Apple retains clear smartwatch market lead, but a new contender is rising in a key wearable segment
No one can threaten Apple's smartwatch market supremacy right now, although Google and Garmin are making very interesting progress with a relatively new type of wearable.
Yes, some new smartwatches are more expensive than their predecessors, but the price increases are relatively modest and too fresh to be reflected in Omdia's worldwide research for the April - June 2026 timeframe, especially as older models haven't become costlier in that period and ultra-affordable activity trackers have (largely) retained both their affordability and popularity.
No one can touch the smartwatch king, but the silver medal is in play all of a sudden
If you thought Apple's tablet market supremacy was impressive, then you may not have been aware of how the Cupertino-based tech giant dominates the global smartwatch landscape.
Apple's smartwatch market share is higher than Samsung, Garmin, Huawei, and Imoo's numbers... added up. | Image by Omdia
Believe it or not, 46 percent of the smartwatches shipped around the world between April and June of this year were apparently Apple Watches, and what might be even harder to wrap your head around is that the number is actually down from the 48 percent slice of the pie eaten up by the same company back in Q2 2025.
Naturally, that means the distance between the champion and the first runner-up in this super-crowded and (theoretically) super-competitive market is absolutely massive, but unlike this time last year, there are two brands dreaming of (eventually) closing that gap instead of just one.
Do you plan on buying a new wearable anytime soon?
Garmin is now essentially tied with Samsung in second place, and while the old silver medalist sees its market share plummet from 17 to 15 percent, the new silver medalist is impressively up from 11 to 15 percent, likely making a major contribution to the overall 6 percent year-on-year growth of the smartwatch division.
Huawei edges out Xiaomi and Apple in the battle for wearable supremacy
Because different analytics firms often use different definitions for smartwatches and wearable devices, some reports can sometimes include very confusing results.
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For instance, Counterpoint Research estimated a couple of months back that Apple sold only around 23 percent of the world's smartwatches between January and March 2026, which is clearly a very different score from the 48 and 46 percent market shares reported by Omdia for the same company in Q2 2025 and Q2 2026, respectively.
Now this is an incredibly tight battle. | Image by Omdia
Omdia is also confusingly ranking Apple in third place as far as Q2 2026 "wearable band" shipments are concerned, but because I'm not aware of any fitness bands being sold by Cupertino... just yet, I'll have to assume those are the latest numbers for the wearable industry as a whole.
If that's the case, Huawei is the new global market leader, very closely followed by Xiaomi (which was the "wearable band" champion last year) and Apple, while Samsung is a very distant fourth place finisher, essentially tied with Garmin... once again.
Google and Garmin are ideally positioned for future growth
Before you even think it, no, Omdia analysts aren't expecting the Pixel Watch family to break into the mainstream all of a sudden this year. Instead, Google's lower-cost and (theoretically) lower-profile Fitbit Air has somewhat surprisingly connected with a pretty large global audience already, looking set for even higher sales figures over the next few months as screenless fitness trackers are expected to grow more and more popular.
The wearable industry could return to growth soon thanks to brands like Apple, Fitbit, and Garmin. | Image by Omdia
That's obviously great news for Garmin as well, although it remains to be seen just how big of a leap this relatively new product category can make after accounting for a solid but far from mind-blowing 15 percent of "basic" band shipments in Q2 2026.
Interestingly, these so-called basic bands (aka affordable activity trackers with or without screens) dropped 9 percent all in all in the quarter compared to the same period of last year, which essentially nullified the aforementioned 6 percent increase in smartwatch sales, dragging the wearable industry to a 2 percent decline... that could well bounce back to a (small) year-on-year progress in Q3 2026 if Apple Watches, Garmins, and Google Fitbits continue to generate robust demand.
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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'.
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