Mobile analyst firm Juniper Research is the latest company to estimate last year’s smartphone figures.

It’s calculated that more than 200 million smartphones were shipped in Q4 of 2012, bringing the annual total to 671 million: that’s annual growth of almost 42% year-on-year.

ABI Research, the International Data Corporation, Juniper Research and Strategy Analytics have all published their estimates for mobile phone sales in 2012. Although some manufacturers release shipment or sales figures as part of their quarterly results, others - such as Samsung - don’t provide a detailed breakdown.

The full statement from IDC is below.

James Rosewell writes:

Huawei is a company one can’t miss at Mobile World Congress. They bring their own building!  Plus last year a wonderful “Pegasus” flying horse sculpture made using Ascend handsets was proudly displayed next to the main fountain to hail the launch of the Ascend series of handsets.

Huawei has been busy following MWC12. They now run major parts of Everything Everywhere, Three and O2’s network in the UK. On a less positive note they’re not welcome in the US.

But how has the devices side of the business performed?

It's another packed podcast this week, starting with mobile payments and ending with DIY mobile accessories.

We also cover manufacturing news, mobile VoIP calling, a new virtual network heading for the UK high street, shop closures, smart accessories and phablets.

Huawei has announced details of its 2012 financial results ahead of the audited figures due in April.

Global sales revenues for the year are expected to reach 220.2 billion Chinese Yuan (£22.3 billion), up 8% on 2011, while net profit is expected to be up 33% to CNY 15.4 billion.