Gartner: Windows Phone sales increased 450% YoY, 62% between Q3 and Q4 2011

Gartner have released their quarterly numbers for Q4 2011, and it shows encouraging news for Windows Phone 7.

According to Gartner 2.759 million Windows Phones were sold in Q4 2011, taking us one percenters nearly to the 2% market share mark.

While this would appear to be a decline from Q4 2011, we know from research released earlier that Gartner does not believe any more Windows Mobile handsets are being sold, making that pure Windows Phone sales.

An estimated 500,000 Windows Phones were sold in Q4 2010, making that an estimated 450% YoY growth.

Sales are also up Quarter on Quarter, with 1.7 million WP7 handsets sold in Q3 2011, meaning sales increased 62% QoQ.

Full year 2011 Windows Phone sales would come to 7.88 million and sales to the end of Q4 2011 around 8.4 million.

The numbers also indicate that Nokia did in fact grow the market, rather than just steal market share from other Windows Phone 7 OEMs. Of course the question remains whether HTC, LG and Samsung can maintain their Windows Phone momentum as compared to Nokia or will leave the field to them alone.

Gartner’s Cozza told the Economic Times she expects Windows Phone to reach an 8.6% share of smartphones by the end of the year.

See Gartner’s report here.