The latest data from Counterpoint Research estimates that Apple shipped 12.9 million Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE units in Q4 2020. The company also managed to remain the market leader despite smartwatch sales remaining flat in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE combined accounted for 40% of the total smartwatch market share in Q4 2020. Apple managed to increase its market share by 6% as well and remained the clear leader.

Samsung saw its market share increase by 1% compared to Q4 2019. This can be attributed to the launch of the Galaxy Watch 3 in the latter half of 2020 and the various bundled deals that Samsung offered with the Galaxy Note20 series.

Huawei reported the largest increase in its smartwatch shipments. It shipped 11.1 million smartwatches in 2020, up from 8.7 million units in 2019. This represents a growth of 26%, higher than the 19% growth reported by Apple. The company’s performance is even impressive when one considers the various US sanctions imposed on it.

The report also states that consumer preference has shifted towards more expensive watches, with Apple, Samsung, and Garmin forming the bulk of the sale. The $300+ smartwatch segment grew by 8%, with Apple dominating the category and enjoying over 70% market share in this price range.

While the COVID-induced lockdown definitely affected smartwatch sales, the Apple Watch has still done fairly well for Apple. The entire smartwatch industry should rebound in the second half of 2021 as economies worldwide open up and the various movement restrictions are removed.

Our Take

One of the key reasons why the Apple Watch is the market leader is because of how neatly it integrates with the iPhone and Apple’s ecosystem. Its health-tracking capabilities are also second to none, which gives it a major advantage over the competition. While there are plenty of budget smartwatches in the market that claim to offer heart rate monitoring and step tracking, the data they collect is wildly inaccurate.