If you felt like some of the global smartwatch market reports released in the last few years by the world's most trusted analytics firms didn't do Apple's towering industry dominance justice by comparing vastly different devices, Counterpoint Research has an absolutely astounding new number to share that seems to paint a clearer and more accurate picture than ever.
50.6 percent. That's how many of the world's "HLOS" smartwatches shipped between July and September carried the iconic fruit-themed logo. HLOS stands for high-level operating system, which excludes the humblest and cheapest smartwatches from the equation to ensure a (relatively) level playing field for all major wearable hardware manufacturers.
Apple versus the world
By separating this "HLOS" class of devices from the "basic" smartwatch category, Counterpoint is largely pitting Apple against the likes of Samsung, Huawei, Garmin, Fitbit, and Fossil rather than also adding brands like Noise, Fire-Boltt, boAt, or even Xiaomi in the mix.
As such, the incredible supremacy of Apple Watches over their direct rivals and top-shelf alternatives is more evident than ever, with the combined market share of all said rivals unable to match the Q3 2022 sales figures of the most popular smartwatches out there.
More than one in two "high-level" smartwatches sold around the world in the July - September timeframe came from the Cupertino-based tech giant, and despite its very young age, the Apple Watch Series 8 is credited with much of this success. Apple's overall smartwatch shipments, mind you, jumped by nearly 50 percent from the third quarter of last year, although believe it or not, the aforementioned 50.6 percent slice of the HLOS pie is apparently slightly smaller than the 54 percent share of Q2 2022.
Remarkably enough, Samsung managed to improve both its high-level smartwatch shipments and market share compared to this year's second quarter, and unsurprisingly, that was primarily due to the release of new models as well.
Of course, the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro are nowhere near as successful as its silver medalist manufacturer would need to actually challenge the heavyweight champion of the world, but Samsung is impressively expanding its own lead over surprise bronze medalist Amazfit, fourth-placer Huawei, and final top five finisher Garmin.
You may want to remember this name
When adding basic smartwatches that run a "lighter version" of an operating system than Watch OS or Wear OS to the equation, Huawei slips from fourth place to fifth and a little brand called Noise makes the overall podium. This is a company based in India that folks in the Western Hemisphere might be completely oblivious to despite ruling the global "basic" segment right now.
This is a smartwatch sold by Noise in India at a ridiculously low price.
That division's second and third-largest players are not exactly big outside of India either, highlighting the country's key role in the latest quarterly growth of the smartwatch market as a whole.
Yes, total smartwatch shipments are up by an incredible 30 percent year-over-year, and India just so happens to be the biggest market of them all for the first time in history, overtaking the US. As you can imagine, that poses quite a challenge to the likes of Samsung and Garmin, which are not extremely popular around those parts.
But Garmin, for instance, can certainly rest assured knowing its "flat" shipment numbers are offset (at least for the time being) by the highest ASP (average selling price) in the entire industry. Yes, that's even higher than Apple's, at "about" $365, which obviously guarantees some very chunky profit margins on each and every smartwatch sold around the globe.
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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