Global Wearable Shipments Increased 28.4% in 2020, Apple Tops Market With 34.1% Share

Global shipments of wearable devices reached 153.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2020 (Q4 2020), a year-over-year increase of 27.2 percent according to new data from the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. The latest report shows that shipments for the full year grew 28.4 percent to 444.7 million units. IDC includes earwear, watches (both smart and basic), and wristbands under wearables. Notably, Apple led the wearable market in both 2020 and Q4 2020 with a share of 34.1 percent and (151.4 million units) and 36.2 percent (55.6 million units), respectively. Xiaomi took the second spot both in 2020 and Q4 2020.

Starting with the global wearable shipments for the entire 2020, Xiaomi took the second spot by shipping 50.7 million units to capture an 11.4 percent market share. Huawei was at the third spot with a 9.8 percent share (43.5 million units) followed by Samsung with a 9 percent share (40 million units) and Google-owned Fitbit with a 2.9 percent share (12.9 million units). Data shows that apart from Fitbit, other brands on the list posted positive double-figure growth.

In Q4 2020, Xiaomi captured a share of 8.8 percent by shipping 13. million units. Samsung, Huawei, and BoAt took the next three spots with 8.5 percent share, 6.7 percent share, and 3.5 percent share, respectively. IDC notes that Apple’s market share rose after launching new devices such as Apple Watch Series 6, and the more affordable Apple Watch SE. Xiaomi’s Mi Band lineup declined 18.3 percent during the supply-challenged quarter. Speaking more over the latest data, Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobile Device Trackers said that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a good year for the health wearable market.

“In-home fitness programs are quickly becoming a crucial component of the wearables offering for many companies. Beyond that, the proliferation of health sensors such as skin temperature, ECG, and heart rate tracking are allowing users and health professionals to better understand the onset and tracking of diseases,” Ubrani added in the blog post.

The IDC notes that Samsung held the third position with growth coming from its hearables business as the company shipped 8.8 million units across its various brands. Samsung Watch shipments still seem to be struggling.

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