Nokia, Samsung lead phone shipments to new heights in 2011

Global Phone Shipments Q4 2011

Mobile phone shipments hit a record 1.6 billion units in 2011 according to a new report by Strategy Analytics. Leading the charge were perennial stalwarts Nokia and Samsung, but Apple's smartphone business contributed a significant amount as well.

The 1.6 billion mobile phones shipped for the year was an increase of 14 percent over 2010's figure, which only saw 1.4 billion shipped. Nokia held onto its lead as number one mobile phone maker in the world with 417.1 million phones shipped, despite its shipments dropping 8 percent from 2010. Samsung was number two in the world, with 327.4 million phones shipped, an increase of 18 percent from the previous year.

Apple moved a total of 93 million phones in 2011, which is quite remarkable since it only sells smartphones and does not have the low-end cell phone lineup that Nokia and Samsung get most of their volume from. Apple's 2011 sales were nearly double that of 2010, spurred on by its very strong holiday quarter that saw 37 million iPhones sold.