According to research firm Gartner, smartphone sales has overtaken its feature phone counterparts for the very first time. Releasing a report entitled “Market Share Analysis: Mobile Phones, Worldwide, 4Q13 and 2013”, detailing a comprehensive breakdown for total phone sales in 2013. Smartphones registered a market share of 57.6% in the fourth quarter of 2013, and 53.6% for the year as a whole. Gartner’s findings also indicated a large spike in smartphone unit sales in 2013, compared to 2012, with a 42.3% increase totalling 968 million units.

The report included a forecast of one billion Android phone sales for 2014, with Android OS-powered smartphones accounting for 78.4% of the current OS market .  

Gartner’s 2013 annual phone sales report indicated the respective market shares for the major manufacturers during the last twelve months. Samsung was named the frontrunner among worldwide smartphone vendor sales with a 31% market share. The South Korean manufacturers closest rival was Apple, with a 15.6% market share, showing a sharp drop when compared to its numbers in 2012 of 19.1%. Interestingly this loss in market share went against a growth in unit sales, with Apple registering approximately 150 million units in 2013 compared to 130 million units in 2012.

This trend may be as a result of the growth shown by other manufacturers, with Huawei, LG and Lenovo displaying marked improvements in both unit sales and market shares in 2013.

The fourth quarter period displayed a similar breakdown in numbers, with Apple selling more units, but still experiencing a loss in market share. Similarly, Samsung maintained its top spot and Huawei, LG and Lenovo rounded up the top five vendors.

It appears consumers voracious appetite for smartphone technology has not dissipated in the slightest. It will prove interesting to see how Samsung will look to ensure its reigning status and how Apple will try to keep ahead of the chasing pack. For more information, have a look at the Gartner report here.