The worldwide smartphone market is expected to grow 49.2% in 2011 as more consumers and enterprise users turn in their feature phones for smartphones with more advanced features, according to a new report by IDC.
The IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report revealed that smartphone vendors will ship more than 450 million smartphones in 2011 compared to the 303.4 million units shipped in 2010.
The smartphone market is expected to grow more than four times faster than the overall mobile phone market.
IDC mobile devices technology and trends team senior research analyst Ramon Llamas said Android is poised to take over as the leading smartphone operating system in 2011 after racing into the number 2 position in 2010.
"For the vendors who made Android the cornerstone of their smartphone strategies, 2010 was the coming-out party, this year will see a coronation party as these same vendors broaden and deepen their portfolios to reach more customers, particularly first-time smartphone users," Llamas said.
The research firm said that the recent shift of Nokia from Symbian to Windows Phone will have significant implications for the smartphone market going forward.
By 2015, the research firm expects Windows Phone to be number 2 operating system worldwide behind Android.
