Smartphone growth is exploding around the world, as Google's open-source Android operating system drives prices down, according to a study released on Monday by market research firm IDC.
The study found that smartphone sales reached 101 million in the fourth quarter, up 87 per cent from a year earlier. Smartphones sales for 2010 were 302 million, up 75 per cent on the year.
"Android continues to gain by leaps and bounds, helping to drive the smartphone market," said Ramon Llamas, an IDC analyst.
He called the Android operating system the "cornerstone" of the smartphone strategy for many vendors and the biggest challenger to Nokia's Symbian OS, the market leader.
Nokia was still the market leader with 33.1 per cent, down from 39 per cent the year earlier. Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of the Blackberry, also saw its share decline from 19.9 per cent to 16.1 per cent. Apple's share rose from 14.5 per cent to 15.7 per cent.
The most impressive gains were made by Samsung, whose Android-powered phones sold 23 million units compared to 5.5 million in 2009, more than doubling its market share to 7.6 per cent. HTC also saw impressive gains, selling 21.5 million smartphones, up from 8.1 million in 2009, to increase its market share to 7.1 per cent from 4.7 per cent.