China’s smartwatch shipments rose 5% YoY in Q2 2023 to mark the market’s gradual recovery.
Huawei remained the best-selling brand with a 39% market share.
imoo (BBK) surpassed Apple to rank second in market share.
The≥$500 price band’s share increased significantly, while the ≤$50 price band’s share decreased significantly.
Beijing, New Delhi, Seoul, Hong Kong, London, Buenos Aires, San Diego – August 30, 2023
标志着逐步复苏在2023年第二季度,中国的smartwatch shipments increased 5% YoY, according to Counterpoint Research’s latestGlobal Smartwatch Model Tracker.
Senior Analyst Shenghao Baisaid, “The YoY rise in Q2 came on a low base of the same period last year. At the same time, the holiday travel in Q2 and the 618 e-commerce festival also boosted consumer demand for smartwatches. The market has recovered slightly better than we had predicted.”
Source: Counterpoint’s Global Smartwatch Model Tracker
Note: Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding
Market summary
Huaweirecorded a 58% YoY growth, maintaining its good reputation among consumers. The newly launched Huawei Watch 4 and Huawei Watch 4 Pro series models were popular with consumers, while old models such as the Huawei Watch GT 3 series still sold well. Another newly launched model, the Huawei Watch Ultimate, contributed to the brand’s performance in the ultra-premium segment.
imoo(BBK) benefited from the demand in the first full back-to-school quarter after the pandemic lockdown was lifted in China. Its multiple offline retail stores also contributed to the brand’s growth.
Applerecorded a 15% YoY decrease in Q2 2023. Although the Apple Watch Series 8 was the best-selling model family in China during the quarter, its shipments decreased 25% compared to that of its predecessor Apple Watch Series 7 in Q2 2022. With new product launches expected in Q3 2023, Apple is likely to increase its market share in the quarter.
Xiaomirecorded a decrease of 15% YoY but an increase of 7% QoQ. The brand still took the biggest share in the ≤$50 segment. Waning consumer interest in entry-level products contributed to the decline in Xiaomi’s market share.
OPPOachieved a 28% YoY increase in Q2 2023. Promotions during the 618 e-commerce festival helped the OPPO Watch 3 and OPPO Watch 3 Pro’s sales.
Source: Counterpoint’s Global Smartwatch Model Tracker
Note: The price refers to the wholesale price
In terms of wholesale price bands, the ≤$50 band’s share significantly dropped compared to the same period last year. This price band’s share has been recording YoY drops in the past several quarters. On the other hand, the ≥$500 segment’s share rose significantly to 11% from almost negligible in Q2 2022.
Research Analyst Alicia Gongsaid, “The entry-level products with simple features are not as popular with consumers as they once were. A growing number of consumers are gravitating toward smarter devices with more health monitoring, sports tracking and guidance functions. Since the Apple Watch Ultra’s release last year, the share of premium segments has been growing. The promotions during the 618 e-commerce festival also contributed to these segments’ growth.”
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media, and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
The global smartwatch market continued to contract in Q1 2023 following an 8% YoY decline in Q4 2022.
Fire-Boltt surpassed Samsung for the first time in the global smartwatch market, capturing the second spot.
All regions except India witnessed a YoY decline in shipments in Q1 2023.
Seoul, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, Buenos Aires, San Diego – May 25, 2023
Global smartwatch shipmentscontracted 1.5% YoY in Q1 2023, according to Counterpoint Research’s latestGlobal Smartwatch Model Tracker. The 121% growth in India’s shipments managed to restrict the decline. This was the second consecutive quarter of a YoY decrease in global shipments, which were hit by the seasonal decline in demand for products from major players like Apple and Samsung, along with consumer sentiment dampened by global financial pressures.
Research Analyst Woojin Sonsaid, “The global smartwatch market, which had been experiencing steep growth for several years, has entered a period of stagnation since the end of last year when itdeclined 8% YoY in Q4 2022. Amid a global slowdown in demand for tech devices, the smartwatch consumption trend has also undergone a transformation. The market share of high-price and high-performance HLOS smartwatches*, primarily released by Apple and Samsung, decreased from 60% in Q1 2022 to 53% in Q1 2023. On the other hand, the market share of Basic smartwatches* significantly increased from 23% to 34% driven by rapid growth in the Indian market. Although the overall smartwatch shipment volume declined slightly compared to last year, affordable products that offer a certain level of performance generated substantial demand based on their price accessibility. These low-end smartwatches are also absorbing or replacing the existingsmartband market.”
Global Top 3 Smartwatch Brands’ Shipment Share, Q1 2023 vs Q1 2022
Source: Counterpoint Global Smartwatch Model Shipment & Revenue Tracker, Q1 2023
Market summary
Apple’s shipment volume fell 20% YoY in Q1 2023. This was the first time in three years that its Q1 shipments fell below 10 million units. As a result, Apple’s market share, which was 32% in Q1 2022, dropped to 26%. This can be attributed to the ongoing macroeconomic crisis, which has led to decreased accessibility to relatively higher-priced Apple Watches. Despite the Apple Watch Series 8’s release about a month ahead of its predecessor, it did not achieve the same level of success as the previous model.
Indian brandFire-Bolttsurpassed Samsung for the first time and reached the second position in the global market. Its shipments increased by approximately three times compared to the previous year and saw a 57% growth compared to the previous quarter. This reflects the rapid growth of the Indian market, just like other local brands such asNoiseandboAt.
WhileSamsungexperienced a 15% increase in shipments in its key market North America, it witnessed a decline in shipments in other major markets. As a result, its overall global shipments declined by 15% compared to the previous year and 21% compared to the previous quarter.
Huawei, the most influential Chinese OEM, saw a 14% YoY decline in its shipments in the Chinese market, which is a key market for the company. However, Huawei saw increased shipments in India, LATAM and MEA, limiting its overall decline in global shipments to 9%. Huawei has been employing a strategy of relaunching models previously released for the Chinese market in the international market.
Smartwatch Shipment Share by Region, Q1 2023 vs Q1 2022
Note: Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding
Source: Counterpoint Global Smartwatch Model Tracker, Q1 2023
In terms of the regional markets, India surpassed North America, reclaiming its position as the top region with a 27% share of global smartwatch shipments.Senior Analyst Anshika Jainsaid, “India’s smartwatch market grew 121% YoY in Q1 2023 driven by affordability, rising customer demand and availability of a wide variety of options in the budget segment. Around 40% of the total shipments were driven by the
China’s smartwatch marketexperienced a significant contraction of 28% compared to the previous year, as the country’s economy showed a slower recovery than expected. This decline represents the sharpest contraction among the major regional markets and the lowest quarterly shipments since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Q1 2020.
*Types of smartwatches:
HLOS smartwatch:Electronic watch running a high-level OS, such as Watch OS (Apple) or Wear OS (Samsung), with the ability to install third-party apps.
Basic smartwatch:Electronic watch running a lighter version of an OS, with no ability to install third-party apps.
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media, and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
最近的一项消费者调查从对位发现that nearly 80% of iPhone users who own a smartwatch own an Apple Watch.
Over 98% of smartwatch users said they were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their device.
Health and fitness tracking was reported as the most used feature among respondents, followed by notification checking.
According to Counterpoint’s Smartwatch Tracker, Apple grabbed 56% of shipments in the US in 2022.
Counterpoint’s most recent consumer survey shows that nearly 80% of smartwatch users who own an iPhone report that they own an Apple Watch. This was the highest share of any brand. Google Pixel users come in second with 71% of Pixel smartphone users who own a smartwatch saying that they own the Google Pixel Watch.
