Counterpoint’s latest quarterly global smartwatch tracker is out, and unsurprisingly, Apple continues to comfortably dominate the market. But although Apple Watch shipments are expected to further grow by the end of this year, as well as in 2019, the company’s market share has actually declined from 35 to 30 percent between Q3 2017 and Q3 2018.
The biggest winner was by far Fitbit, which followed Apple in second place in both US and global smartwatch sales in the July - September 2018 timeframe. The veteran fitness tracker vendor is still a relative newcomer to the smartwatch stage, finding surprisingly great mainstream success with the Versa.
The affordable, decent-looking, and sensor-packed wearable device crucially contributed to Fitbit’s year-on-year rise from 6 to 16 percent smartwatch market share around the world, although the company may need a little more product diversity to continue growing.
Namely, Counterpoint Research analysts believe Fitbit’s portfolio is in dire need of LTE-enabled models to properly take on the most popular Apple Watch variants. Speaking of that, the Series 1 was reportedly the “single biggest selling SKU” again... before being discontinued, accounting for almost half of all Q3 2018 Apple Watch shipments.
But the Series 3 also saw an encouraging uptick “later in the quarter” thanks to deals and discounts, while Series 4 demand is expected to be solid throughout the holiday season.
The “enthusiastic response” to the Series 4 launch also helped Apple’s overall quarterly numbers to surge by 31 percent year-on-year, making the market share decrease feel almost completely insignificant.
Meanwhile, the name of the world’s third-largest smartwatch vendor is unlikely to ring any bells in the Western Hemisphere, as Imoo focuses entirely on kid-friendly products for China. Samsung is ranked fourth, with a shrinking share, but rising shipments thanks to good Gear S3 and Galaxy Watch performance.
Last but not least, we should also highlight total worldwide smartwatch shipments gained an impressive 53 percent this past quarter compared to the same period last year.
Create a free account and join our vibrant community
Register to enjoy the full PhoneArena experience. Here’s what you get with your PhoneArena account:
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
![T-Mobile users can get iPhone 16 for the price of a budget phone (no new line) [UPDATED]](https://m-cdn.phonearena.com/images/article/167601-wide-two_350/T-Mobile-users-can-get-iPhone-16-for-the-price-of-a-budget-phone-no-new-line-UPDATED.jpg)
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: