Canalys data says Xiaomi is the top smartwatch maker

Sep 4, 2021 18:59 GMT  ·  By

Apple has long been the number one smartwatch manufacturer in the world, as the Apple Watch just kept selling like hotcakes every single quarter.

While sales of the Apple Watch remain strong, the Cupertino-based tech giant sees increased competition from other big names on the market, and most recently, Xiaomi became the most powerful rival in the smartwatch business too.

And according to Canalys, the Chinese tech giant managed to overtake Apple in the second quarter of 2021, as it sold no less than 8 million wearable bands (these include both bands/activity trackers and smartwatches), enough to secure a market share of 19.6 percent.

Apple, on the other hand, sold 7.9 million units, this time for a market share of 19.3 percent, according to the same market research firm.

Huawei remains the third company in the charts with 3.7 million units but a massive 53.9 percent decrease versus the second quarter in 2020.

Xiaomi leading the market now

“Xiaomi overtook Apple to become the top-shipping wearable band vendor in Q2 2021. Xiaomi’s performance was bolstered by the launch of the Mi Smart Band 6, despite India, one of Xiaomi’s strongholds, not on the initial global launch list. Huawei hung on to third place, mostly relying on China to stay afloat,” Canalys explains.

When it comes to smartwatches alone, Apple is still the leading brand with 31.1 percent of the market, while Huawei is the runner-up with 9 percent. Garmin is third with 1.9 million sold units and 7.6 percent market share.

“It is vital that vendors invest in next-generation health sensors and developing in-house algorithms and solutions to not only track vital biomarkers, but also to ensure good accuracy and reliability. Vendors should focus on giving users insights into health trends involving data collected over a longer period of time, so that they can understand how their lifestyles are affecting their wellbeing,” Canalys Research Manager Jason Low explained.