These findings help explain howApple managed to achieve 56% share of the USsmartwatchmarketin 2022 (according toCounterpoint’s US Smartwatch Tracker). Meanwhile, among Samsung smartphone users who own a smartwatch, only 40% use Samsung Galaxy Watches. Samsung’s struggle to get Galaxy smartphone users to adopt its smartwatches is also clear in Counterpoint’s sell-through data. According to Counterpoint’s Smartwatch Tracker and US Sell-Through by Channel Tracker, Apple sold about one Apple Watch for every three iPhones in Q4 2022, while Samsung sold only one Galaxy Watch for every ten Galaxy smartphones in the US.
Commenting on Apple’s success in the US smartwatch market,Research Analyst Matthew Orfsaid, “Our consumer research survey supports a general premise of ours – consumers generally purchase their devices as part of a broader ecosystem of devices and operating systems. Apple and iOS dominate the US smartphone market and iPhone users are more likely to adopt other Apple products due to their superior interoperability. With Apple’s smartphone installed base sharesurpassing 50%, it has a huge potential market to target with Apple Watches, while other smartwatch brands are stuck fighting for the rest of the pie. According to Apple Watch users, the most significant reason for selecting their current smartwatch was that they like the brand.”
US Smartwatch Consumer Survey-Key Insights
Source: Counterpoint Research US Smartwatch Consumer Study, 2023
The top three smartwatch features according to respondents are health and activity tracking, notification access, and messaging and calling, with health and activity tracking being most popular among older users and notification checking being more popular among younger users. Popular health and activity tracking features include step counter, sleep tracker, heart rate monitor and blood oxygen monitor. Meanwhile, users are also using their smartwatches for connectivity – interacting with notifications from social media as well as messaging and calling friends, family and coworkers. When asked about their overall experience with their current smartwatch, more than 70% of the respondents using Apple, Samsung, Google and Garmin smartwatches reported being “very satisfied” with their device and 82% stated they wore their smartwatch every day.
Commenting on the high overall level of satisfaction among smartwatch users,Senior Analyst Arushi Chawla说:“有趣的是,smartwatch users are overwhelmingly satisfied with their devices. Despite Apple’s gargantuan lead in brand stickiness and its brand popularity, users of other smartwatch brands did not report a significantly lower level of satisfaction with their devices. Sometimes we hear from consumers who do not own a smartwatch that there are no strong use cases for smartwatches, and this hinders adoption. But according to our consumer study, smartwatch users are overwhelmingly satisfied with their devices, citing health and fitness tracking, as well as notification access, as central uses. This suggests that there is room to educate consumers on the benefits of smartwatches in everyday life and further drive the adoption of the form factor. OEMs and component players stand to gain if they can educate consumers on how smartwatches can benefit their daily lives.”
In addition to collecting insights into user satisfaction and smartwatch use, Counterpoint’s consumer survey also investigated how long users have owned their device as well as when they intend to purchase their next device. In total, 59% of respondents had purchased their smartwatch in the past year and only 14% had purchased their device more than two years ago. About 50% of the respondents stated they intended to purchase a new smartwatch within the next year, while only 16% said they intended to purchase their next smartwatch in over two years. This points to a holding period of just over two years for most users. Additionally, 77% of the respondents stated that Apple was the most preferred brand for their next smartwatch. The share of respondents willing to pay $500 or more for their next smartwatch was double the share of those who stated they spent $500 or more on their current smartwatch, suggesting rising ASPs for the segment.
For further details, reach out to Counterpoint Research for thefull reporton our latest consumer survey. This report features insights into current smart device ownership, smartwatch purchase journey, current smartwatch usage, current smartwatch experience, and future purchase preferences.
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media, and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
Dixon led the Made in India TV shipments, followed by Radiant.
巴拉特富士康领导在印度TWS出货量,佛llowed by Padget.
Optiemus led the Made in India smartwatch shipments.
Samsung, Dixon and Wingtech were the top three tablet manufacturers.
New Delhi, Hong Kong, Seoul, London, Beijing, San Diego, Buenos Aires – January 10, 2023
‘Made in India’ TV shipmentsgrew 33% QoQ in Q3 2022(July-September) to reach over 5 million units, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’sMade in Indiaservice. In the electronic wearables category, the TWS segment led in terms of local manufacturing with almost 34% of its shipments being manufactured in India.
Commenting on the local manufacturing ecosystem,Senior Research AnalystPrachir Singhsaid, “The TV market showed high QoQ growth due to the festive season, which drove the consumer demand, increasing the local manufacturing shipments as well. The top five manufacturers contributed to more than 55% of the locally manufactured TV shipments in Q3 2022. Local manufacturing continues to stay robust for segments like smartwatches, TWS, tablets and neckbands also. The local manufacturing share in the TWS segment increased to 34% in Q3 2022 from 16% in the previous quarter. Bharat FIH, Padget, Avishkaran and Optiemus were the top four brands and cumulatively contributed to almost 90% of the locally manufactured TWS shipments. In the tablets category, Samsung, Dixon and Wingtech contributed to more than 90% of the locally manufactured shipments. However, in the smartwatch category, Optiemus dominated the local manufacturing and contributed to more than 90% of the shipments.”
On the Indian government’s focus,Senior Research Analyst Anshika Jainsaid, “Under the Made in India theme, local manufacturing aims to even go beyond smartphones to cover segments like audio products, wearables and EVs. More and more efforts are being made to make the country a significant player in the global value chain. These efforts now also include semiconductor manufacturing. Many states like Gujarat have even come out with their own semiconductor policies and are bringing about associated reforms and policy changes (like labour and land reforms in Karnataka) to harness India’s potential in this space.”
The government’s vision to increase local manufacturing as well as design capabilities in India will impact the local value addition in the wearables segment. We may see many companies increasing their capacities, with the new entrants also opting for local manufacturing.
Notes:
Dixon Technologies’ share does not include Padget Electronics.
Avishkaran Enterprises manufactures for Mivi.
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
OnePlushas been focusing on value-for-money devices with its sub-brand Nord. Following a series of Nord smartphones and TWS earbuds, OnePlus recently launched its budget smartwatch, the OnePlus NordWatch, to further expand its Nord portfolio. Available for INR 4,999 (about $60), thesmartwatchis targeted at first-time users and is a step towards building a Nord ecosystem. After testing the smartwatch for close to a month, we have put together some initial impressions.
Impressive display quality with a sturdy build
The OnePlus Nord Watch flaunts a 1.78-inch AMOLED screen with a 60Hz refresh rate.
The smartwatch features a zinc alloy chassis with a polycarbonate back.
The button on the side is used for waking the watch, accessing the menu and exiting apps.
The OnePlus Nord Watch embodies a basic design, similar to those of its competitors in the segment. The build quality of the smartwatch is sturdy with the outer casing made of Zinc alloy. The back of the smartwatch is made of polycarbonate. In terms of aesthetics, the watch looks beautiful with a two-tone finish and glossy outer casing available in black and blue. The display glass is tough enough to withstand daily wear and tear. Even after about a month of usage, we saw no scratches on the display.
The watch features a large, square-shaped 1.78-inchAMOLEDdisplay, which has a crisp 368×448 resolution and solid 326PPI pixel density. The display is bright enough to make information visible even in peak sunlight as it offers 500 nits of brightness. The function of the side button is to wake the watch up or open the app drawer. The touch response of the display is smooth and offers a near lag-free experience.
