The smartwatch segment is declining, but i two major manufacturers on the market hannor increased shipments and market share. The confirmation comes from a new Counterpoint report linked to second quarter of 2026.
According to the report, the smartwatch industry is in 4% drop on an annual basis while estimates for 2026 foresee marginal growth (around 3%) for shipments.
Huawei and Apple lead the market
It is still driving the market Huawei which, during the second quarter, increased shipments by 1%, bringing its market share at 21.8%.
This is a record value for the Chinese company which is carving out a space as an absolute protagonist of the market, globally and not only in China (which remains the main market for Huawei). Recall that the company has just unveiled the Watch GT 7 series.
Second place for Appleprotagonist of an excellent quarter, closing with a +14%. The Cupertino company achieved a market share of 20.1%, with an increase of over 3 points on an annual basis.
The Top 5 manufacturers see imoo in third place, with a market share of 7.8% and a drop in shipments of 3%, Xiaomi, with a share of 6.1% and a drop in shipments of 38%.
In fifth position, however, there is Garminwhich reaches a share of 5.6%, recording an increase in shipments of 11%. The other producers, however, fell by 85%.
Counterpoint’s MIohit Agrawal commented on the results:
“High-end users tend to keep their watches longer, while the core segment continues to shrink, so we expect shipment growth of only about 1% in 2026. However, Edge AI in smartwatches, blood pressure monitoring, and the race towards non-invasive blood sugar monitoring give consumers a reason to upgrade their device. This is what supports our 3% compound annual growth (CAGR) forecast through 2030.”
