The global wrist-worn device market has shipped over 150 million units during the first three quarters of the year 2025. This category combines smartwatches and fitness trackers. As per IDC’s latest report , this represents a 10% increase over the same period last year. Huawei has been the leader for the past 9 months, while Xiaomi was the fastest-growing smartwatch maker among the top 5 during the first three quarters of 2025.
Xiaomi was the fastest-growing smartwatch maker in the first three quarters of 2025
The simple and affordable fitness trackers segment experienced a substantial increase in demand, with a 21.3% year-over-year growth. A total of 32.86 million units were shipped during the period. As for Huawei, the Watch GT 6 and Watch GT 6 Pro drove the company’s shipments. Though the company shipped a total of 28.6 million units globally, a vast majority of those (20.8 million) were from China. IDC reports that Huawei is working on expanding its overseas footprint.
It’s Xiaomi that holds the top 2 spot and is apparently the fastest-growing manufacturer among the top 5 in 2025. It shipped a total of 27.9 million units and saw a strong demand for affordable models like the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 and other Redmi watches. Besides a strong demand in China, Xiaomi also had a notable presence in Southeast Asia and South America.
Apple settled in the top 3 spot globally and the top 4 in China. The company has reportedly stabilized its position in the mid-to-high-end market. This year, the company’s focus was on 5G cellular network capabilities and satellite messaging.
Samsung reversed its decline
Then there’s Samsung in the top 4 spot globally. The company has been on a decline during the first half of the year, but with the arrival of Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic wearables in Q3, it was able to reverse this. The company achieved a year-on-year increase in cumulative shipments for the first three quarters.
IDC predicts that China’s wrist-worn device market shipments could reach 79.58 million units in 2026, a year-on-year increase of 5.1%. IDC says that advanced connectivity, along with integrating AI applications and more sophisticated health-tracking features, will be the key drivers of growth for the next year.
