May 28, 2021 10:55:00

The global smartwatch market grew significantly in the first quarter of 2021, and shipments increased by more than 30% year-on-year.

Market research firms Counterpoint Research and IDC have released data on shipments and market share of smartwatches and wearable devices in the first quarter of 2021 (January-March).

Global Smartwatch Shipments Jump 35% YoY in Q1 2021

https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-smartwatch-shipments-q1-2021/

Smaller Companies Fuel Growth in Worldwide Wearables Market in 1Q21, Says IDC
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS47794121

According to Counterpoint Research, global shipments of smartwatches in the first quarter of 2021 increased 35% year-on-year. IDC also reported that global smartwatch shipments in the first quarter of 2021 were 104.6 million units, up 34.4% from 77.8 million units in the year-ago quarter.

The following image shows the share of the smartwatch market by Counterpoint Research in the first quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.

And the share of the wearable device market announced by IDC is as follows. Since IDC data is a 'wearable device,' it also includes shipments of wireless earphones such as AirPods and Galaxy Buds.

Apple's Apple Watch, which had the largest share of about 30% in the first quarter of 2020, increased shipments by 50% year-on-year, and its share in the first quarter of 2021 also increased to 33.5%. It was. In addition,

Samsung, which develops Galaxy Watch , has not caught up with the overall growth in shipments, and although the market share itself has hardly changed, shipments have increased by 27% year-on-year.

On the other hand, Xiaomi's sales of watches and wireless earphones were strong, but shipments of wristband-type Mi smart bands declined. Huawei, which releases the Huawei Watch, steadily increased shipments of watches, wristbands, and wireless earphones in China, although its market share declined due to trade restrictions.

Regarding smartwatch operating systems, Counterpoint Research said, 'Apple's watchOS has more than one-third of the market share, but Google's Wear OS has not achieved that success. Is because major smartwatch brands have developed and installed their own operating systems, such as Fitbit OS, Tizen, and Garmin OS, and Wear OS lags behind in battery optimization and chipset support. 'Analysis.

However, with Google and Samsung announcing the integration of platforms for smartwatches, Counterpoint Research expects this trend to change significantly in the future.