HTC’s handset shipments nearly tripled in the fourth quarter, more than doubling the smartphone maker’s revenue and profits, the company reported today.

The Taiwan-based manufacturer shipped 9.1 million handsets in the fourth quarter of 2010, up from just 3.5 million in the same period of 2009. The company also saw the average selling price for its handsets rise slightly from $348 in the fourth quarter of 2009 to $364 in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The rise in handset sales boosted the company’s revenue, which more than doubled to $3.57 billion for the fourth quarter of 2010 from $1.4 billion during the same period in 2009. Profits rose 160 percent year-over-year to $500 million.

HTC said it shipped 24.6 million handsets in 2010, up from 11.7 million in 2009. About half of its sales were in North America last year, with a third of its sales occurring in Europe and the rest in Asia.

The company’s handsets have gained significant traction in the U.S. market through deals like Sprint’s HTC Evo and the upcoming HTC Thunderbolt with Verizon. Looking ahead, the company said it expects to ship 8.5 million handsets in the first quarter as its new LTE products boost sales.

The first quarter is a typically a slow one for handset makers, but HTC said it expects a “relatively muted seasonal slowdown than previous years.” If it meets its estimates, the number of devices it ships in the first quarter of 2011 will be nearly triple the number of devices it shipped during the same time last year.