Google’s mobile platform Android has overtaken Symbian to become the top smartphone platform in Q4 2010, research firm Canalys reports.

Global sales of Android phones in the fourth quarter of 2010 was 33.3 million, compared to Symbian’s 31 million. Apple is in third place with 16.2 million iOS-based smartphones shipped, followed by RIM with 14.6 million and Microsoft with 3.1 million devices shipped.

Overall, the global smartphone market grew 89% compared to Q4 2009, exceeding 100 million units for the first time in the final quarter of 2010.

Android has been embraced by manufacturers such as LG, Samsung, Acer and HTC, all of them experiencing great results with devices based on that platform.

The change at the top was expected as Nokia recently reported comparably weak smartphone sales, a result of the company’s struggles to transform its Symbian platform into a worthy competitor to Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.