"Overall market growth in 2010 was exceptional, " said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

ENGADGET: IDC fails to learn from previous mistakes, issues 2015 smartphone predictions

"The share decline of smartphone operating systems not named iOS since Android's introduction isn't a coincidence, " said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

ENGADGET: IDC: Android claims 75 percent of smartphone shipments in Q3, 136 million handsets sold

IDC's senior analyst Kevin Restivo puts it down to Huawei's advantage in low-cost devices, not to mention its placement within China -- a country that can't get enough of phones.

ENGADGET