The global smartwatch competition landscape has changed: Xiaomi surpasses Samsung, and Apple ends a seven-quarter decline.

Image source: Jiemian Image Library

On December 24th, Jiemian News learned that the latest report released by data consulting firm Counterpoint Research shows that after a significant decline in 2024, the global smartwatch shipments are expected to increase by 7% year-on-year in 2025, driven by Huawei and Apple. Meanwhile, the brand competition landscape has undergone a significant reshuffle - Xiaomi has successfully overtaken Samsung to rank third, and Apple has also ended its seven - quarter consecutive decline.

In 2025, the changes in the global smartwatch market are mainly reflected in the launch of new - generation hardware and software functions, the increasing preference of consumers for mid - to high - end smartwatches, and the industry's growing focus on health - related functions.

Looking at the data changes of core brands, Apple, which ranks first with a 23% market share, has finally reversed its decline, with a 12% increase in shipments in the third quarter.

Data source: Counterpoint Research

Anshika Jain, a senior research analyst at Counterpoint, said, "It is expected that the shipments of Apple's new - generation smartwatches will also increase by 12% year - on - year in 2025. This rebound is mainly due to the launch of the highly anticipated cost - effective Watch SE 3 and the ultra - high - end Watch Ultra 3, which have significantly broadened Apple's coverage in different price ranges. Meanwhile, the addition of new features such as 5G support, satellite communication, and high - blood - pressure alerts has helped Apple recover significantly after seven consecutive quarters of year - on - year decline."

Huawei has become the fastest - growing company among the leading brands with a year - on - year growth rate of 42%. Its market share has increased from 13% in 2024 to 18% in the third quarter of 2025, an increase of 5 percentage points, ranking second.

The most prominent data change this quarter is the alternation of positions between Xiaomi and Samsung: Xiaomi's shipments increased by 22% year - on - year, with a market share of 9%, ranking third; although Samsung's market share only decreased from 9% in the same period of 2024 to 8% in the third quarter of 2025, its growth rate lags far behind Xiaomi. Behind this change is Xiaomi's effective strategy of covering the sinking market with cost - effective products and promoting the upgrade of health functions, while Samsung's competitiveness in the mid - to low - end market has weakened, ultimately leading to Xiaomi overtaking Samsung.

It is worth noting that from 2024 to 2025, the Chinese market has continued to account for the largest global shipment share under the accelerated popularization of domestic brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and Xiaotiancai.

Jain mentioned that China has become the most crucial growth engine in the global smartwatch market, with three of the world's top five brands coming from China. Government subsidy policies have promoted device upgrades, and Huawei, Xiaomi, and Xiaotiancai have continuously enhanced user stickiness through their respective differentiated product layouts and ecological strategies. Driven by the growth of residents' income and the wide popularization of domestic brands, the market share of the Chinese market is expected to increase from 25% in 2024 to about 31% in 2025.

When talking about the market prospects of smartwatches, David Naranjo, the deputy director of Counterpoint, said that the smartwatch industry in 2025 is particularly prominent, and the wave of function - driven innovation has fundamentally improved device performance. AI integration, 5G support, satellite communication, and MicroLED display technology have become the most representative upgrade highlights. Even lower - priced models are now starting to offer AI - driven user experiences and upgraded health sensors to re - attract users of basic - model smartwatches who have previously switched away. This renewed focus on function upgrades and user value is forming a positive feedback loop and is expected to drive market growth in 2025.

This article is from the WeChat official account “Jiemian News”. Author: Song Jianan. Republished by 36Kr with permission.