Smartwatches are continuing to grow even amid the on-going pandemic, and it’s Apple, Huawei and Samsung that are the key winners.
In the study by Counterpoint Research, Apple still maintains a smartwatch lead, nixing the charge from brands such as Huawei and Amazfit by extending its market share to 28% (up 2% YOY).
The launch of the sub $300 Apple Watch SE has generated a new surge of interest in the Apple Watch. And with the Series 3 still at $199, it has now got something for most budgets.
Huawei is now the second biggest global shipper of smartwatches, and has upped its market share market share 33% year-on-year to 15%.
Samsung has also upped its share to 10%. That’s up 2% on 2019. It might have been hoping for more traction with its new Galaxy Watch 3, but commands a top price point for its latest ECG-toting smartwatch.
The rest of the market is largely unchanged, with Fitbit (6%), Garmin (5%) both non-movers. Amazfit only managed a 1% increase to 5%, which is a surprise given the amount of smartwatches released by the company in 2020.
Fossil still figures in the running, but its share dipped from 4% to 2% of global shipments.
Clearly, Huawei is becoming a force in China – with the Huawei Watch GT 2e and GT 2 Pro both providing great features and battery life all at a great price. And its 15% market share tallies with a report from Canalys back in June.
But it still shows that Apple is staying ahead of the competition, managing to head off the budget brigade with a range of offerings.
How that changes in 2021, with the likes of Xiaomi releasing smartwatches into the West, and Amazfit partnering with Zepp, remains to be seen.
