It comes as no surprise that the smartphone market is growing at an impressive rate, but some numbers to back up the obvious to always pleasant. The global smartphone market has grown by 42.5% in the year ending Q1 2012, while the overall mobile phone market has declined 1.5% according to IDC.

Samsung has more than doubled its smartphone market share in the last year, and is sitting pretty on the top rung at 29.1%, up from 11.3% a year ago. This is most likely thanks to the successful Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note smartphones selling in the seven digit range.

Apple has also increased its market share by just under 6% to 24.2%, helped by the launch of the iPhone 4S. The measurable gains from Samsung and Apple come at the expense of Nokia, RIM and HTC however. Chances are that HTC and Nokia will rebound with recent launches of the One and Lumia series. Things aren't looking up for RIM however.

KitGuru says: The growth of the global smartphone market comes as no surprise; cheaper smartphones and greater availability in developing countries would both be major factors.

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