Smartphones surpass feature phone shipments for first time

The feature phone's days are numbered, at least in Western Europe, as smartphone shipment numbers overtook for the first time over the most recent three months.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), feature-phone shipments fell by 29 per cent, putting the number at 20.4 million, reports the Independent.

Smartphone shipments rose by 50 per cent to 21.8 million.

Android handsets represented half of all smartphones shipped, with Samsung top of the pecking order. The total of 10.5 million handsets is an increase of 352 per cent.

Speaking on the cannibalisation of Symbian, Francisco Jeronimo of the IDC, said HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericsson 'have been able to drive strong volumes and to grab the biggest slice of share.'

Whilst Symbian and the feature-phone are in decline in Western Europe, Nokia is hoping to rise again with the help of Microsoft's Windows Phone platform.

And although there was a massive increase in growth for the smartphone, the overall mobile phone market has shrank 3 per cent compared to 2010 because of the current financial climate.

Jeronimo explained: 'The economic environment in the eurozone is deteriorating, with a direct impact on consumer demand.'

Previous research by the IDC suggested one billion smartphones will ship in 2015, with Android maintaining a lion's share of the market.

The research firm also believes Windows Phone will overtake BlackBerry for third place by the same year.