Samsung has a solid presence in the global smartwatch market, but it continues to lag behind Apple and Chinese competitors. This trend continued in Q1 2025, as the company suffered a decline in both shipments and market share compared to the same period last year. The Korean firm now needs to perform well with its upcoming Galaxy Watch 8 series to regain momentum in the smartwatch market.
Samsung struggles in the global smartwatch market in Q1 2025
According to the latest data from IDC, Samsung shipped 3.4 million smartwatches in the first quarter of 2025, down from 3.6 million units during the same period last year. Its market share declined from 8.8% in Q1 2024 to 7.5% in Q1 2025. This puts the company in fourth spot in the global smartphone shipments in the first half of 2025.
Meanwhile, Huawei led the market with a shipment of 10 million units and a market share of 21.9%. Likewise, Xiaomi secured the second position with 8.7 million shipments and a 19% share. Apple maintained its third position with 7 million unit shipments and a 15.5% share. Note that these figures count all wrist-worn smart devices.
Thanks to Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, and the affordable Galaxy Watch FE, the company remains in the top five global smartwatch market chart. However, it is the only brand in the top five to suffer a YoY decline in shipments.
The Korean firm is now set to launch three new smartwatches next month: Galaxy Watch 8, Watch 8 Classic, and Watch Ultra (2025). This year, Samsung has made changes to its strategy — it plans to bring back the Classic model with a physical rotating bezel. This could attract many consumers who love the traditional mechanical ring design. Furthermore, the entire Galaxy Watch 8 series adopts a squircle design, similar to the premium Galaxy Watch Ultra.
With One UI 8 Watch software, Samsung will introduce several powerful health features such as Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load, Running Coach, and Antioxidant Index. Basically, Samsung has made significant improvements to its new smartwatch lineup, from design to software. It will be interesting to see if Samsung is able to strengthen its position in the global smartwatch market in the coming months.