Samsung sells more smartwatches, but Apple is still on top

A new market survey shows that smartwatch sales from Samsung and Xiaomi have risen sharply. The market share of the South Korean manufacturer increased by almost three percent and the number of sales increased by 46 percent. Xiaomi sold more than 69 percent more smartwatches compared to last year. Still, Apple is and will remain the frontrunner for the time being.

Market research smartwatches

According to a study by Counterpoint Research, the number of sales in the global smartwatch market has increased by 13 percent. So 13 percent more smartwatches were sold worldwide compared to the same period last year. This concerns the first quarter of 2021, compared to the first quarter of this year. Samsung in particular saw a significant increase, making the company the second largest smartwatch manufacturer in the world in terms of share in the number of smartwatches shipped. The company takes over this place from Huawei, which has dropped almost a whole percent in market share.

Samsung’s number of smartwatches sold rose by 46 percent, giving the company a 10.1 percent share. Last year this was still 7.8 percent. Other risers are Xiaomi, the Chinese manufacturer saw its number of smartwatches sold increase by 69 percent. As a result, the company now occupies 5 percent of the total market. Lastly, Apple’s share rose from 35.9 to 36.1 percent. This means that Apple still retains by far the largest share. All other manufacturers saw a decrease in the number of smartwatches sold. Also Fitbit, a well-known manufacturer of fitness trackers that has been part of Google since last year. In the chart below you can view the share per manufacturer.

Strong sales Galaxy Watch 4 and cheap Xiaomi smartwatches

According to Counterpoint, Xiaomi has mainly risen due to the many cheap smartwatches that the manufacturer brought to the market last year. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is the main reason for Samsung’s rise, according to the research. In our review we were also very pleased with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. Do you have a smartwatch or sports watch on your wrist? If so, which one do you have? Let us know in the comments.

In this category of smartwatches (Wear OS 3 smartwatches), the Watch 4 series is currently the best you can buy.