Damien Wilde / Android Authority
TL;DR Samsung is expected to introduce its Galaxy Watch 8 lineup at Unpacked on July 9.
Earlier this year, Samsung dropped from 3rd to 4th place in global smartwatch sales.
Sales in North America and Europe have been particularly hard hit.
Today may be a holiday here in the US, but for mobile tech fans, the big celebration is still a few days away. Next Wednesday, on July 9, Samsung hosts its latest Unpacked event in New York City, where the company is expected to introduce not just its latest lineup of foldable phones, but also debut the Galaxy Watch 8 series. With a new “squircle” design defining the hardware, Samsung needs to convince shoppers this is a move in the right direction. And based on the latest market report, getting a win this year may be more important than ever.
Apple dominates the smartwatch market, and while that doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon, there’s been much more motion when it comes to the players vying for the next few top spots.
A few months back, we looked at a report comparing the smartwatch market in 2023 with 2024. While Samsung was more or less treading water, we saw major growth from both Huawei and Xiaomi, with the former solidifying its second-place status right below Apple, and the latter starting to look like it might soon surpass Samsung.
This week, Counterpoint is back with its latest market analysis, and it’s even more bad news for Samsung:
Global Smartwatch Shipments by OEM Share, Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024
That Chinese competition continues to show big gains while Samsung’s position only continues to weaken, and across Q1 the company soundly found itself relegated to a fourth-place position.
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