The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has had a storming start to life, and dominated Q3 2021 shipments.
That’s according to an analyst report by Counterpoint Research, which estimated that global shipments of smartwatches had grown 16% year-on-year.
But it was the Galaxy Watch 4 that was the outstanding winner.
The report estimates that the Galaxy Watch 4 expanded Samsung’s market share to 14.4%, up from 9.9% in 2020. But the biggest impact, according to the estimates, is on Apple’s market share – which dropped to 21.8% from 28% a year ago.
It’s testament to the strength of the Galaxy Watch 4, and the growth will be music to the ears of both Samsung and Google.
Credit: Counterpoint Research
The Watch 4 took us all off guard when rumors emerged that Samsung was planning to switch to Wear OS 3.0, which had been languishing in terms of market share, despite being used by so many brands.
And the benefit to Wear OS is also evident in the report. Wear OS jumped from 3% of the market in 2020, to 17% in 2021.
So what of the rest of the market? In terms of market share it seems Huawei lost ground in Q3, while Amazfit and Fitbit stayed steady.
Counterpoint Research also estimates that 1/3 of smartwatches sold in Q3 2021 were priced under $100.
But there are caveats. Q3 is an odd time for releases ahead of the busy Holiday season, and Apple’s launch of the Series 7 was hit by delays into Q4. So the swing in market share might appear a little more dramatic.
However, there’s no doubt that Samsung and Google’s smartwatch is off to a bang.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.