Global smartphone shipments for the fourth quarter of 2009 are up by 30 per cent year-on-year, the industry's fastest growth rate since the third quarter of 2008, according to the latest data from Strategy Analytics.
 
Sales were driven by the return of economic confidence and brands releasing a range of feature-rich models in this period, during which Apple outgrew its major rivals and Nokia shipped record volumes are demand for its Eseries grew.
 
Jonathan Morris, editor of What Mobile Magazine, said smartphones are growing in popularity as they become more affordable and features that were once reserved for high-end devices are now filtering down through the market segments.
 
"While Nokia shipped millions of smartphones to people who didn't realise the power of their device, the iPhone has probably helped educate people that they can now expect to do much more than make calls or text," he went on to say.