Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has surpassed Apple as the top smartwatch maker during the second quarter of this financial year, partly thanks to the new Mi Smart Band 6.

A new market intelligence report claims that Apple’s 7.9 million smartwatch sales were outdone by Xiaomi’s eight million sales, also outdoing Huawei and Fitbit in the process. Samsung clocked the least number of sales.

The Canalys report’s timing is noteworthy. Xiaomi has launched a smartwatch this quarter while Apple fans continue to await the Apple Watch Series 7’s debut with bated breaths.

The Apple Watch Series 7’s sales could give a strong boost to Apple’s sales metrics. The report mentioned, “Xiaomi’s performance was bolstered by the launch of the Mi Smart Band 6, despite India, one of Xiaomi’s strongholds, not (being) on the initial global launch list.”

Canalys Research Analyst Cynthia Chen noted that the Mi Smart Band 6 is a more compelling device than its predecessors, and Xiaomi made a wise move to hasten its release this quarter.

Chen continued by saying “Xiaomi’s quick pivot to basic watches” helped boost its sales numbers by 1.3 million units this quarter. Without this, Apple would have continued to reign supreme, despite the Apple Watch Series 7’s awaited launch.

The market report goes on to explain that Apple still holds a 31.1 percent market share in the sophisticated smartwatch segment with other brands far behind. This lays emphasis on the fact that Xiaomi dabbles in “basic bands” with its hot new product that’s arguably responsible for its marginal lead over Apple’s sales volume.

In the premium smartwatch market, Huawei’s minuscule nine percent share comes a distant second to Apple while Xiaomi’s share is just 5.7 percent.

Canalys Research Manager Jason Low noted that companies are gunning for a generation leap in smartwatches and to stand out, they’re improving the user experience and interface. “Health tracking is the most prominent use case for smartwatches. The ability to deliver cutting-edge health-tracking features and to offer users meaningful data and actionable health insights will set winners and losers apart,” He added.

The upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 isn’t expected to incorporate new sensors although blood sugar monitoring and blood pressure monitoring are reportedly on the cards for future iterations.