Apple Watch Remains Nearly Three Times as Popular as Samsung Smartwatches - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Watch Remains Nearly Three Times as Popular as Samsung Smartwatches

The latest data from market research firm IDC reveals that Apple Watch sales totaled an estimated 1.6 million units in the second quarter, for an industry leading 47 percent market share, compared to Samsung's estimated 600,000 smartwatch sales and 16 percent market share during the March-June period.

Apple-Watch-vs-Samsung-Gear
The numbers suggest that the Apple Watch remains nearly three times as popular as Samsung Gear smartwatches, nearly fifteen months after launching in the U.S. and eight other countries. Nevertheless, Samsung did close the gap with strong 51 percent year-over-year growth and a 9 point rise in market share.

IDC-smartwatch-sales-Q2-2016
Apple, meanwhile, experienced a 55 percent year-over-year decline, but the year-ago quarter encompassed the Apple Watch's launch and is thereby an unfair comparison. Apple Watch market share has dropped substantially, however, from an estimated peak of 72 to 75 percent following its launch quarter.

Despite a down quarter, Apple remains far and away the market leader in smartwatches. Apple faces the same challenges as other OEMs, but the pure exposure of the device and brand through tactical marketing gives it a leg up on the competition. Watch 2.0, along with updates to watchOS, could help drive existing user refresh and more importantly, a new wave of first-time buyers.

The overall smartwatch market experienced its first-ever decline as shipments fell 32 percent in the second quarter, totaling an estimated 3.5 million units compared to an estimated 5.1 million units in the year-ago quarter. Lenovo, LG, and Garmin rounded off the top five smartwatch vendors in the second quarter, but the trio combined to sell only 700,000 units. All other vendors sold a combined 600,000 units.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the so-called Apple Watch 2 will debut in the third quarter, setting the stage for a possible launch alongside the next iPhone in September. The next-generation Apple Watch could feature a FaceTime video camera, expanded Wi-Fi capabilities, cellular connectivity, and other internal upgrades, while new models and bands are always possibilities.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 12
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

Surprise and Shine Live Coverage Article

Apple Event Live Blog: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and More

Wednesday September 9, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the foldable iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models, new AirPods 5 earphones, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We...
apple surprise and shine event

Apple Event Today: iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo Cheat Sheet

Tuesday September 8, 2026 10:24 am PDT by
Apple's biggest event of the year is almost here, and all eyes are on Cupertino. With the first foldable iPhone expected to headline Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event on Wednesday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, the rumor mill has been running full throttle, fuelled by the biggest single design change in the life of the iPhone. To get you up to speed, here's a quick reference...
apple watch series 12

Leak Hints at Four New Features for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4

Monday September 7, 2026 8:57 am PDT by
Ahead of the announcement of the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 later this week, code in the watchOS 27 and iOS 27 betas points to a series of new features for the product line. The information comes from a new post from MacRumors forums member "pdfu." The findings include: New "Readiness" app: An all-new separate Watch app referred to in code as "Readiness," distinct from the...

Top Rated Comments

Mercifull Avatar
133 months ago
Not really surprising. Smart watches are gimmick devices. It's no wonder more Apple fans buy into this sort of thing. I say this as a AW wearer.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac 128 Avatar
133 months ago
Considering I see Apple Watches on celebrities and people on the street and very very rarely see other smart watches (not counting Pebble/fitbit), this is not surprising at all.
Woohoo, they dominate a market segment nobody cares about.

However, your anectdotal evidence doesn't pan out to even this study -- Apple still only has a 47% market share against all smart watches sold. All other smart watches therefore make up a 53% share. Which means, you shouldn't be seeing more Watches than any other kind, but at least in equal numbers.

Most of what you're seeing has likely always been there over the past year when Apple dominated the market with 72%, you're just now making a point to notice whether people are wearing them or not. And that's why anectdotal evidence doesn't really work for any kind of serious analysis ...
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JoeyEatWorld Avatar
133 months ago
I have an Apple Watch and a Samsung Gear S2. I see a lot of websites that "rank" the Gear S2 above the Apple Watch. I attribute this mostly to people refusing to acknowledge Apple as having a superior product.

