IDC: Huawei was the #1 smartwatch maker in Q1-Q3 this year, Xiaomi was the fastest growing | Infinium-tech
The global market for wrist-worn smart devices – a category that combines smartwatches with simple fitness trackers – has reached 150+ million units shipped during the first three quarters of this year. This represents an increase of 10% compared to the same period last year. IDC Report.
Among them, smartwatches accounted for nearly 120 million units, up 7.3% year-on-year. Demand for simple and affordable fitness trackers saw a huge growth of 21.3% year-on-year, with a total of 32.86 million units.
Huawei remained the global leader during these 9 months. The Huawei Watch GT 6 and Watch GT 6 Pro helped boost shipments. And while Huawei’s total of 28.6 million units shipped globally is impressive, the majority of them – 20.8 million – went to China. IDC says Huawei is working on increasing its overseas presence.
Global market for wrist-worn smart devices (Source: IDC)
Xiaomi ranked #2 and was the fastest growing manufacturer in the top 5. It sold 27.9 million units with strong demand for affordable models like the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 and various Redmi Watches. Of course, Xiaomi was strong in China, but it also had a notable presence in Southeast Asia and South America.
In contrast, Apple, which is #3 globally and #4 in China, offers only mid-range to high-end models. This year the focus was on advancing connectivity features like 5G and satellite messaging.
Chinese market for wrist-worn smart devices (Source: IDC)
IDC says such advanced connectivity, along with integrating AI applications and more sophisticated health-tracking features, will be key drivers of growth over the next year. This is not just for Apple, but for all companies.
Samsung (#4 globally) was on a decline in the first half of the year when the Galaxy Watch8 and Galaxy Watch8 Classic arrived (in Q3) and pushed the company to higher year-over-year numbers in the first three quarters.
Source (in Chinese)
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