The global wrist-worn device market continued to grow in the first quarter of 2026, with IDC reporting 47.05 million shipments worldwide, up 2.2% year-on-year. Huawei, Apple, and Xiaomi ranked as the top three vendors, showing that the wearable segment remains highly competitive despite slower demand for basic fitness trackers. Xiaomi shipped 8.0 million units, securing a 16.9% global market share, just behind Apple’s 17.0% share and ahead of Samsung and Garmin.
Market overview: smartwatches drive the recovery
According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Devices Tracker data shared by IT Home, the wrist-worn category includes both smartwatches and fitness trackers. Smartwatches continued to perform strongly, reaching 37.03 million units in Q1 2026, up 4.8% year-on-year. Fitness trackers, however, declined to 10.02 million units, down 6.1% year-on-year.
This shows a clear market shift. Users are increasingly choosing smartwatches because they offer more advanced health tracking, larger displays, app support, AI features, and better integration with phone ecosystems.
Top 5 wrist-worn device brands in Q1 2026
Xiaomi’s shipment volume was almost equal to Apple’s, with only a 0.1 percentage point difference in market share. This keeps Xiaomi in a very strong competitive position, especially considering its broad wearable lineup, including Xiaomi Band models and Xiaomi Watch products.
Xiaomi’s position remains strong despite yearly decline
Although Xiaomi’s shipments declined 6.9% year-on-year, the company still remained the world’s third-largest wrist-worn device vendor. The result suggests that Xiaomi continues to benefit from its wide product range, aggressive pricing, and strong ecosystem strategy.
Xiaomi’s main advantage remains its ability to cover multiple price segments. Entry-level Xiaomi Band models continue to attract users looking for affordable health tracking, while higher-end Xiaomi Watch products compete in the smartwatch segment with improved displays, battery life, health monitoring, and Xiaomi HyperOS ecosystem integration.
Market impact: high-end models and China are leading growth
IDC’s report highlights three major trends in the Q1 2026 market:
In China, wrist-worn device shipments reached 18.14 million units, up 3.5% year-on-year. Adult smartwatches grew 15.3%, children’s smartwatches grew 22.4%, while fitness trackers declined 22.2%. This confirms that the market is moving away from simple bands and toward more capable smartwatch products.
