According to the latest announcement from market research firm Canalys, the global wearables market (smartwatches and other wearables with less features) grew by 13% compared to the same period last year in the first quarter of 2025, reaching 46.6 million units.
Xiaomi ranked first, with 8.7 million units sold, up half a year over the same period last year. The Chinese company had a leap forward thanks to strong sales from the Redmi Band 5 wearable device, thereby helping them account for 19% of the global market share in the first quarter of this year.
Xiaomi has upgraded its Mi Band and Redmi Watch lines with a new design and advanced data capabilities, bringing comprehensive features to lower price segments, said Jack Leathem, an analyst at Canalys. The company's growth is also supported by effective portfolio coordination and competitive prices, especially in emerging economies".
Despite a 5% year-on-year growth of 7.6 million units shipped in the first 3 months of 2025, Apple has dropped to 2nd place, with 16% of global market share. With 2025 marking the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Apple Watch, Apple is expected to regain growth momentum in the second half of the year with a major update, based on an ecosystem focusing on mature health and tightly integrating its own.
Huawei has defended its third place with solid achievements from the GT and Fit lines, along with the global launch of the Huawei Health app, expanding its ecosystem strategy beyond China. The number of products shipped increased by 36% to 7.1 million units from January to March 2025.
Ranked 4th and 5th on the rankings are Samsung and Garmin, with 11% and 4% global market share, respectively. Among these, Garmin is a brand specializing in smartwatches. In the first 3 months of 2025, their outgoing goods reached 1.8 million units, up 10% over the same period in 2024. Garmin relies on a different portfolio and launches Connect+ to increase sales for loyal users.
Canalys's analysis also offers the main factors that affect the purchase of user's wrist equipment. It shows that the number one factor that buyers consider when deciding whether to buy smart watches is the price of the device, followed by battery life. The brand ranks fourth, right after the health monitoring features. Design and design of the device are the fifth element considered by users.
