A new report has revealed that the global smartwatch market has seen notable growth of 35 percent year on year in the first quarter of this year. Apple led the market and even saw a whopping 50 percent growth year on year as well.

Global Smartwatch

According to a Counterpoint Research report, the Cupertino based giant led the market thanks to the robust demand for its latest Series 6 models. The iPhone maker’s overall market share also rose by 3 percent. Meanwhile, Samsung shipments also rose by 27 percent year on year, with its Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active series being in demand. However, the South Korean smartphone maker’s growth was below the overall market average and it even saw a slight decline in its market share.

Similarly, Huawei also saw a fall in its market share in this category, despite having a strong performance in the same period a year ago. The smartwatch shipments include basic smartwatches with low level proprietary OS, wearables for children, and even high end smartwatches as well. Senior Analyst Sujeong Lim said that “Apple was able to further solidify its leadership position in the market by widening the portfolio from Watch SE to Series 6 at the right time. This may drive Samsung to launch a mid-price-tier model to boost growth.”

Global Smartwatch

Lim further added that “Huawei continued to face headwinds because of the declining smartwatch sales and how well Huawei watches are optimized for its smartphones. Will be interesting to see when Huawei launches its first watch based on HarmonyOS, as it hinted at the Huawei Analyst Summit last month. This should kickstart a new ecosystem for developers to build experiences for the wrist. But it will warrant a HarmonyOS phone as well for the complete experience. HONOR, spun off from Huawei, should open up new opportunities for players such as Google and Qualcomm.”

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