Apple Watch Series 6 is world's most popular smartwatch model, research suggests

Led by Apple Watch Series 6, Apple continued to dominate the world's smartphone market in the second quarter of 2021 as sector shipments climbed back to pre-pandemic levels, according to new estimates.

Apple led the smartwatch sector on Apple Watch shipments of 9.5 million units in the period ending in June, a 46% increase from the same time last year, Strategy Analytics estimates. The tech giant accounts for 52.5% of the global market, down slightly from 52.8% in 2020.

"Apple still owns half the market and is keeping rivals at bay," said Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics. "Apple Watch Series 6 today is by far the world's most popular smartwatch model, due to its blend of sleek design, good usability on a small screen, and a growing portfolio of health and fitness apps."

Samsung's sales grew 54% to finish the quarter at two million units shipped, capturing 11% of the market, up from 10.6% during the same period last year. Garmin followed with 1.5 million units shipped and an 8.3% slice of the market, down from 9.8% in 2020.

The "others" category, which counts firms like Xiaomi, Oppo and Fitbit, shipped a collective 5.1 million units to take a 28.2% marketshare, up from 26.8% last year.

Overall, the smartwatch sector is booming after a lull in 2020 blamed in large part on the pandemic. Shipments are growing at their fastest rate since 2018, experiencing a 47% jump on the year to hit 18.1 million units, according to Strategy Analytics. That figure compares positively to estimates provided by Counterpoint Research this week, which noted Apple Watch surpassed the 100 million user threshold for the first time in quarter two.

Apple is due to release a next-generation "Apple Watch Series 7" alongside new iPhone hardware this fall.

6 Comments

Xed 2865 comments · 4 Years

About 3 years ago

I wonder how much revenue and profit they see from the entirety of the wrist watch market.

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

Of course!

It's not just the Watch itself -- but the way it integrates itself into Apple's Ecosystem. Nobody else stands much of a chance. The nearest serious rivals are specialty products such as Garmins focused on a narrow market.

But, for me, my Series 4 is the best -- because, thanks to AppleCare, Apple just sent me a new one after the EKG function stopped working in my old one. It's a great watch that should last a couple more years.

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

So what happened to all the snickering from the high-end watch industry about Apple entering a market they knew nothing about? What about the statements by the critics here that “Nobody wears a watch anymore, FAIL”? I see Apple watches everywhere I look when out shopping, from checkout clerks to people getting into their BMW X5s. Of course there were wearable smartwatches before the Watch but that market was going nowhere until Apple jumped in, late as usual, according to the critics.

lkrupp said:

So what happened to all the snickering from the high-end watch industry about Apple entering a market they knew nothing about? What about the statements by the critics here that “Nobody wears a watch anymore, FAIL”? I see Apple watches everywhere I look when out shopping, from checkout clerks to people getting into their BMW X5s. Of course there were wearable smartwatches before the Watch but that market was going nowhere until Apple jumped in, late as usual, according to the critics.

Actually, they were right....
Apple tried the high end fashion approach -- with stuff like a $10K gold version. That didn't last too long. They instead shifted over to emphasizing fitness -- before branching off into health and safety.

And, they are right that "nobody wears a watch any more" -- including those with Apple Watches. Calling an Apple watch a "watch" is like calling an iPhone a phone: both are high functioning computers -- that also tell time and make phone calls (almost as a side line).

auxio 2762 comments · 19 Years

GeorgeBMac said:

lkrupp said:

So what happened to all the snickering from the high-end watch industry about Apple entering a market they knew nothing about? What about the statements by the critics here that “Nobody wears a watch anymore, FAIL”? I see Apple watches everywhere I look when out shopping, from checkout clerks to people getting into their BMW X5s. Of course there were wearable smartwatches before the Watch but that market was going nowhere until Apple jumped in, late as usual, according to the critics.

Actually, they were right....
Apple tried the high end fashion approach -- with stuff like a $10K gold version. That didn't last too long. They instead shifted over to emphasizing fitness -- before branching off into health and safety.

I highly doubt Apple ever expected the gold edition to be a big seller. It was purely to generate talk and media attention around a new product, and it worked very well in that regard.