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110 Most Popular Wearable Brands for the 2017 Third Quarter
The wearables market is changing dramatically, according to the third-quarter report on the space from researcher Canalys. The company found that while wearable shipments were down year over year, customers are increasingly turning away from basic fitness tracking bands and toward higher-end smartwatches that come with health tracking and cellular connectivity. The data suggests Apple and its Apple Watch are benefiting from this transition and smaller wearable markers that haven’t developed higher-end devices are watching their market share wane. Canalys also found that China presents huge market opportunities for wearable makers. This slide show will cover more of the details from the Canalys third-quarter wearables market analysis.
2Apple Watch Leads the Way
3Xiaomi Takes Second
China-based Xiaomi was able to nab the second spot in the worldwide wearable market, according to data from Canalys. Xiaomi shipped 3.6 million units in the third quarter, helping the company secure 21 percent of the market. Xiaomi, like some of the others, benefited from a growing demand in China for smartwatches.
4Fitbit Holds Firm in Third Place
5Huawei Hold Fourth Place With Just 6 Percent Market Share
6Samsung Holds On
7Wearable Buyers Favors High-End Models
Overall, the wearables market had a middling third quarter. Historically, the third quarter has been down year over year as customers prepare for a shopping spree in the fourth quarter. That was again the case this year, with 17.3 million units shipped worldwide, a 2 percent year-over-year decline. However, those at the top of the market with sophisticated wearables performed well. Basic bands with simpler features were the market laggards.
8There Was a Strong Preference for LTE-enables Apple Watches
Canalys dug into the Apple Watch’s performance to see just how well it performed in the third quarter. The company found that Apple sold 800,000 LTE-enabled Watch units during the period, which was impressive, considering it was only available for a few weeks in the third quarter. Apple sold one Apple Watch for every iPhone 7 or iPhone 8 it shipped during the period. The average Apple Watch selling price was $419.
9Huawei’s Watch 2 Was Its Best-Selling Smartwatch
10Samsung Gear S3 Was Its Best-Selling Wearable
11Holiday Shoppers Will Boost Fourth Quarter Sales
Looking ahead, Canalys expects the fourth quarter to be a better one than the third quarter. The company believes that consumers will respond favorably to more-capable smartwatches like the Apple Watch LTE, and should be attracted to the new health-tracking features coming to wearable devices. Canalys stopped short, however, of saying how many wearable units it predicts will ship in the fourth quarter.