Watch OS is constricted, but useful
Fitness modes are flexible and useful.
Menstrual cycle tracking is a good addition to the watch.
Inability to customize watch faces is a miss.
No Bluetooth calling is a miss.
The Nord Watch ships with a custom RTOS, which offers fitness tracking, menstrual cycle tracking, sleep tracking and a plethora of other useful apps. There are more than 100 sports modes to choose from, including walking, running, skipping and hiking. The step counter feature functions quite accurately, while the SpO2 sensor and heart rate tracker take a bit of time to stabilize the readings after the initial setup. The sleep tracking function offers good insights into sleep patterns, including deep sleep and light sleep.
I evaluated the OnePlus NordWatchusing two different Android phones – one from OnePlus and the other from a competing brand with similar performance and compatibility. The watch works equally well with bothiOSand和roid. The UI is easy to use. An upward swipe opens the latest notification and a downward swipe brings up the quick settings menu. A swipe right to left will show your sleep results, and a swipe left to right will display step counts and other health data. The watch syncs with most of the music apps available on iOS and Android, and the camera shutter app on the watch works well with all devices.
The walking and running modes activate automatically only when you perform those specific activities. Nevertheless, this is a good device for all fitness enthusiasts who include walking and running in their fitness routine. If you are using the watch without your phone, the data will only sync after connecting with the phone.
The watch has display icons for most social media apps, including WhatsApp, Instagram andFacebook. However, Teams, Outlook, Reddit and other apps are unavailable, which I believe can be easily fixed via a small update. The watch does not accommodate quick replies while cancelling a call (e.g. ‘Can’t talk right now’), or quick replies for social media, which would otherwise have been a great addition.
N Health app offers a good user experience
Users can access features such as watch faces and log data through the N Health app, which can be downloaded from Android or iOS app stores. The N Health app’s UI is minimalistic and offers easy access tohealthand sleep cycle analytics. The app offers more than 100 non-customizable watch faces from which up to four can be selected and stored in the smartwatch. The app displays menstrual cycle settings, SpO2 readings and heart rate readings.
在我的测试中,北方手表的电池续航时间为佛r about eight days on a full charge at 40% brightness and minimal fitness tracking. If you crank up the brightness to 100% and use the watch more for fitness tracking, the battery lasts for about five days. The standby battery performance is great. It loses 1% when the device is not connected to your phone and 3%-4% when connected.
Key takeaways:
The OnePlus Nord Watch has a simple design with a decent set of features and accurate fitness tracking.
The SpO2 and sleep tracking features offer reliable analytics through the N Health app.
The device offers many interesting watch face options to choose from. However, the inability to customize watch faces is a big miss.
The watch gives the user more than 100 indoor and outdoor sports modes to choose from.
The app gallery on the watch offers three types of layouts. However, the default one looks quite similar to what competitors are offering.
The absence of a quick reply feature is a miss. The watch also does not have Bluetooth calling, which is a hot favourite feature in this price segment.
The lack of third-party app support, such as Strava and Spotify, is also a miss. However, most competing devices also do not offer the same at this price point. This feature is something to look forward to in future iterations.
Garmin is a relativelyniche player in the global smartwatch market, but it is by far the biggest producer of athletic watches. Its direct competitors include a pair of Finnish companies – Polar, which was the first to offer real-time heart rate monitoring in wearable devices, and Suunto – and US-based Coros. Coros is a relative newcomer in the athletics wearables market having been founded in 2016, but which has already developed a strong reputation that it bolsters by including multiple world champions among a roster of sponsored athletes. Apple has been eyeing the athletic watch market and its recent launch of the Watch Ultra signals its first attempt to muscle in on the scene.
The subject of this review is the Garmin Epix Gen 2 smartwatch. This is not going to be an exhaustive analysis of everything that this watch can do – and it’s a lot – but I will aim to pick out some of the highlights in the way that I use it and what we can learn in more general terms about this particular part of the smartwatch market. As I say, the Epix 2 can do a lot of things and so it should; this is by any measure an expensive watch. So who is the target buyer for the Epix and why would someone buy this watch and what can we infer about the wider smartwatch market?
The Epix feels like a new branch in the Garmin family tree. But as the Gen 2 part of the name implies, it’s actually a re-launch of the Epix range which originally came out in 2015 featuring – back then – a color display and touch control for navigating maps. But Garmin felt that the technology wasn’t ready for prime time in 2015, so back-burnered the model for a few years.
Garmin is clearly happy that display technology has caught up with its vision now, so the Epix Gen 2 features a vibrant, always-on OLED touch display that really makes graphics pop in a way that even the best of its transflective Memory In Pixel (MIP) LCD displays on, for example, the Fenix and top-end Forerunner watches, can’t match.
Where Epix 2 fits into Garmin’s range?
Garmin一直在扩大其产品范围the last few years; it sometimes feels like it is creating ever more tightly overlapping circles in a huge Venn diagram. Epix is aimed at dedicated sports enthusiasts – let’s call them athletes. Garmin has two strongly established ranges for athletes. The Forerunner series – that starts from relatively entry-level products through to the Forerunner 955 that retails for around $500 – and the Fenix range, which is targeted at multisport athletes and has a premium ruggedized aesthetic. The Fenix range starts at $700. Epix 2 is essentially a 47mm Fenix 7, but with an OLED display, a somewhat more refined design aesthetic and positioned with more lifestyle messaging. And it is priced at the premium end of the Fenix range, starting at $900.
I chose the Epix in white with the titanium bezel. I did this mostly because the black, that I would otherwise likely have opted for, was not available at the time. However, I have grown to like the white and the colorway works well with the titanium bezel. The 1.3” 416 x 416 pixel display’s cover glass is sapphire, which promises good scratch resistance. I have nevertheless managed to scratch mine already by clattering the metal part of a swimming pool lane marker while doing backstroke – but it’s barely noticeable and it didn’t break!
所有的高端手表包括详细的x射线物相照片ical maps that can be used for navigating. As the watch was purchased in Europe, it came pre-loaded with 11.5GB of active topo maps that allow me to navigate anywhere in Europe. For example on a recent trip to France, I was able to navigate around the unfamiliar lanes and trails of an obscure part of the Languedoc region with ease. If I travel to another part of the world – the USA for example – I can download maps for free – although they are hefty file sizes and the download process can be long as a result. The titanium Epix models are equipped with 32GB of storage, while the slightly cheaper stainless steel model makes do with 16GB.
The display is attractive. Graphics look great, and the included topographical maps are easy to read. However watch faces are functional but not amazing. Users used to the variety and beauty of, say, Apple Watch faces are likely to be underwhelmed. I am not bothered though – I can tune the face to display what I want it to and if I want to go deeper into any of the displayed data, I just need to tap and hold to access the underlying function.
So, it’s a nice looking watch, but worthy of the $900 price tag? That’s a matter for individual purchasers, but it’s a hefty premium for an OLED display, which is the most obvious point of differentiation over similarly capable watches in the Fenix and Forerunner ranges. And it’s also a $100 premium over the newly launchedApple Watch Ultra.
Garmin gets sports.
Garmin has founded its brand strength on tracking athletic performance. Unlike most other smartwatches, including Apple Watch, it has eschewed following the conventional approach of a touchscreen supported by one or two hardware buttons. Garmin watches are mostly non-touchscreen and have five physical buttons. The Epix has slightly changed the game by including an always-on OLED touchscreen. But it still has the five physical button layout familiar to users of other Garmin watches such as the Forerunner and Fenix series.
