Canalys’s Q1 2025 wearable-band market report:
- Overall market grew 13% year over year to 46.6 million units shipped in Q1 2025, as demand for basic fitness bands and smartwatches picked up 9to5MacTelecoms.
- Xiaomi reclaimed the top spot, shipping 8.7 million bands (a 19% share), up 44% from a year ago thanks to refreshed Mi Band and Redmi Watch models 9to5MacTelecoms.
- Apple slipped to second with 7.6 million watches (16% share), a modest 5% increase over Q1 2024 Telecoms.
- Huawei came third, shipping 7.1 million units (about 15% share), up 36% as its Fit and GT series sold strongly PhoneArena.
- Samsung jumped into fourth place with 4.9 million shipments (11% share), the fastest growth among the top five at 74% year over year Telecoms.
- Garmin rounded out the top five with 1.8 million units (4% share), up 10%, driven by upgrades within its existing user base PhoneArena.
- A Canalys consumer survey found the top three features buyers look for in a wearable are affordability, long battery life, and health-tracking support Gadgets 360.
What this means:
Vendors are no longer competing on hardware specs alone but building broader device ecosystems (phones, watches, home gear) to keep users locked in. Xiaomi’s HyperOS push and aggressive pricing helped it leapfrog Apple for the first time since Q2 2021, while Samsung’s dual focus on basic bands (in emerging markets) and premium watches (in developed markets) paid off handsomely.
Sources:
- Canalys Q1 2025 Wearable Band Analysis (via 9to5Mac) 9to5Mac
- Canalys data summary (via Telecoms.com) Telecoms
- “Apple loses the top spot…” (via PhoneArena) PhoneArena
- Gadgets 360 report by David Delima Gadgets 360
