In a nutshell: Apple has lengthy reigned because the chief in smartwatches. Nonetheless, latest market evaluation signifies that Google’s Put on OS platform is steadily eroding Apple’s dominant place.
Based on the newest report from analysis agency Counterpoint on the smartwatch panorama, Put on OS gadgets are projected to seize 27 p.c of the worldwide market in 2024, up from 21 p.c in 2023. Whereas nonetheless trailing Apple’s watchOS, which is anticipated to carry 49 p.c this 12 months (down from 53 p.c), the six p.c acquire for Put on OS is critical.
The resurgence of Put on OS has been years within the making. Beforehand, the platform was just about deserted by Google after an extended interval of stagnation. Nonetheless, a renewed dedication from the search large, together with a strategic partnership with Samsung, has revitalized the wearable working system.
Experiences counsel that the 2 manufacturers are collaborating on Put on OS 5, based mostly on Android 14, with a possible launch later this 12 months.
The expansion trajectory of Put on OS is being pushed by a wave of highly effective new smartwatch fashions working the platform. Counterpoint highlights releases such because the Google Pixel Watch, OnePlus Watch 2, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 sequence as key contributors to Put on OS adoption.
Nonetheless, the wearable market is far more fragmented past simply Apple and Google’s software program platforms. Based on the info, health tracker giants like Garmin, together with gamers like Amazfit, make up round 26 p.c of the “superior” smartwatch house, which incorporates gadgets with app retailer performance.
Turning to the chip market, Apple and Samsung management two-thirds of the superior smartwatch chip market. Nonetheless, Hengxuan and Qualcomm are poised for double-digit progress in 2024. Qualcomm will profit from new W5+ Gen 1 and W5100 processors, whereas Hengxuan will acquire from in style Huawei and Xiaomi wearables in China.
Relating to China, the home market presents a distinct state of affairs. Huawei’s HarmonyOS dominates the smartwatch platform with a 48 p.c share, anticipated to develop to 61 p.c this 12 months. Apple holds simply 28 p.c of the Chinese language market, whereas Put on OS has made little affect within the area to date.
One other fascinating development is rising round energy effectivity. Based on Counterpoint, manufacturers are beginning to undertake a dual-OS, dual-chip technique that mixes a high-end processor with a low-power co-processor. This permits smartwatches to seamlessly swap between the 2 environments relying on the duty at hand, optimizing battery life.
The brand new OnePlus Watch 2 serves as a major instance, with claimed runtimes as excessive as 48 hours beneath heavy use and as much as 12 days in a particular power-saving mode.
Picture credit score: Emiliano Cicero
