According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew by 44-percent annually, with a record 117 million units in Q3 2011. Samsung sped past Apple to claim top spot as the world's number one smartphone vendor. Samsung shipped 28 million smartphones and overtook Apple to become the world's largest smartphone vendor by volume with 24-percent market share.

Director at Strategy Analytics, Neil Mawston says:

After just one quarter in the top spot, Apple slipped behind Samsung to second position and captured 15 percent share. Apple's global smartphone growth rate slowed to just 21 percent annually in Q3 2011, its lowest level for two years. We believe Apple's growth during the third quarter was affected by consumers and operators awaiting the launch of the new iPhone 4S in the fourth quarter, volatile economic conditions in several key countries, and tougher competition from Samsung's popular Galaxy S2 model.

But, numbers are more impressive. Comparing 2010 to 2011, Samsung shipped 7.5 million units in Q3 2010, while shipping 27.8 million in Q3, 2011. Apple on the other hand, didn't really expand that much, with shipped users sitting at 14.1 million in Q3 2010, and this year, just 17.1 million. If we compare marketshare between Q3 2010 and 2011, we see Samsung at 9.3 and 23.8-percent, for 2010 and 2011, respectively. Apple on the other hand slipped from 17.4-percent in Q3 2010 to 14.6-percent in Q3, 2011.