India smartwatch market takes second spot for first time in Q2 2022

The global smartwatch market’s shipments grew 13% YoY in Q2 2022 amid macro uncertainties such as inflation and geopolitical conflicts, according to Counterpoint Research’s recently published Global Smartwatch Model Tracker. In particular, India’s smartwatch market grew by more than 300% YoY to overtake China for the second spot. Indian OEMs such as Fire-Boltt and Noise took top spots in global market share.

Associate Director Sujeong Lim said, “The market performed relatively well in the second quarter compared to the downtrend we expected three months ago. However, as expected, China’s economic slowdown resulted in a YoY decline in its market, with major Chinese brands such as Huawei, imoo and Amazfit seeing limited YoY growth or decline. Nevertheless, given that the smartphone market declined 9% YoY during the same period, we believe that the smartwatch market is on the right track to healthy growth.”

Market summary

• Apple’s shipments increased 8% YoY, taking the top spot in this quarter as well. However, as the effect of the new model launch gradually weakened, the decline in Apple Watch 7 series shipments became larger compared to the previous quarter.
• Samsung maintained its second place with a 40% YoY growth. The Galaxy Watch 4 series has maintained its popularity, especially in North America and India.
• Huawei took the first position in the Chinese market for the third consecutive quarter. But the brand will find it difficult to regain the second position from Samsung globally due to the brakes on its global expansion.
• Xiaomi’s shipments increased 13% YoY with no significant change in its market share. The brand needs to increase its presence in India to further expand its market share, but competition will not be easy due to strong local brands.
• Garmin fell two places to the seventh spot compared to the previous year. However, due to its higher ASP, the brand ranked third after Apple and Samsung in terms of wholesale revenues.
• Amazfit’s shipments declined 11% YoY due to the weak demand in China market. But it performed well in India, growing 65% QoQ.
• Fire-Boltt recorded a remarkable increase in shipments, taking first place in India’s market in terms of quarterly shipments.
• Noise grew 298% YoY, gaining popularity in both online and offline markets of India. However, due to the rapid growth of Fire-Boltt, it lost the No. 1 position in the Indian market with a 26% share.

By region, North America continued to occupy the top spot, but its gap with the second spot narrowed somewhat. A notable market for the quarter was India, which grew 347% YoY to overtake China for the second spot. Lim said, “During the quarter, 30% of models shipped in the Indian market sold for less than $50, and major local brands launched cost-effective models, lowering the entry barriers for consumers.”

China, which ranked second in the previous quarter, was pushed down to third place with a 10% YoY decrease in its shipments as consumer demand contracted due to COVID-19 lockdowns and negative economic growth. In addition, Europe, which ranked third in the previous quarter, was pushed down to fourth place with a 13% YoY decline against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war.

CT Bureau