I have had the Apple Watch since launch day last April and wore it every day for over a year. I got the Gear S2 about 3 months ago and have used it nearly everyday, so I feel I have a pretty good gauge how the two watches truly compare.

It is night and day different, the Apple Watch is hands down better. It is always buggy, often apps will crash, and overall I'm just unimpressed with the Gear S2. It seriously blows my mind when I see websites trash on the Apple Watch but talk about how great the S2 is.

Here's my recent adventure using the S2: I decide to reply to a text message on my watch. Siri has its faults on replies on an Apple Watch, but the S Voice on the Gear S2 I find is actually way less reliable. So I tend to reply via the on screen keyboard. I want to text back, "Thanks man, I'll see you later." It's a simple phrase. I have normal sized fingers so this should be easy, right? Nope. Could not get the words typed, and by the time I kept trying to retype a word the whole message app crashes, then proceeds to change my watch face to a totally different design and I cannot use the watch for about 10 seconds due to lag and crashes. The whole process takes me about 2 minutes. Total waste of time, I could have sent multiple texts on my phone in that time.

Gear Adventure #2: I'm getting ready to drive around while visiting Chicago and am trying to use my watch to mimic my Google Maps app on my Galaxy Note 5. After messing with it for about 5 minutes I cannot get the directions to synch up with my phone, the app proceeds to be super laggy, crashes, then resets my watch face. I try this process 2 more times with the exact same results.

These are not isolated events. These happen to me at least once a week. Now smart watches are a relatively new technology, so I don't expect perfect results every time. But come on, this happens way too frequently. In all my time using the Apple Watch I never had any issues remotely close to how awful the Gear S2 is in comparison.

Sure, you can write your hipster article all you want ranking the Gear S2 over the Apple Watch. But the fact is with my experiences, mixed with the fact that the Apple Watch is infinitely more customizeable, there is no way on Earth the Gear S2 is as good as the Apple Watch.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
133 months ago
Why are the Samsung smartwatches all circular?

The only reason to make your watch a circle is because it's an analog device... my digital watches have a much more rectangular shape, closer to that of an Apple Watch. There's nothing about your wrist that makes a circle a better usage of space.

My wife told me two days ago that she's thinking about getting an Apple Watch for the fitness features. I'm the nerd. Not her. She's more interested in it than I am. Which suggests that Apple is probably doing something right.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac 128 Avatar
133 months ago
Why are the Samsung smartwatches all circular?

The only reason to make your watch a circle is because it's an analog device... my digital watches have a much more rectangular shape, closer to that of an Apple Watch. There's nothing about your wrist that makes a circle a better usage of space.

