Samsung has become the world's largest cellphone maker, while overall sales of mobile phones fell 2 percent in January-March after 10 straight quarters of growth, research firm Gartner says.

The global decline stems from Chinese buyers holding back purchases in anticipation of new models and economic uncertainties weighing on developed markets, Gartner said Wednesday.

The data confirmed that South Korea's Samsung became the top cellphone maker in the quarter, ending Finnish group Nokia's 14-year reign after years of losing ground, particularly in smartphones.

"The economic environment is challenging in Western Europe and North America," Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta said.

Handset sales in China, the largest single cellphone market, dropped more than 6 percent from a year ago as consumers waited for new, more advanced models coming to the market this quarter or next, he said.

Gupta said Nokia was hurt the most by the slowdown in demand. Its overall market share shrank to 19.8 percent from 25.1 percent a year ago, while its smartphone share dropped to just 9 percent in the quarter.