🖋 By Meenakshi – AZAD Architects, Barnala
Huawei Leads Wearables Market; Apple Third
In a surprising shake-up of the global wearable technology market, Huawei has claimed the top spot in Q1 2025, outpacing major rivals like Xiaomi and Apple, according to the latest IDC report. With strong growth in smartwatches and fitness bands, Huawei now leads a highly competitive field that also includes Samsung and Garmin. This rapid shift underscores the evolving dynamics of the smart wearables industry as brands compete for dominance in the expanding global tech market.
📊 Global Wearables Market: Huawei Takes the Crown
According to the latest Q1 2025 data from IDC China, Huawei has emerged as the global leader in the wearables market, shipping 10 million units between January and March. This accounts for a 21.9% market share, marking an impressive 42.4% growth compared to Q1 2024, when Huawei shipped 7 million devices and held 17% of the market.
🔼 Xiaomi Surges Ahead with Fastest Growth
Xiaomi claimed the second spot, delivering 8.7 million wearables during the quarter. It captured 19% of the global market, thanks to the highest year-on-year growth of 42.6%, up from 6.1 million units and 14.7% share in the previous year.
🍎 Apple Drops to Third Despite Strong Growth
Despite growing by 37.2% year-on-year, Apple slid to third place, with 7 million shipments and a 15.5% market share. A year ago, Apple had shipped 5.1 million units with a 12.5% market share.
📉 Samsung Sales Dip as It Falls to Fourth
Samsung secured the fourth position, but it was not all good news. With 3.4 million units shipped and a 7.5% market share, the company experienced a 5.7% decline from Q1 2024’s 3.6 million units and 8.8% share.
🧭 Garmin Holds Fifth Spot with Healthy Growth
Garmin rounded out the top five, shipping 2.1 million units and claiming 4.7% market share. That Is a 29.5% increase compared to its 1.6 million units and 4% share from the same quarter last year.
🛍️ Market-Wide Growth: Wearables on the Rise
Overall, the global wearables market saw total shipments of 45.6 million units in Q1 2025, a 10.5% increase from 41.2 million in Q1 2024. This includes 34.81 million smartwatches and 10.76 million smart bands, indicating a healthy demand across categories.
🇨🇳 China Drives Growth With Government Support
China alone contributed 17.62 million units, with its wearable market surging 37.6% year-on-year. Specifically, 11.4 million smartwatches and 6.21 million smart bands were shipped, growing by 25.3% and 67.9%, respectively.
This momentum is largely fueled by government subsidies and support programs, which are expected to continue. IDC forecasts a 36.9% year-on-year increase for China’s wearable market by the end of 2025.
📚 Source:
Read the full report on IDC's official website
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