Garmin’s user interface presents a steep learning curve when first encountered. But once known, it becomes relatively intuitive. In the case of the Epix, the touchscreen allows for an additional and welcome level of control. But when a training session starts, the touchscreen becomes inactive and the watch is controlled solely by the hardware buttons. This is absolutely the way it should be and I would argue that any watch that relies on a touch interface to manage workouts is not aimed at serious fitness enthusiasts. A control interaction that seems simple when sat at a desk, becomes difficult in the depths of running reps when sweat is dripping from shaking fingers, or doing laps in the pool; hardware buttons are the only interface that makes sense in this context, so Garmin turns-off the touch interface during activities by default. But the user can change this in settings, along with more or less everything else.
和this is another benefit of Garmin compared to most other ‘standard’ smartwatches. It offers almost limitless customisation potential. A user can prioritise those sports they engage in most, change the layout of data screens to show only the data they want to see. And they can even change the functions assigned to the various buttons. This likely means that no two Garmin devices are exactly alike once the user has had time to personalize their device to their own preferences. The value of this capability only becomes fully apparent once you try another watch that doesn’t offer this level of personalization.
和while personalization can be managed on the device, it can be a bit fiddly. So Garmin has made it possible to make the changes in the Garmin Connect app, and then synchronize them to the watch. This is a good and long overdue innovation.
Battery performance – the display costs power as well as $
Garmin watches last a long time. The 47mm Fenix 7 will do 18 days between charges. The Epix manages only six days with the display in always-on mode. Switching to a mode where the screen lights up when you lift your wrist – which works amazingly well (no false negatives) – extends the battery life considerably, up to 16 days. With always-on display, full multiband satellite navigation, full-time heart-rate monitoring it will last up to 15 hours. In my experience, this seems about right. I did an ultra-marathon event in the mountains of Wales, with the display on full time, heart rate monitoring, location tracking and navigation. The event took me 12 hours to complete and I still had 35% battery capacity at the end. In endurance mode, when the GPS is used intermittently, and the display is not on full time, battery life can be extended to many days. Nevertheless, if you really want to maximize battery life, Garmin’s Enduro watch offers up to 77 days in ‘expedition’ mode.
Overall, I find the battery life tolerable. I do on average around an hour of activity per day and up to three hours per day on the weekend. I have the watch set so the display is always on. I have to recharge the watch once every four or five days or so. Recharging is relatively quick – although I haven’t timed how long it takes. For someone used to something like an Apple Watch, recharging once or twice a week might feel revolutionary, but for someone coming off of using one of Garmin’s other watches where you might only charge once in two weeks, it feels like a backward step.
Health and wellness – the (only) killer app for smartwatches
Optimal health is founded on three pillars: good sleep, good exercise and good nutrition. Tracking all three, accurately, is the holy grail for health and wellness applications. None that I have found can do them all well. Most wearables attempt to track the first two, sleep and exercise, but even with these it’s not straightforward.
Garmin has a strong track record in helping users to manage the exercise pillar. It was a long time licensee of First Beat, and then went on to acquire the company outright in 2020. First Beat provides the algorithms that power Garmin’s analysis of not only a person’s exercise and other physical activities, but also how rest and recuperation play a role in building fitness. Fitness improves through stressing the body through exercise and then allowing it to rebuild itself, which it does to a marginally stronger level than before. But the body can only do this through resting. This means that rest is as an important component in building fitness as any workout.
The Epix’s multiple sensors track activities as well as the body’s levels of, for example, fatigue. These are summarized in multiple ways, but the easiest to grasp, at a glance is the Body Battery that shows the level of overall resource depletion and then recovery. Another valuable indicator is Garmin’s Training Readiness index which takes into account sleep and sleep history, recovery time since the last workout, heart-rate variability – which is a key marker of fatigue – training load and stress levels. All are good markers to track. And I have noticed that when I am feeling fatigued or achy following a period of strenuous activities, and I then check, the Training Readiness index shows levels consistent with how I feel. This is good for determining whether to do a planned workout, to shift to something lighter, or skip the workout altogether.
这些指标可以在设备上看着itself, but a richer and more interactive experience can be garnered from the Garmin Connect application that enables a wide range of analyses. It also links to partner apps such as Strava and Training Peaks with which it shares data seamlessly. And the app can also be used to source additional workout and training programs, and more.
The ecosystem benefits also come through in the integration with, for example, Training Peaks. I have a coach to help me with running. She shares my running programme with me on Training Peaks. This automatically syncs with the Epix, so when I select a ‘Run’ on the watch it shows the planned workout for the day and off I go. If I am wearing headphones to listen to music from the watch or through a paired smartphone, I get voice prompts that tell me times and paces for each section of the workout. This is excellent and means I just have to lace-up my shoes and head-out.
After a workout, the watch gives an indication of how much rest is needed. This takes account of the workout intensity as well as environmental factors such as a heat, altitude and how well rested I was before the exercise session. If I take things particularly easy in the hours following a workout, the watch sometimes says that due to my good rest, I am recovering faster and can therefore train again sooner.
Sleep tracking – it tries
Sleep tracking is complex. To do it accurately requires the placing of electrodes on the scalp to carefully monitor brain activity that changes dramatically in different phases of the sleep cycle. A wrist-worn wearable can only approximate what is going on by monitoring heart rate, respiration, movement etc. Garmin wearables do a decent job of this and I can certainly see a correlation between my sense of whether I slept well and what Garmin reports. But it’s not fool proof. A few nights ago I found myself wide-awake in the middle of the night. I didn’t move, but lay quietly until sleep returned – but I was awake for five or ten minutes or so. In the morning the watch didn’t report any wakefulness, presumably because I remained absolutely still. So, as with all wearable devices it provides an approximation of sleep quality, but the Garmin Epix is likely as good as any and better than many.
和to track sleep, the watch needs to be on your wrist, so any watch that needs daily recharging is likely to be useless for sleep tracking as most people will opt to recharge overnight, although, I tend to recharge when sat at my desk during the day so the watch is ready to monitor my sleep.
Nutrition – nope, not really.
While sleep is likely the most important health pillar – actually more like a foundation on which everything else is based – nutrition also has a crucial role in determining health outcomes. However, Garmin’s smart watches are not equipped to track nutrition. The watch will estimate the calories expended during an activity and Garmin offers connected weight scales (Garmin Index) to track body weight and body composition. But for actually tracking calorie intake, Garmin has partnered with MyFitnessPal to exchange workout and nutrition information. MyFitnessPal has a great database and a well-designed app, but it’s tedious and time-consuming to log everything one consumes in a day, especially if making everything from scratch, so I rarely do it. But equally, most people are creatures of habit, so once you establish your own personal database of foods, checking the boxes next to each item can be relatively quick.
和as a smartwatch..?
从合作伙伴sma Epix(他们刚刚与交付通知rtphone and includes the ability to respond, albeit with canned messages and then only with Android devices; iOS doesn’t support this capability. The Epix (along with most higher-end Garmin watches) can store music playlists from Spotify and a few other music applications that can be listened to through Bluetooth headphones. It doesn’t support Audible, which is a shame, because I listen to books on longer runs, but I can download podcasts.
Garmin does have an app store of sorts, however few of the apps are particularly inspiring; most only offer variations on watch faces. There are a few professional apps, such as Spotify, Komoot, Amazon Music, Deezer etc, but these are limited in extent. However, the standard core functions are sufficiently complete that I don’t feel like I am missing anything significant.
