Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top smartphone maker, saw its fourth-quarter smartphone sales lag behind rival Apple Inc. due to robust demand for the U.S. firm's iPhone 5, data showed Monday.

Samsung Electronics claimed 28.7 percent of the global smartphone market in the three-month period in terms of revenue, following Apple's 42.7 percent, according to the data by market researcher Strategy Analytics.

The change in ranking was largely attributed to robust demand for Apple's iPhone 5, its first long-term evolution (LTE) phone that hit shelves in September.

Apple dominated the LTE smartphone market in the cited period, with its iPhone 5 sales reaching 27.4 million units. Samsung Electronics' LTE smartphone sales reached some 11.6 million units.

Meanwhile, South Korean handset maker LG Electronics Inc. saw its spot in the global smartphone market rise to No. 3 for the first time since it entered the smartphone sector, up five notches from the fourth-quarter of 2011.

LG Electronics claimed 3.2 percent of the market by revenue, beating competitors such as HTC and Sony thanks to optimistic market response for its flagship devices such as the Optimus G.

Taiwanese handset maker HTC's market share stood at 2.9 percent, while Japanese tech giant Sony Corp. followed with 2.8 percent, according to the data. (Yonhap News)