Apple Watch has continued to dominate the smartwatch market for the first quarter of 2019, accounting for one in every three smartwatches shipped during that period. That"s according to the latest report from global research firm Counterpoint Research.
Counterpoint Research shared today its global smartwatch market findings for the previous quarter and said total shipments grew 48% year-on-year (YoY). Apple led the pack with a market share of 35.8% followed by Samsung in the distant second spot with an 11.1% share.
Counterpoint Research Analyst, Satyajit Sinha, said:
“Apple Watch shipments grew a solid 49% YoY despite the weak demand for its iPhones. Apple continues to focus on the health-related features like ECG and fall detection in the Apple Watch Series 4. The ECG capability in the Apple Watch is the most desirable feature, according to our latest Consumer Lens survey."
Apple first rolled out support for the ECG app to its Watch Series 4 in the U.S. late last year before bringing it to Europe and Hong Kong in March as part of the watchOS 5.2 update. Sinha, however, added that "limited battery life remains a pain point for consumer’s decision-making process, irrespective of region and price band.”
While Apple still led the smartwatch market for the last quarter, it was Samsung that managed to achieve the highest growth rate: 127% YoY. Sujeong Lim, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research, attributed the company"s exponential growth to its latest Galaxy Watch series with improved battery life and cellular LTE connectivity, among other features. No specific shipment numbers from the vendors were provided, though.