Garmin Pay is incorporated in the watch, but few banks where I live in the UK support Garmin Pay, so it’s essentially useless.
Summary – goodness, it’s pricey
Apple is coming after Garmin’s market with its Watch Ultra – a do-it-all watch that counters Garmin’s fine-grained and often confusing application-specific offerings. I will be testing Apple’s newly launched contender in the next few weeks and will share my thoughts in due course. For now, I am happily making good use of the Epix to manage my training and recovery. It’s a definite step up from my previous Garmin Forerunner 935. But considering the latest Forerunner, the 955, does more or less everything the Epix can do, but for several hundred fewer dollars, and the Fenix 7 is almost identical, but just lacks the OLED display, and is again quite a bit cheaper – the question of value for money is a difficult one to get over. Were I choosing again, I would think twice about opting for the Epix, but it’s a near-run thing.
The market grew 13% YoY and continued double-digit growth for the fifth consecutive quarter.
Apple maintained its lead, while Samsung solidified its second place.
Xiaomi recorded first Top 4 position with 69% YoY growth, and is breaking its shipment record every quarter.
Seoul, Beijing, Boston, London, Toronto, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Taipei – May 31, 2022
The global smartwatch market recorded 13% more shipments compared to the same period last year, despite concerns over economic slowdown and inflation, according to Counterpoint Research’s recently publishedGlobal Smartwatch Model Tracker. Despite -24% QoQ due to weak seasonal demand, Xiaomi performed well with it record-highest quarterly shipments.
Associate Director Sujeong Limsaid, “Although the global smartwatch market saw little growth in 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19, it has continued to perform well since its rebound last year. In particular, Apple accounted for more than a third of the total shipments last year, and it is further increasing its influence with a market share of 36% in the first quarter of this year. The high brand loyalty of iPhone users is one of the success factors of the Apple Watch. This popularity appears to be higher among the younger generation, making Apple an irreplaceable market leader. Of course, everything was possible because the high performance of the product and the excellent connection among supported iOS devices. We believe that Apple’s market share is likely to rise further by the end of this year.”
Global Top 8 Smartwatch Brands Shipment Share, Q1 2022 vs Q1 2021
Source: Counterpoint Global Smartwatch Model Tracker
Market Summary:
Applemaintained a solid lead and increased 14% YoY in Q1 2022. Some shipments carried over to Q1 2022 due to a month late launch of Apple Watch 7, which helped continue the strength of the brand.
Samsungsolidified second place with 46% YoY increase in shipments. It grew significantly in the APAC region with the popularity of Galaxy Watch 4 series.
Huaweiremained flat YoY in terms of shipments. Due to the weak position in the international market caused by GMS restrictions, the proportion of the Chinese market in the brand’s total shipments is gradually increasing.
Xiaomirecorded its first Top 4 position with 69% YoY growth and is breaking its shipment record every quarter as it rapidly penetrates globally. A large proportion of its sales come from the low-end segment under $100.
Garminranked fifth in terms of shipments, but came in third in terms of revenues thanks to its higher ASP. It occupies the majority portion in the premium segment over $500.
Amazfitmaintained its market share by occupying 6th place thanks to the GTR 3 and GTS 3 series that launched in the fourth quarter of 2021. In the meantime, it has been working to expand outside of China and has had some success increasing its presence in Europe.
With the China Kids Watch market sluggish at -7% YoY, and as Huawei and Xiaomi expanded their presence in this segment,imoosuffered a double-digit YoY shipment decline.
After the merger with Google,Fitbit似乎经历一个内部reorganization. As a result, there were no new models released last year, and the transition to Wear OS was delayed, so its sales decreased compared to the same period of the previous year.
Smartwatch Shipment Proportion by Region, Q1 2022 vs Q1 2021
Source: Counterpoint Global Smartwatch Model Tracker, Q1 2022
By region, while most major regions grew YoY, only Europe recorded flat growth. Although Apple and Samsung continued to grow year-over-year, other major brands such as Garmin and Fitbit performed weakly in the European market during this period.
Ms. Limsaid, “We initially expected the war between Russia and Ukraine to have minimal impact on the market in Q1, but the prolongation of the conflict and the resulting logistical constraints have begun to affect the European region. The impact of the war will become more serious in Q2”.
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
Guess Who Dominated Premium Android Smartphone SoCs in Q1?
19th May
China’s strict COVID-19 quarantine measures have started showing up in our smartphone numbers – sales declined YoY for 10 consecutive weeks since the sixth week of 2022. Major Chinese brands, except HONOR, failed to avoid the impact, saysMinsoo Kang. Both Qualcomm and MediaTek are reporting stellar numbers. But different drivers are pushing their growth. If MediaTek leads the overall Android smartphone SoC market, Qualcomm dominates the premium segment of the market, reportsShivani Parashar. Our Installed Base Tracker Service tells us Xiaomi has become the third smartphone brand after Samsung and Apple to cross the 500-million installed base mark. But in what ways can such a large installed base help Xiaomi?Archie Zhangtries to find out.
IDEMIA, Truphone, Workz, Oasis Smart SIM, and Valid cement their place as specialists challenging the top 2.
How Are India’s TWS Hearables Makers Dominating At Home?
13th May
With its smartphone business in the rearview mirror, LG Electronics is going from strength to strength. In Q1 2022, its revenue reached a record high, with 46% of it coming from premium products in overseas markets, reportsAyush Bhardwaj. The onward march of Indian TWS brands continues. In Q1 2022, these brands’ shipments more than doubled to capture 72% of the India TWS market. What is driving this seemingly improbable growth?Anshika Jainhas the answer. With its supply chain heavily dependent on Chinese EMS and ODM firms, Netgear has been hit hard by the latest COVID-19 wave in China. Its revenue plunged a massive 33.8% in Q1 2022 compared to Q1 2021, reportsVarun Gupta.
5G shipments to overtake 4G by 2028 to become the leading technology in the global cellular IoT module market. Global cellular IoT module shipments are expected to cross 1.2 billion units by 2030 with a CAGR of 12%.
Revenue reached a new record high of $14.48 billion during the quarter. Operating profit recovered to a respectable level.
Despite Tough Q1, We’re ‘Cautiously’ Optimistic on US Smartphone Sales
6th May
Against the backdrop of component shortages, war and COVID-19, Apple has been able to record an impressive March quarter. In fact, its installed base and services hit new highs during the quarter, saysJeff Fieldhackin his quick takes on the quarterly result. 台积电3月季度也记录了一个令人印象深刻的。和it too had a record number to show. The quarter saw its HPC segment beating the smartphone segment to become the largest sales contributor for the first time in TSMC’s history, reportsDale Gai. The 4.5% YoY rebound in the global smartphone market in 2021 also resulted in ODM/IDH firms’ smartphone shipments growing 6.4% YoY. This growth was primarily driven by increasing orders from Xiaomi, Lenovo/Motorola and Transsion, saysIvan Lam.
The US smartphone market declined by 6% YoY in Q1 2022. Apple led the market in Q1 2022, capturing a 47% share, followed by Samsung (28%) and Motorola (12%).
MediaTek recorded an impressive set of numbers for Q1 2022 with revenues growing 32% YoY and 10.2% QoQ to reach $4.8 billion.
Top 10 5G Android: Guess Who Topped, Tailed and Prevailed?
