Huawei beats Apple to top spot in resurgent smartwatch market

The number of smartwatches shipped worldwide changed by +8% in the second quarter of 2025 (2Q2025), as opposed to the negative figures of the preceding 5 quarters.

The amount of the advanced wearables shipped by Huawei grew by no less than 52% compared to 2Q2024, while Apple's share dropped by 3% year-on-year.

Samsung's shipments of its Galaxy Watches also declined by 3% while those of Xiaomi's Watches grew by 38%, although the former managed to stay in the top 5 worldwide in terms of market share.

Huawei's share grew to an unprecedented 21%, allowing it to dethrone Apple (at 17%) for the first time in its history as a smartwatch OEM.

China also rose to #1 in terms of shipments and market share per region for the first time in 2Q2025, possibly reflecting an increased demand for smartwatches of between $100 and $400 in price, according to Counterpoint Research.

Huawei might be in line for more smartwatch success in 3Q2025 with the imminent launch of the Watch GT 6 - although Apple could hit right back with the Watch 10 series soon.