Xiaomi Band: Xiaomi beats Apple to become top wearable brand in the world – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Xiaomi overtook Apple to become the top-shipping wearable brand in Q2, 2021, according to a report by market research firm Canalys. Xiaomi scooped up to 19.6% of the global market share, followed by Apple with 19.3% market share. The report says that Xiaomi’s performance was bolstered by the launch of the Mi Smart Band 6.
Cynthia Chen, research analyst Canalys says, “Xiaomi made a wise move to hasten the release of the Mi Band 6, which is a more compelling device than its predecessor. Xiaomi’s quick pivot to basic watches also helped the company boost its wristwatch shipments by 1.3 million units this quarter.”

The third position is captured by Huawei with 9.2% market share. Fitbit and Samsung stand on fourth and fifth position with 7.3% and 6.1% market share respectively.
Apple continues to lead global wristwatch market
Apple continues to lead the global wristwatch market, commanding a sizable lead with a 31.1% market share in Q2 2021. Apple is followed by Huawei with 9.0% market share. Garmin and Samsung capture third and fourth position with 7.6% and 7.0% market share respectively. Xiaomi managed to capture the fifth position in the smartwatch category with 5.7% market share.

Jason Low, research manager, Canalys says,”Vendors are attempting to make a big generational leap in smartwatch technologies. To stand out, they are improving the fundamentals, such as user experience and battery life, creating their own distinct UIs and leveraging their respective ecosystems to draw out new and unique use cases.”
Overall global wearable market
As per the report, the global wearable brand market grew 5.6% year on year with 40.9 million units shipping in Q2 2021. The decline of basic bands, which started in Q4 2020, has extended into Q2 2021. Shipments fell 23.8% to 15.5 million units. Shipments of basic watches and smartwatches reached 25.4 million, up 37.9%. Wristwatches now account for 62% of global wearable band shipments.

Wristwatch shipments overtook those of basic bands for the first time in Q4 2020, and this trend has continued since then, with wristwatches accounting for over 60% of all wearable band shipments for three consecutive quarters to date.