Canalys: 5.1 Million Windows Phone Devices Shipped in Q4 2012

Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system powered 5.1 million devices sold in the fourth quarter of the last year, a recent report from Canalys shows.

The research firm notes that the OS has managed to grab 2.4 percent of the smartphone market in the timeframe, remaining on the fourth position after Android, iOS and BlackBerry.

Most of the Windows Phone handsets sold in the three-month period were Nokia phones, which has already confirmed sales of 4.4 million Lumia devices for Q4 2012.

“When we look at the whole of 2012, Nokia remained the number three smart phone vendor, shipping 35 million units,” Pete Cunningham, principal analyst, says.

Previous estimates suggested that Windows Phone could become the third largest smartphone OS in the next few years, and the platform’s recent performance in the United States appears to have confirmed that.