I think I know who might be able to threaten Apple's smartwatch supremacy soon, and it's not Samsung
While many PhoneArena readers seemingly have no intention to buy a new wearable soon, a fairly large number of people have their sights set on Garmin rather than Samsung or Apple.
The Apple Watch family has been dominating the global wearable landscape pretty much since its very inception over a decade ago, leading industry analysts and everyday users to constantly wonder all this time whether the supremacy of the Cupertino-based tech giant would ever be repealed or at least weakened and who could pull off such a monumental achievement.
Technically, a number of market reports from the last few years suggest that Huawei and Xiaomi have managed to take the lead (at least temporarily) in worldwide wearable device shipments, but if you remove low-cost smart bands with tiny profit margins from the equation, Apple's smartwatch industry dominance looks more impressive than ever.
But one contender is slowly and quietly rising, and a new PhoneArena poll makes this threat look a lot more serious than many of you probably imagined.
Garmin seems set to overtake Samsung before long
I'm not saying that, your votes are, especially when you view them in the context of Omdia's latest quarterly wearable sales report. That put Garmin at the exact same smartwatch market share as Samsung in terms of Q2 2026 shipments after the distance between the two Apple rivals stood at no less than 6 percent back between April and June of last year.
Do you plan on buying a new wearable anytime soon?
That's already a very concerning direction for the world's predicted number one smartphone vendor at the end of this year, and when you consider that more than 24 percent of respondents to a recent PhoneArena reader survey seemingly plan to buy a new Garmin smartwatch soon, Samsung's silver medal position is just about guaranteed to fall.
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Of course, our poll didn't exactly get hundreds of thousands of votes, and 24.12 percent isn't a particularly commanding result anyway. But it's not only higher than the number of PhoneArena readers who want to purchase a Samsung Galaxy Watch in the near future, also beating the surprisingly few of you with their sights set on Apple Watches right now.
The number one answer should worry all smartwatch vendors
That's right, an even higher number than that of prospective future Garmin buyers have no intention to get a new smartwatch whatsoever anytime soon because they're "happy with their current devices."
Global wearable sales could continue to fall if so many of you are content with your current devices. | Image by Omdia
On the other hand, it strongly suggests that the wearable industry has hit a stagnation point, and in order for this to be surpassed, the world's top vendors need to bring more exciting upgrades and radical changes to the table. New designs and product categories might also help, although contrary to what some research firms seem to believe, the fledgling screenless activity tracker niche looks unlikely to break into the mainstream, collecting less than 10 percent of your votes in our little survey above.
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In the grand scheme of things, probably not. After all, a market share lead of no less than 31 percent is not something that can be easily voided in a month, three, or twelve just because the excitement around the fast-approaching Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 is virtually nonexistent.
Who do you think will be the world's top smartwatch vendor in five years?
That being said, Garmin is preparing to unveil (at least) one enthralling new rugged smartwatch literally as I write these lines, and if the Fenix 9 ends up outselling the aforementioned Apple Watch Ultra 4 (which is certainly unlikely but not impossible), that could mark the beginning of a beautiful rise towards the position of clear top challenger for the industry's world heavyweight title.
Meanwhile, as promising as the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 looked at first glance, it appears its buzz has already fizzled out, sending Samsung on its sure way to the last spot on the global vendor podium.
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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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