Based on the company's latest figures, Google's platform now holds a 35 percent share of the global smartphone market, having shipped a total of 35.7 million Android handsets across the quarter.
That's up from the 33.3 million Canalys thinks were sold in Q4 2010.
Manufacturing might
Google's growth has, in turn, impacted on the market as a whole, with total smartphone shipments across platforms up by 83 percent, hitting 101 million units.
However, while Google will receive most of the plaudits for Android's acceleration, Canalys claims much of the leg work is actually being done by OEMs.
"HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola and Sony Ericsson drove Android shipments in the first quarter, with each vendor shipping well over 3 million devices," said principle analyst Pete Cunningham.
"Samsung also shipped nearly 3.5 million bada operating system-based smart phones, outperforming total shipments of Windows Phone devices by more than a million units.
"Samsung's own operating system development, combined with the branding and investment in its Wave smart phones at mid-tier prices, has led to good uptake in developed markets, such as France, the UK and Germany.
Never underestimate Nokia
Microsoft will be hoping that Nokia which remains the world's largest smartphone manufacturer according to Canalys can give Windows Phone 7 the kind of boost it will need to surpass the likes of bada in 2012.
In its current guise, the Finnish firm remained ahead of Apple, RIM, Samsung and HTC (in that order) in Q1 2011, shipping 24.2 million units to retail up 13 percent year-on-year.
Apple is continuing to make share gains, however, snapping up 19 percent of the market, In contrast, rival RIM is falling back, owing to what Canalys describes as the wait for a refresh to its smartphone portfolio as the firm focuses on PlayBook's debut.
"Nokia is under considerable strain in the smartphone market as it transitions strategy, platforms and people," added Cunningham.
"Its worldwide reach, however, should never be underestimated. Canalys' country-level data shows that the vendor remains number one in 28 countries, including mainland China, where it grew 79 percent to 8.9 million units, thanks in part to Chinese New Year shipments."
[source: Canalys]
