Android surpassed Nokia’s Symbian mobile OS platform, formerly the most prominent smartphone OS for the past decade, according to the Canalys report.
In the fourth quarter 2010 data released by the research firm on Monday, Android shipments totaled 32.9 million worldwide. Nokia trailed with 31 million shipments.
However, Nokia kept up as the number one smartphone retailer, holding a 28 percent share of the market.
Smartphone sales continue rising at a meteoric rate. In the fourth quarter, there were 101 million units shipped out, representing a 89 percent growth over the 2009’s fourth quarter, Canalys said.
“2010 has been a fantastic year for the smart phone market,” Canalys VP and Principal Analyst Chris Jones said in a statement. “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.”
In the US, Android was head and shoulders above the rest in terms of unit shipments with more than 12 million sales.