I may come as no surprise, considering a staggering nine million of them have been pre-ordered worldwide, but the Samsung Galaxy S III is breaking pre-order records in the UK too.

Actual figures are being kept closely to chests but both Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone have revealed to Pocket-lint that the new handset, due out on 29 May, is the most sought after phone in 2012. "Thousands" were pre-ordered by Carphone Warehouse customers in just 24 hours, while Vodafone tells us that it is "now officially the most popular Android device we've ever put on pre-order".

Carphone Warehouse also claims that it's the largest distributor of the phone in the UK and the only retailer to offer deals with all major UK mobile networks. It will be placing stock in its 800 plus stores up and down the country on launch day.

Pre-order customers will be able to pick up their handsets from 7pm on 29 May, others will have to wait until the Galaxy S III goes on general sale on 30 May.

"The Galaxy SIII is without a doubt the fastest-selling pre-order of 2012 so far," said  Graham Stapleton, the retailer's chief commercial officer.

"We're gearing up for an exceptionally busy launch day at the end of the month as the handset lands on shelves at our stores across the UK."

Neither Carphone Warehouse nor Vodafone would tell us whether the Samsung Galaxy S III has beaten the iPhone 4S on pre-order numbers.

Have you pre-ordered one? Do you plan to get an SGSIII on launch day? Let us know in the comments below...