Mobile sales hit 428 million in Q1 2011 as smartphone share rises to 23.6% says Gartner

A summary of Gartner's latest sweep of the mobile industry would conclude that Q1 2011 saw Android – and its backers – go through the process of consolidating its market leading position.

What's more, the rise of Google's platform is accelerating the continued ascent of smartphone sales.

As a whole, 428 million mobile devices were sold across the quarter – up 19 percent year-on-year – of which smartphones made up 23.6 percent.

"Smartphones accounted for 23.6 percent of overall sales in the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 85 percent year-on-year," said principal research analyst Roberta Cozza.

"This share could have been even higher, but manufacturers announced a number of high-profile devices during the first quarter of 2011 that would not ship until the second quarter of 2011. We believe some consumers delayed their purchases to wait for these models."

Nokia remains the largest mobile manufacturer, according to Gartner, though it was notable Android backer Samsung that has stolen the headlines, with the Korean firm enjoying its strongest quarter in history.

Samsung sales for the quarter came in just shy of 69 million – up around 4 million units year-on-year – though the increasing level of competition meant the firm's share actually fell from 18 percent in the same period in 2010 to 16.1 percent today.

Apple also enjoyed an especially strong quarter, with sales of 16.9 million units more than double the 8.3 million that leapt of the shelves in Q1 2010.

However, it's the combined assault of Android's rainbow of OEMs that has resulted in the platform's share jumping from 9.6 percent a year ago to a market leading 36 percent in the last quarter.

Fellow multi-manufacturer OS Windows Phone enjoyed mixed fortunes in Q1 2011.

While sales are now roughly in line with the totals its predecessor Windows Mobile posted a year ago, Gartner – which has previously stated that Microsoft's platform will overtake iPhone over the course of the next five years – believes the 1.6 million units sold across the quarter is evidence that the OS hasn't yet caught consumers' attention.

"Windows Phone saw only modest sales that reached 1.6 million units in the first quarter of 2011, as devices launched at the end of 2010 failed to grow in consumer preference and CSPs continued to focus on Android," the firm said in its report.

"In the long term, Nokia's support will accelerate Windows Phone's momentum."

[source: Gartner]