Gartner issued its “mobile devices” report for the first quarter of 2011, two weeks after rival IDC’s.

Here’s what Gartner had to say about Apple (AAPL):

Apple sold 16.9 million units to end users worldwide, more than doubling its sales of iPhones year-on-year. This market-beating growth came from all regions: the iPhone is now available in 90 countries from 186 CSPs [communications service providers].

“This strong performance helped Apple consolidate its position as the fourth largest brand in the mobile communication market overall,” said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner. “Considering the higher than average price of the iPhone this is a remarkable result and highlights the impact that a strong aspirational brand can have on a product.”

Below: Gartner and IDC’s spreadsheets. Note that IDC is measuring shipments and Gartner sales to end users.

Top Five Smartphone Vendors, Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, First Quarter 2011 (Preliminary Results) (shipments in millions of units)