Samsung Narrowing Gap With Apple Watch as Apple's Shipments Fall

While Apple maintained its dominant share of smartwatch shipments in the third quarter of 2021, the company's shipments fell as Samsung made significant gains, according to Counterpoint Research.

Global Top 6 Smartwatch OEMs Q3 2021
Global smartwatch shipments in the third quarter of this year increased by 16 percent overall compared to the same time in 2020, but Apple Watch shipments declined by 10 percent. The drop may be explained by the Apple Watch Series 7 shipping later than usual due to delays, pushing sales of the latest model into the fourth quarter. Customers may also have been reluctant to buy the Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6 in the third quarter with the expectation of new models arriving soon, suppressing Apple's shipments further.

Meanwhile, Samsung saw its highest number of quarterly smartwatch shipments to date, reclaiming its position as the second biggest smartwatch brand from Huawei. Counterpoint credits the launch of the Galaxy Watch 4 series, Wear OS's expanding app ecosystem, a broader range of models, and well-received features for the company's significantly increased shipments.

Wear OS also made comparatively large gains in terms of operating system market share. watchOS's presence continues to decline with a share of just 22 percent, sustaining a progressive decline since a peak market share of 40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Smartwatch Shipment Share by OS Q3 2021
Data for the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, showing shipments of the Apple Watch Series 7, are likely to give a more accurate presentation of Samsung's growth in the smartwatch market.

Related Forum: Apple Watch

Top Rated Comments

ikramerica Avatar
32 months ago
Apple’s “problem” is two-fold

1. Their watches are so good, you can keep them for many years and be quite happy with them. Only reason to upgrade involves compelling must have new features.

2. The series 7 does not have compelling must have new features…
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rpmurray Avatar
32 months ago
It looks like the brand Others is sweeping the floor with Apple.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
32 months ago
No way Samsung is going to catch up with Apple. Wait till holidays are over.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmgregory1 Avatar
32 months ago

FWIW... I think there really needs to be something like the Watch SE but with always-on display. To get the always on display you have to spend $400. That's more than most people are willing to lay out. Yet after having a Watch 3, which I did love, I would not get another watch without always-on because they really don't activate every timnoe you want them to.

There is a big gap in Apple's watch lineup - something affordable yet highly functional as a watch.

That said, I suspect most of the watches that aren't made by Apple are e-waste.
I haven’t used the AOD on my series 5 since just after I bought it. Part of the reason is the extended battery life you get by not having the screen be always-on, but the other issue is there ZERO reason to have the screen show anything when you’re wearing long-sleeve shirt/sweater/jacket, as you can tell with the attached photo of my series 5.

Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
32 months ago

Apple’s “problem” is two-fold

1. Their watches are so good, you can keep them for many years and be quite happy with them. Only reason to upgrade involves compelling must have new features.

2. The series 7 does not have compelling must have new features…
This is true in terms of upgrading a previous Apple Watch to a newer Apple Watch. "I already have a 4, 5, or 6... so why should I buy an Apple Watch 7 ?"

But not everyone with an iPhone has an Apple Watch yet.

There are a billion iPhones out in the world... but only 100 million Apple Watches.

So only 1 in 10 iPhone users have an Apple Watch. There is still some growth opportunity. A lot actually.

:)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
32 months ago
Samsungs are circle shapes.

Just like in Ye Olde Thymes.

How quaint.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store [Updated]

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, SEGA Genesis,...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...