Whilst Google’s Android OS dominates the software side of the smartphone scene, new figures have revealed Apple sold more smarpthone devices than any other manufacturer in 2011.

Responsible for 19 per cent of all the smartphones sold last year, Apple saw strong fourth quarter sales bolster its market share with the arrival of the iPhone 4S seeing the Cupertino based company take a 23.8 per cent share of all smartphone devices shifted in the final three months of the year.

“Western Europe and North America led most of the smartphone growth for Apple during the fourth quarter of 2011," said Roberta Cozza, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner.

Whilst flattering Apple on the hardware front, the figures, compiled by analyst firm Gartner, have offered an insight into the continued dominance of Google Android operating system. Having been the operating system of choice on more than half of all smartphones shifted in the final two quarters of 2011, the Android platform rounded out the year with an overall 46.5 per cent share of the smartphone sector.

Riding on the success of the Samsung Galaxy S II and a flurry of other Android offering, Samsung has the year’s second most prolific handset manufacturer whilst BlackBerry producer Research in Motion saw its share of the smartphone scene whimper to just 10.9 per cent.

What was your top handset of 2011? Does Apple take top honours on your list or were you more impressed by a strong Android offering? Let us know via the T3 Twitter and Facebook pages.

Via: TheTelegraph