of 39.25 trillion won recorded in the fourth quarter of 2009. These figures mark Samsung’s third straight record net profit.

“In the third quarter, Samsung faced a challenging business environment including declining demand for PCs and TVs, along with a continued economic slowdown in developed markets such as U.S. and Europe,” said Robert Yi, vice president and head of Samsung Electronics’ Investor Relations Team. “Despite this, we achieved strong revenue growth and profitability, which was built upon our cost competitiveness in memory semiconductors and increased sales of cutting-edge products such as our latest smartphones.”