Android smartphone sales take global top spot

Shipments of Android phones overtook Symbian-based smartphones during the fourth quarter of last year, according to a Canalys report published on Monday.

Figures show that over the course of the 2010 global smartphone shipments increased by nearly 80 percent in comparison with 2009 and that in the final quarter of the year 101.2 million smartphones were shipped.

"2010 has been a fantastic year for the smart phone market. After a difficult 2009, the speed with which the market has recovered has required real commitment and innovation from vendors and they have risen to the challenge," Canalys vice president and principal analyst Chris Jones said.

Of the handsets shipped during the final quarter, 33.3 million were Google-based, while the next best performer — Symbian — shipped 31 million units worldwide. Apple's iOS took third spot with 16.2 million global smartphone shipments during the quarter, equating to 16 percent of the market during the quarter.

However, Jones says that the year ahead will bring a number of changes and that vendors cannot afford to be complacent off the back of strong 2010 results.

"[2011] is set to be a highly competitive year with vendors looking to use new technology, such as dual-core processors, NFC and 3D displays, to differentiate their products and maintain value," Jones added.