29th April
除了COVID-19和组件短缺fresh challenge cropped up for the global smartphone market in Q1 2022. While the Russia-Ukraine war had little impact on the quarter, as reports fromHarmeet Singh Walia,Mengmeng ZhangandShilpi Jainshow, it has the potential to hit the market in the long run and delay its recovery. But there was some good news on the PC component front in Q1 2022 even as the war threatened to hit the momentum here too.William Liprojects that PC component shortages are likely to ease in H2 2022. Since late 2021, demand-supply gaps have been narrowing, signaling an approaching end to supply tightness across the broader ecosystem, he says.
全球智能手机市场同比下降了7%d 12% QoQ to 328 million units in Q1 2022. While Samsung’s shipments declined 3% YoY, it was the only top-five smartphone brand to grow QoQ.
Tesla vehicle deliveries crossed 310,000 units in Q1 2022, a YoY increase of 68%.
Why We Think The Semis Shortage is Already Easing
22nd April
Our latest smartphone component tracker sees the ongoing global semiconductor chip shortages continuing to ease during H2 2022. But COVID-19 is still lurking in the background. The big risk factor moving forward is the lockdowns happening across China right now, especially in and around Shanghai, saysWilliam Li. With the prices of new flagship smartphones remaining high in 2021, refurbished smartphone volumes grew 15% YoY. But there is a heartening factor that also contributed to this growth. As sustainability garnered more interest, consumers were exposed to more benefits of choosing a pre-owned device, findsGlen Cardoza. The rise of the Metaverse and the commercial success of Meta’s consumer-level VR headset Oculus have breathed new life into the Chinese XR market after the 2016 boom that went bust in two years. But has the technology achieved the maturity required to reach mass-adoption levels?Kevin Leehas the answer.
The past two years have brought out the importance of semiconductors in driving economies and the need to diversify the supply chain like never before.
Global XR shipments volume declined by 6% YoY in Q4 2021. The shipment share of VR Standalone form factor crossed 90% in Q4 2021, up from 82% in Q4 2020. Oculus led the market throughout 2021.
China’s Premium Dream for the US
15th April
The global automotive industry is finding it tough to shake off the jinx that seems to be dogging it since 2020. First came the pandemic, then the supply chain chaos, and finally (so far) the Ukraine crisis. Any silver lining? Yes, there is one, saysSoumen Mandal. This year has seen a stream of announcements from Qualcomm, the common theme being its efforts to diversify beyond smartphones. The company believes its “one technology roadmap” will expand its total available market seven-fold, saysJeff Fieldhack. With Apple and Samsung firmly entrenched in the US premium smartphone market, what does it take to become a third serious contender? OnePlus’ 10 Pro model attempts to answer this with its specs. But is this sufficient to break the Apple-Samsung stranglehold?Maurice Klaehnehas the answer.
Global Cellular IoT Chipset Shipments Share by Chipset Vendor, Q4 2021
The connected car market is growing, and cars are becoming more connected than ever before.
Why 2022 Is the Year 50MP Smartphone Cameras Hit Mainstream
8th April 2022
Reports that Apple is working on a hardware subscription model for iPhone and other products have left the industry and consumers agog, waiting for more details to emerge.Hanish Bhatiatries to understand the implications of this model for Apple and other players in the industry. What is premium today will be affordable tomorrow. This seems to be the unwritten rule of the smartphone market. Take 50MP image sensors for instance. After launching in 2020 in the premium price band, they are now penetrating the low-to-mid-end models, reportsAlicia Gong. The global telematics control unit (TCU) market continues to report good numbers despite COVID-19 and supply chain shortages. This growth is being driven by the rising penetration of connected cars and consumer preference for digital features, saysAyush Bhardwaj.
Monthly ARPU (Hardware + Services) for Apple Power User ~400
OPPO recently launched a book-type folding smartphone, the Find N, priced at around $1,400, only available in China
US Market Smartphone Race Gets New Contender
1st April 2022
It was a different era of the US mobile phone market back in 2008. Feature phones were dominant and Motorola was the market king. A bit of that glory was back with Motorola in 2021 when it emerged as the US’ No. 3 smartphone OEM for the first time.Varun Mishralooks into its latest gains. On the US carriers’ side, T-Mobile is currently the leader when it comes to 5G rollouts. But it is not basking in this achievement and instead focusing on maintaining this lead through investments and rollout of new 5G applications.Jeff Fieldhackhas the latest on T-Mobile’s initiatives on this front. COVID-19 has made video conferencing an integral part of our daily work routine. But still, a quality web camera is difficult to come by. Jabra’s Panacast 20 attempts to fill this gap. It has proved to be one of the best solutions available, saysNeil Shahafter using the device for almost eight weeks.
This is the first time ever that Motorola has become the #3 OEM in the US for a full year. Motorola has been one of the biggest gainers from LG’s decline, consistently holding the #3 position since April 2021.
We have been testing various cameras for personal and professional use, and, Jabra PanaCast 20 has proved to be a very capable and one of the best solutions available.
How Premium Smartphones Outpaced Market to Pass One-Quarter Mark in 2021
25th March 2022
Even as component shortages and fresh COVID-19 waves gripped the global smartphone market in 2021, its premium segment notched up record numbers. Against the global market growth of 7%, the premium segment grew 24% to grab its highest ever share.Varun Mishralooks into the reasons driving this growth. While the long-term outlook for OLEDs is bright, they seem to have hit a speed bump in the short term thanks to factors like weak consumer sentiment and component shortages. JoinWoojin Sonas he analyses the transition of mobile phones from LCD to OLED displays. OnePlus entered the smartwatch market with the launch of the OnePlus Watch last year. Going by our BoM analysis, the product has been designed with much care to attract the target consumer. Sound selection of components has enabled OnePlus to make a multifunctional smartwatch at an affordable price, saysYasasvi Jayachandra Kuppa.
Global Smartphone OEM Rankings by Region, Premium (>$400) Segment, 2021
The global premium (>$400 wholesale ASP) smartphone market sales grew 24% YoY in 2021 to reach their highest ever level. The growth in the premium segment outpaced the 7% YoY growth in the overall global smartphone sales in 2021.
In 2021, the market share of Android smartphones in the >$600 price band in China shrunk to 36.5% from 44.6% in 2020.
5G Smartphone Sales Share Passes 50% For First Time Ever
18th March 2022
2022年看到了智能手机的开始industry reaching an important milestone. For the first time, sales penetration of 5G-capable smartphones surpassed the penetration of 4G smartphones in January.Karn Chauhanlooks into the factors driving 5G penetration globally. After a sluggish 2020, the global smartwatch market was back on the growth curve in 2021. In fact, the fourth quarter saw the highest ever quarterly shipments. With their ability to monitor important health parameters, these devices are becoming popular, saysSujeong Lim. 全球汽车行业的艰难旅程tarted with COVID-19 and worsened with component shortages, was expected to end or at least improve this year. But then came the Ukraine crisis. Suddenly, the industry finds itself in a vulnerable situation.Abhik Mukherjeeanalyses the situation.
Samsung has unveiled its latest A Series smartphones in Europe: the Galaxy A33 and Galaxy A53. The A Series is vital to Samsung’s leadership in Europe.
This year’s MWC Barcelona was back to its usual hustle and bustle associated with a physical event. The event was big on technology and innovation, with companies announcing path-breaking products and projects. JoinGareth Owen,Maurice Klaehne,Ritesh BendreandCharu Paliwalas they report on the key takeaways from the event. India’s smart TV market is witnessing galloping growth. Smart TV share in overall TV shipments in India reached 84% in 2021 from 67% in 2020.Akash Jatwalaattributes it to the pandemic, newer launches at affordable prices, growth of new entrants and discount offers. Our infographics on the Q4 2021 and 2021 numbers for the智能手机andsmartwatchmarkets are ready. Do check them out to get a quick idea about the latest on these segments.
