Samsung Electronics, the world's second-largest mobile phone maker, became the No.1 handset seller in three out of six regions across the globe in the third quarter, a market research agency said Wednesday.

According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung beat Nokia in three regions, including North America, Western Europe and Central & Latin America, during the July-September period, with market shares of 30 percent, 38.1 percent and 25.6 percent respectively.

Nokia, the world's top handset manufacturer, kept its top position in the other three regions such as Asia, Central & Eastern Europe and Mideast & Africa with market shares of 28.1 percent, 46 percent and 52 percent each, according to the researcher.

It was the first time that Samsung took the lead in Central & Latin American region, which had been previously dominated by Nokia. The lead by the South Korean tech behemoth was particularly large in North America and Western European, where the Finnish firm held market shares of 1.5 percent and 19.5 percent each.

Meanwhile, Nokia retained its No.1 position in the global handset market in the third quarter with market share of 27.2 percent, while Samsung's global share reached 22.8 percent. LG Electronics remained as the No.3 mobile phone seller globally.