My wife told me two days ago that she's thinking about getting an Apple Watch for the fitness features. I'm the nerd. Not her. She's more interested in it than I am. Which suggests that Apple is probably doing something right.
Most smart watches besides Apple are round. Since the initial hype is over and those watches account for over 53% of the entire smart watch market, I'd say Apple had better keep its options open. Function isn't the sole consideration for a product people wear. Never has been.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
133 months ago
Well, -55% growth is nothing to brag about, as too is bragging about selling more of a product in a **** market nobody cares about. It is obvious consumers are apathetic towards smartwatches, most are smart enough not to spend $500+ on a glorified Casio digital watch.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Apple Says iPhone 18 Pro Max Users With AT&T Cellular Issue Need to Have Device Replaced
Apple Says iPhone 18 Pro Max Users With AT&T Cellular Issue Need to Have Device Replaced
9 hours ago
Apple Announces 'Full Disk Access' Changes on macOS Due to AI Agents
Apple Announces 'Full Disk Access' Changes on macOS Due to AI Agents
16 hours ago
AT&T and Apple Just Took Steps Toward Fixing iPhone 18 Pro Max Issue
AT&T and Apple Just Took Steps Toward Fixing iPhone 18 Pro Max Issue
17 hours ago
AT&T on iPhone 18 Pro Max Issues: 'We Are Working With Apple'
AT&T on iPhone 18 Pro Max Issues: 'We Are Working With Apple'
20 hours ago
Upgrading From an Older Apple Watch? Here's How the New Features Stack Up
Upgrading From an Older Apple Watch? Here's How the New Features Stack Up
21 hours ago
Beats 360 Cushion Kits and Apple Accessories See Early Prime Day Price Drops
Beats 360 Cushion Kits and Apple Accessories See Early Prime Day Price Drops
21 hours ago
Apple Store in UK Reopening on iPhone Duo Launch Day
Apple Store in UK Reopening on iPhone Duo Launch Day
22 hours ago
AT&T Acknowledges iPhone 18 Pro Max Issues: Update 'Immediately'
AT&T Acknowledges iPhone 18 Pro Max Issues: Update 'Immediately'
1 day ago
New 'AirFly Drive' Accessory Turns Wired CarPlay Into Wireless CarPlay
New 'AirFly Drive' Accessory Turns Wired CarPlay Into Wireless CarPlay
2 days ago
Apple Shares Photos Shot on iPhone Duo
Apple Shares Photos Shot on iPhone Duo
2 days ago
Apple Says iPhone Duo Has Replaceable 'Cover Layer'
Apple Says iPhone Duo Has Replaceable 'Cover Layer'
2 days ago
Apple's Smart Home Camera Will Apparently Have 'No Video Recording'
Apple's Smart Home Camera Will Apparently Have 'No Video Recording'
2 days ago
Apple TV Just Updated Its Selection of 'Bonus' Movies
Apple TV Just Updated Its Selection of 'Bonus' Movies
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Colors Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
iPhone 18 Pro Colors Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
2 days ago
Early Prime Big Deal Days: Best Discounts on Accessories, TVs, and More at Amazon
Early Prime Big Deal Days: Best Discounts on Accessories, TVs, and More at Amazon
2 days ago
MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Rumored to Launch in October or November
MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Rumored to Launch in October or November
2 days ago
Apple's All-New Home Hub Rumored to Launch in These Four Colors
Apple's All-New Home Hub Rumored to Launch in These Four Colors
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Aperture Control Goes Fully Manual in Halide 3.2
iPhone 18 Pro Aperture Control Goes Fully Manual in Halide 3.2
2 days ago
Apple Stores Receive 'Do Not Open' Boxes Ahead of Smart Home Products Launch
Apple Stores Receive 'Do Not Open' Boxes Ahead of Smart Home Products Launch
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump in China Ahead of iPhone Duo Launch
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump in China Ahead of iPhone Duo Launch
2 days ago
Apple TV Still Down for Some Users Following Apple Services Outage
Apple TV Still Down for Some Users Following Apple Services Outage
2 days ago
Microsoft 365 Work Accounts May Stop Syncing in Apple Mail
Microsoft 365 Work Accounts May Stop Syncing in Apple Mail
1 day ago
Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far
Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far
3 days ago
Apple's Home Hub Borrows From the iPhone Duo's StandBy Mode
Apple's Home Hub Borrows From the iPhone Duo's StandBy Mode
3 days ago
Apple Invites App Updated With Three New Features
Apple Invites App Updated With Three New Features
3 days ago
Apple Event on October 13?
Apple Event on October 13?
3 days ago
Apple Watch SE 3 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
Apple Watch SE 3 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
3 days ago
iPad Mini 8 to Offer These 10 New Features
iPad Mini 8 to Offer These 10 New Features
3 days ago
DoorDash Unveils AI Food Ordering Through Apple's Messages App
DoorDash Unveils AI Food Ordering Through Apple's Messages App
3 days ago
Amazon Takes Up to $150 Off Select M5 MacBook Air Models
Amazon Takes Up to $150 Off Select M5 MacBook Air Models
3 days ago