Most of the smartwatch industry hit a rough patch this spring, but Apple came out ahead of the pack. Counterpoint Research’s latest numbers put the global market down 4% year over year for the second quarter of 2026, a stretch where Apple somehow pulled off a 14% shipment increase, outpacing every other brand in the top five.
That surge carried Apple to a 20.1% slice of the worldwide market, enough to hold onto second place overall. Huawei still sat at the top with 21.8% share, though its own shipments barely moved, inching up just 1% for the quarter. A few rungs down, Garmin turned in a solid showing too, adding 11% to its shipment count and landing at 5.6% share. The rest of the field told a rougher story. Imoo slipped 3% in shipments but still claimed 7.8% of the market, while Xiaomi took a brutal hit, losing 38% of its shipment volume and falling to just 6.1% share. Every remaining brand combined lost 8% year over year, splitting what was left of the market at 38.5%.
Analyst Anshika Jain at Counterpoint Research traced Apple’s momentum back to its product lineup. Two devices carried most of the weight: the Apple Watch Series 11 and Watch SE 3 made up more than four out of every five units Apple shipped worldwide during the quarter. What stood out most, according to Jain, wasn’t just the size of the gain but how broadly it spread, with every region Apple operates in contributing to the growth rather than one market carrying the load.
China deserves particular attention here. Apple’s growth rate there beat every other top five brand this quarter, a real turnaround after a weak showing in the same period last year. Local government incentives aimed at boosting consumer electronics purchases likely played a part in that rebound too, giving Apple’s sales an added lift in a market that’s been tough for the company recently.
Huawei’s numbers tell a very different geographic story. Nearly all of its growth traces back to a single country, with China responsible for around 80% of everything Huawei shipped globally. That kind of concentration stands in sharp contrast to how evenly Apple’s gains spread across regions.
Put together, these numbers show an industry where overall demand keeps softening, yet a handful of brands still found ways to grow through it. Apple and Garmin both managed to buck that broader downturn, proving strong products can outperform a shrinking market even when conditions elsewhere look bleak.