Smartphone Market Revenue by Top 5 Brands, 2017-2021 (in $ billions)
Apple led the global smartphone market revenues in 2021 with annual revenue of $196 billion. The top five smartphone brands contributed more than 85% of the total smartphone revenue.
Open RAN was a hot topic at MWC with around 46 demos of O-RAN technology. Many announcements from major legacy operators demonstrating continued progress towards more O-RAN deployments.
The global smartwatch market reached 127.5M units in 2021, with shipments of 42.4M in the fourth quarter.
How a Massive Q4 Helped realme Consolidate Its #5 Europe Spot
25th February 2022
Qualcomm has managed to beat component shortages and capacity constraints to record a strong Q4.Parv沙姆afeels the company has been able to do this by prioritizing high-end Snapdragon sales, which come with higher profitability and less impact from shortages than the mid-end and low-end mobile handsets. The global Camera Images Sensor (CIS) market remains bullish despite macroeconomic uncertainties, thanks to increasing demand not just from the smartphone segment but also from the automotive, industrial and other applications. JoinAlicia Gongas she makes 2022 projections for the market. On the face of it, there doesn’t seem to be any strong link between climate change and mobile networks. But think energy consumption and carbon emission and you start getting the picture. China Mobile and Huawei have launched the Green 5G Project. JoinJan Stryjakto understand what it is all about.
Global Smartphone AP/SoC Shipment Market Share (%), Q4 2020 vs Q4 2021
China Mobile and Huawei have partnered up to launch the Green 5G Project, which aims to improve network efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, while accelerating digitalisation.
How Samsung Won The Philippines in 2021
18th February 2022
HONOR has managed to maintain its growth momentum in China. Even as the country’s smartphone shipments dropped 11% YoY in Q4 2021, HONOR reached the second position in the market for the first time after becoming an independent company, reportsArchie Zhang. In the past decade, CPUs gained an increasing number of cores, but their bandwidth didn’t keep pace, affecting performance. To address this and related issues, a new non-proprietary standard called CXL was developed in 2019. JoinSiddharth Bhatlato understand what it is all about. Semiconductor shortages, production losses and freight disruption did impact the global auto industry in 2021, but the connected car penetration continued to increase. The year also saw the first global deployment of a 5G-enabled car, saysFahad Siddiquiin his update.
China’s smartphone shipments dropped 11% YoY in Q4 2021, according to Counterpoint Research’s Q4 2021Market Monitor. There was intense competition, with Apple ending on top and reaching its highest market share ever.
Netgear has reported a sharp 31.6% YoY fall in its Q4 2021 revenues to $251.2 million.
How Smartphone Markets Turning the Corner Across Southeast Asia
11th February 2022
The latest Galaxy Unpacked event had good news for diehard Note fans. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is now a de facto successor to the Note series. But that was just one of the key takeaways from the event that saw the launch of six smartphone and tablet models. Join Ritesh Bendre as he gives the low-down on the event. The global smartphone market shipments grew 4% in 2021, but they were still below the pre-pandemic level due to continued COVID-19 impacts and component shortages. However, some regions registered their highest ever shipments. The Middle East and Africa region grew 13% YoY in 2021, underpinning the accelerating adoption of digital services, saysYang Wang. Key Southeast Asian countries also saw record shipments, with Xiaomi, realme and Apple achieving their highest ever volumes, reportGlen CardozaandIvan Lam.
Key Southeast Asian countries’ (Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam) smartphone shipments were highest ever in a calendar year in 2021, reaching 96 million units and growing 5% YoY.
Samsung announced six new products at the Galaxy Unpacked event.
No Apple, No Problem – How Will Qualcomm Do It?
4th February 2022
Some smart hacks like dual-sourcing of key products have helped Qualcomm beat component shortages to register record revenues in the December quarter. JoinJeff Fieldhackfor an analysis of the company’s earnings report for the quarter. COVID-19 and component shortages impacted Europe’s smartphone market in 2021. While the market managed to grow 8% YoY, this growth came on a low base of the pandemic-hit 2020 and was well below pre-pandemic levels, saysJan Stryjak. In contrast, India’s smartphone market recorded its highest ever shipments and revenues in 2021. While COVID-19 and component shortages did impact this market, what made the difference was high replacement demand fuelled by increasing affordability, reportsShilpi Jain.
A major theme carried over from 2020 wasvendor competition, and 2021 saw the most intense competition yet. Leadership of the European smartphone market changed hands four times throughout the year, while some brands enjoyed their best year for sales in Europe ever.
Semiconductor industry revenues are expected to reach around $1 trillion by 2030.
1.39bn Smartphones Shipped in 2021; Apple #1 in China
28th January 2022
Our 2021 report card for the global smartphone market is ready. While the annual shipments did grow for the first time since 2017, they remained below the pre-pandemic level due to continued COVID-19 impacts and component shortages, explainsHarmeet Singh Walia. Macroeconomic factors also impacted the global smartphone market’s performance in 2021. Inflation, rising energy prices, labor shortages and higher input costs impacted the market and will continue to keep prices inflated through 2022, saysEmily Herbert. Even as the global smartphone market continued to grapple with component shortages and COVID-19, Apple became the #1 brand in China in Q4 2021 after six years, reportsIvan Lam.The quarter also brought Apple its highest ever market share in China.
Apple posted a record December quarter which included record revenues, record installed base, tremendous growth in all business units, and double-digit revenue growth in most regions.
Global inflation of goods due to supply chain issues, rising energy prices, labor shortages and higher input costs has also made an impact on the handset market and will continue to keep prices inflated through 2022.
Against the backdrop of COVID-19 and component shortages, the recently concluded CES kept its date with announcements and launches in the processor ecosystem.
TSMC’s $40-44 billion capital spending plan for 2022 is above the industry forecast of $38-42 billion, which is based on the company’s investment plan announced in the second half of 2021. So, what are the implications of this aggressive spend for TSMC and the semiconductor industry?Dale Gaifinds out.
Though coming on a relatively high base, global PC shipments grew 3.1% YoY to 90.3 million in Q4 2021. The ongoing component shortage eased a bit during the quarter, saysWilliam Li, adding the forecast for Q1 2022 remains optimistic, mainly due to solid demand and improving component supply.
With multiple spectrum bands and an ever-increasing range of services, mobile networks are becoming more complex. It takes much time to adjust network parameters to support new applications. But, asGareth Owenexplains, this is now changing with the introduction of new AI-driven solutions.
2022 US Smartphone Expectations; Location Leadership Still HERE; CES Auto Top 10
Apple continues to be the top smartphone brand in terms of sales units and revenue in China for six consecutive weeks. Apple rose to the first place in China right after the iPhone 13 was released (week 39). Afterwards Apple has been in leading position for the majority of the period, seldom giving way to Chinese competitor vivo…Read more
The tech industry is going through an “intelligent” digital transformation wave as data collected from the billions of connected fixed and mobile…Read more
Despite several larger OEMs and Internet Service Providers pulling back from physically attending, the CES saw some interesting device launches…Read more
The market grew a healthy 24% YoY, thanks to strong demand for sub-$100 smartwatches.
Samsung, Amazfit and Garmin recorded a higher growth than the market average, although Apple remained the undisputed leader.
The Indian market quadrupled YoY thanks to the notable growth of local brands such as Noise.
