It must be admitted: Wear OS was a smartwatch operating system that lived in limbo for a long time until Samsung decided to collaborate more intensively with Google giving life to Wear OS 3. Now the first fruits of the partnership are beginning to be seen. According to the latest statistics compiled by CounterPoint Research, during the third quarter of the year, Samsung set a new record for smartwatch deliveries, gaining a market share of 17% (it was 4% in Q3 2020).
Q3 2021 FROM RECORD FOR SAMSUNG …
Overall, the sector grew by 16%, but it is evident how the balances have been reshuffled thanks to the South Korean company and its Galaxy Watch 4, the first models marketed with Wear OS 3 starting last August. It was Huawei in particular that paid the price and, to a lesser extent, Apple too (-10% on an annual basis), which however continues to hold the first position in the specific market segment.
Sujeong Lim, the CPR analyst, underlines the contribution that the latest Galaxy smartwatches have given to the sector and the further growth opportunities that the South Korean manufacturer could have, deciding to launch new models at lower prices and designed for Asian markets.
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Samsung performed better than expected in the third quarter. While Galaxy Watch 4 series shipments were higher than expected, more than 60% of total shipments were sold in North America and Europe, where the percentage of mid-to-high price range models is high. To further increase its market share, Samsung is expected to launch economic models within 2-3 years to lead the fast-growing Asian market.
AND WATCH OS THANKS
Wear OS contextually assumes greater weight in the sector than products based on proprietary operating systems of companies such as Garmin and Amazfit. It is true that the Galaxy smartwatches based on Tizen OS have not suddenly left the scene, but it is just as evident that when it comes to examining the composition of the market, divided by operating systems, the share attributable to Wear OS has grown at the same time, while that of Tizen’s OS ends in the all-encompassing “others”. Wear OS now has a 17% market share compared to the marginal 3% in Q3 2020. For a yardstick, watchOS is at 22%.
Considering that the launch of Wear OS 3 and the Galaxy Watch 4 dates back only a few months ago, in the future, the trend is very encouraging. It seems that Google, thanks to Samsung, has finally found the right recipe to also establish itself in the wearable market. And it is worth remembering that it will not be exclusively a two-way race: while the driving force at the moment coincides with the Galaxy Watch products, it is equally true that other companies are also developing updates to Wear OS 3 for models already in the trade and new models that will natively use the platform.