Xiaomi Tops Smartwatch Sales, Successfully Slides Apple's Prestige

JAKARTA - After winning the title of best-selling smartphone, Xiaomi has again been named the leading smartwatch maker in the second quarter (Q2) of this fiscal year. This achievement also succeeded in shifting the position of Apple, the US technology giant.

According to a recent report from market analysis firm Canalys, Apple's overall smartwatch sales hit 7.9 million in Q2 2021. Meanwhile, Xiaomi managed to overtake Apple at the last second with overall smartwatch sales reaching 8 million devices.

Not only Apple, Xiaomi also beat Huawei in third place, and Fitbit followed closely behind, while Samsung took last place in the number of sales.

However, this is the result of combined sales, both smartwatches, smartbands and others. Analysts say that Xiaomi managed to outperform its competitors thanks to the sales of the Mi Smart Band 6, and India is one of the strongest strongholds of Xiaomi, not included in the global premiere sale.

“Xiaomi made a wise move to accelerate the release of the Mi Band 6, which is a more attractive device than its predecessor. Xiaomi's rapid shift to basic watches also helped the company increase watch shipments by 1.3 million units this quarter," said Canalys Research Analyst Cynthia Chen as quoted by Wccftech, Monday, September 6.

Although Xiaomi is leading the way with its functional smart band, it is not as sophisticated as the Apple Watch smartwatch. When separated from the band, Apple Watch scored 31.1 percent market share, Huawei came in second with 9 percent market share while Xiaomi came in third with 5.7 percent market share.

This is because Apple offers a wide range of health-related features and continues to add more with each release. The Apple Watch Series 7 is expected to arrive with a blood pressure sensor but it is too early to speculate as the final decision rests with the company.

Analysts predict that after Apple launches the Watch Series 7, it is likely that the Cupertino, US-based company will shift the Xiaomi market. With a note, Apple can meet market demand amid the current global chipset shortage.