Global smartwatch shipments declined 4% year-over-year in Q2 2026, the first market decline in a year, according to Counterpoint Research. The drop was driven by an extended replacement cycle among premium buyers and continued weakness in the basic smartwatch segment.
Apple bucked the trend, posting the fastest year-over-year growth among the top five brands with gains across every region, thanks largely to its refreshed lineup, including the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 3. The Series 11 and SE 3 together accounted for more than 80% of Apple’s global shipments in the quarter.
Regionally, China held its lead in global smartwatch shipments, reaching a record 38% share in Q2 2026 and growing 7% year-over-year, driven largely by strong local demand for Huawei and Imoo devices. Apple itself recorded its fastest growth among the top five brands in China, a sign of recovery after a decline in the same quarter a year earlier, helped in part by the country’s ongoing consumer electronics subsidy program.
Huawei led the market in overall shipments and hit a record 22% global share in Q2 2026, but nearly 80% of that volume came from China alone. That concentration is the key difference between the two companies’ growth stories: Huawei’s gains are overwhelmingly domestic, while Apple grew across every region Counterpoint tracks.
Looking ahead, Counterpoint expects the broader market to grow just 1% for the full year, as premium users hold onto their watches longer and the basic-watch segment keeps shrinking. The firm still projects a 3% compound annual growth rate through 2030, pointing to edge AI, blood pressure tracking, and the push toward non-invasive glucose monitoring as the features likely to bring hesitant upgraders back, categories where Apple’s premium positioning leaves it well placed.
Apple will announce Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 during its September 9 event, which are expected to feature the same designs as their predecessors. Both models will skip a design overhaul in favor of what’s inside: a new processor for the first time in three years and a serious push on battery life.