Seoul, Beijing, Boston, London, Toronto, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Taipei – March 14, 2022
The global smartwatch market shipments hardly grew in 2020 due to COVID-19, but they recorded a healthy 24% YoY growth in 2021, according to Counterpoint Research’s recently publishedGlobal Smartwatch Model Tracker. The fourth quarter alone saw shipments of more than 40 million units, the highest quarterly shipments ever.
Associate Director Sujeong Limsaid, “The global smartwatch market’s good growth in 2021 is meaningful in itself, but it is more meaningful in that it makes us look forward to future growth. With their ability to monitor important health parameters like blood pressure, ECG and SPO2, these devices are becoming popular. Further, the attractiveness of smartwatches as independent wearable devices will increase if more of them start supporting cellular connectivity.”
Global Top 9 Smartwatch Brands Shipment Share, 2021 vs 2020
Market Summary:
Applemaintained its solid No. 1 position with a 30% market share but fell 3% points YoY due to intensified competition. However, its ASP rose 3% without the release of the SE model in 2021. As a result, Apple accounted for half of the total market revenue.
Samsungwas one of the most successful smartwatch OEMs in 2021. Its QoQ growth was more than 200% in the third quarter to record the brand’s best shipments ever. This growth retained strength until the last quarter. Moving to Wear OS through a partnership with Google has worked well for the brand in many ways.
Huaweilaunched high-end new models and kids’ smartwatches despite continued US sanctions, but inevitably its shipments would decline YoY. Due to the Watch GT 3 and Watch Fit Mini, which were released in the fourth quarter, Huawei’s shipments more than doubled QoQ in the quarter.
imoodid not release a new model in 2021, resulting in a slight YoY decline. However, as it entered markets outside China, such as Europe, it remained the undisputed No. 1 in the kids’ smartwatch segment.
Amazfitsucceeded in expanding its position in the market in 2021, recording more than 20% YoY growth over the past two years. Its ASP also rose 11% as the proportion of the GTR and GTS, the high-end models of the brand, gradually increased.
Garmin在2021年表现好于预期。Garmin有initially focused on introducing high-priced smartwatches for special categories like aviation and divers. But it is gradually shifting focus to bringing attractive consumer products from price and design perspective. As a result, it showed 35% YoY growth and took sixth place by raising its global ranking by one place.
Fitbitshowed weak performance in 2021. Since the launch of the Sense and Versa 3 models in the third quarter of 2020, there has been no launch of new models, which seems to be due to strategy changes and reorganization due to the merger with Google. Therefore, it showed a YoY decrease of more than 15% in 2021. But it is expected to rebound with the release of the Versa 4 in the second half of 2022.
Xiaomishowed strong performance with its Mi Watch Lite in the first half of 2021 and released the Redmi Watch 2 series in Q4 2021. In this series, it launched the ‘Lite’ variant to broaden users’ choices and we expect it to contribute to Xiaomi’s market share gain.
Noise,the 1 local king in India’s smartwatch market, was the fastest-growing brand among the global top 9 brands. Leading the growth of the Indian smartwatch market, Noise was India’s No. 1 brand in 2021 and 2020.
Smartwatch Shipment Proportion by Region, 2021 vs 2020
One of the driving forces behind the growth of the global smartwatch market in 2021 was the expansion of the Indian market. TheIndian smartwatch marketaccounted for only 3% of the global market in 2020, but it grew four times in 2021 to raise its global market share to close to 10%.
Senior Research Analyst Anshika Jainsaid, “Noise is the No.1 Indian smartwatch brand and leads the growth of the local market. It captured the top position in 2021 due to its diverse product portfolio targeting the budget and mid segments, as well as strong partnerships with e-commerce players, financial institutions and celebrities. Noise also focused on community building and slightly shifted its price base towards the lower side to make its smartwatches accessible to a larger group of people, a strategy that proved to be effective. All this resulted in Noise ranking third in terms of shipments after Apple and Samsung in the APAC region except China in 2021.”
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
The global smartwatch market reached 127.5M units in 2021, with shipments of 42.4M in the fourth quarter.
While Apple’s Watch 7 series launch had been delayed to the fourth quarter, Samsung has boosted their market position in 2021 with the successful launch of the Galaxy Watch 4 series.
Similar to its decline in the smartphone market, Huawei showed weaker performance in the smartwatch market compared to 2020. But it still ranked 3rd in the global market.
Smartwatch Market Share By OS, 2021
Smartwatch operating systems: proprietary OS or RTOS still dominates. These lack the ability to install third-party apps.
With the popularity of the Apple Watch, Watch OS holds almost a third of the market.
The biggest change in 2021 in terms of smartwatch OS is Samsung’s move from Tizen to Wear OS. As a result, Google’s Wear OS has increased its share from 3% in 2020 to 10% in 2021.
Smartwatch Market Proportion By Region, 2021
The smartwatch market still has room to grow and shipments are yet centered around advanced markets such as North America and Europe.
China is the largest market for kids’ smartwatches, and this has helped it rank second in regional markets just behind North America in 2021.
The Indian smartwatch market was similar in size to MEA or LATAM in 2020, but recorded explosive growth of four times in 2021, achieving share of close to 10%.
Use the button below to download the high resolution PDF of the infographic:
In order to access Counterpoint Technology Market Research Limited (Company or We hereafter) Web sites, you may be asked to complete a registration form. You are required to provide contact information which is used to enhance the user experience and determine whether you are a paid subscriber or not. Personal Information When you register on we ask you for personal information. We use this information to provide you with the best advice and highest-quality service as well as with offers that we think are relevant to you. We may also contact you regarding a Web site problem or other customer service-related issues. We do not sell, share or rent personal information about you collected on Company Web sites.
How to unsubscribe and Termination
You may request to terminate your account or unsubscribe to any email subscriptions or mailing lists at any time. In accessing and using this Website, User agrees to comply with all applicable laws and agrees not to take any action that would compromise the security or viability of this Website. The Company may terminate User’s access to this Website at any time for any reason. The terms hereunder regarding Accuracy of Information and Third Party Rights shall survive termination.
Website Content and Copyright
This Website is the property of Counterpoint and is protected by international copyright law and conventions. We grant users the right to access and use the Website, so long as such use is for internal information purposes, and User does not alter, copy, disseminate, redistribute or republish any content or feature of this Website. User acknowledges that access to and use of this Website is subject to these TERMS OF USE and any expanded access or use must be approved in writing by the Company. – Passwords are for user’s individual use – Passwords may not be shared with others – Users may not store documents in shared folders. – Users may not redistribute documents to non-users unless otherwise stated in their contract terms.
Changes or Updates to the Website
The Company reserves the right to change, update or discontinue any aspect of this Website at any time without notice. Your continued use of the Website after any such change constitutes your agreement to these TERMS OF USE, as modified. Accuracy of Information: While the information contained on this Website has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, We disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. User assumes sole responsibility for the use it makes of this Website to achieve his/her intended results.
Third Party Links: This Website may contain links to other third party websites, which are provided as additional resources for the convenience of Users. We do not endorse, sponsor or accept any responsibility for these third party websites, User agrees to direct any concerns relating to these third party websites to the relevant website administrator.
Cookies and Tracking
We may monitor how you use our Web sites. It is used solely for purposes of enabling us to provide you with a personalized Web site experience. This data may also be used in the aggregate, to identify appropriate product offerings and subscription plans. Cookies may be set in order to identify you and determine your access privileges. Cookies are simply identifiers. You have the ability to delete cookie files from your hard disk drive.