Samsung Electronics' new smartphone Galaxy S3 racked up the greatest number of pre-orders in the shortest time this year in Britain, mobile phone distributor Carphone Warehouse claims.

According to the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, Carphone Warehouse said "thousands" of Galaxy S3 have been pre-ordered but declined to reveal the exact figures because the manufacturer does not want them known.

Before the Galaxy S3 goes on general sale on May 30, Carphone Warehouse will distribute pre-ordered ones in over 800 stores across the U.K.

Last year, Apple's iPhone 4S racked up one million pre-orders worldwide in just one day.