When the first smartwatches were put on sale a few years ago, it seemed that in a short time we would not be using anything else, replicating the planetary success of smartphones. Things went differently: the amount of smartwatches in circulation is significantly lower than that of smartphones and the new devices have not established themselves as an alternative to mobile phones, but at most as a complement to them. After some initial hesitation, the smartwatch market has nonetheless started to move faster and it is estimated that the number of products sold has almost doubled over the last year, albeit maintaining much lower volumes than those of smartphones.
Estimating the sales of smartwatches is not very simple, because often the companies that produce them prefer to provide generic data on the “wearable devices” sold, thus including in the result things like headphones, earphones and other products. According to data provided last August by Strategy Analytics, a company that deals with market analysis related to digital, 12 million smartwatches were sold in the second quarter of 2019, an increase of 44 percent compared to the same period of the year. 'last year. The increase, according to analysts, is mainly due to a greater interest in smartwatches that track their physical activity.
Apple
Apple with its Apple Watches continues to be the company that sells the most smartwatches: according to estimates it holds 46 percent of the market, and in the second quarter of this year it sold 5.7 million watches. The number is relatively low when compared to the tens of millions of iPhones that Apple sells every quarter, but it's still relevant when you consider that the sales volume of smartwatches is quite small.
The success of the Apple Watch is justified by the extremely positive reviews received in recent years, with all the major tech sites agreeing that there are no better smartwatches than those made by Apple. The company has also invested heavily in features to improve physical activity tracking, with the addition of sensors in new models that better detect parameters such as heart rate.
Apple Watches also sell well thanks to the tow provided by iPhones, the only smartphones they can work with. Often those who have an iPhone end up buying an Apple Watch, but there are also many cases in which the desire to have a good smartwatch to keep track of their physical activity leads to want one from Apple and consequently to buy an iPhone too.
For some, the biggest obstacle to Apple Watches is price, something Apple has stepped up several times over the past few years to offer entry-level models at more affordable prices. Currently the cheapest model (Apple Watch Series 3) costs 239 euros and offers many features including a heart rate tracker, GPS and water resistance. It doesn't cost much more than other competing smartwatches, and Apple is confident it will be a good compromise to attract new customers, who may spend more on the more powerful and expensive models in the future.
Samsung
In second place in the ranking for smartwatch sales is Samsung, a South Korean electronics company famous above all for being the seller of the largest number of smartphone to the world. And the success of Samsung mobile phones contributes to the success of smartwatches, sometimes sold on offer together with the company's smartphones. In the second quarter of 2019, Samsung sold 2 million smartwatches, double the same period last year, meaning the company went from having a market share of 10.5 percent to 15.9 percent.
Samsung's newest smartwatch is called the Galaxy Watch Active2 and has received pretty positive reviews. It doesn't compare to an Apple Watch, neither in quality nor in ease of use, but according to major tech sites it is the best Android smartwatch around, simply because there aren't many decent devices of this type for Android.
Active2 also works with iPhones, but there is no reason to buy one to connect it to an Apple smartphone, since there are already Apple Watches with cheaper models than Samsung's and much more suitable to work with iOS, the iPhone operating system.
Active2 has all the features expected from a smartwatch, especially when it comes to tracking physical activity, and is aesthetically better than the competitors in the league of Android compatible watches. Its operating system, Tizen, was developed by Samsung and offers pretty simple basic functions, but is sometimes not very intuitive and requires several steps to change a single setting.
The new Galaxy Watch Active2 gives its best if you already own one of Samsung's most recent smartphones, with which the watch is able to communicate better and above all to exchange data with some dedicated applications. Unlike the Apple Watches, Samsung's smartwatch doesn't offer many third-party apps to add functionality to the watch, and this may limit the use cases of the watch for some. The cheaper version costs 299 euros, while the most valuable editions exceed 400 euros.
Fitbit
After Apple and Samsung, the most successful smartwatch seller is Fitbit, a US company that has existed for a dozen years and has specialized in devices wearable electronics, especially for tracking physical activity. Fitbit has a market share of nearly 10 percent and sold 1.2 million smartwatches in the second quarter of 2019, down slightly from the 1.3 million sold in the same period last year.
Fitbit produces countless smartwatches and trackers, which can work with both Android smartphones and iPhones (with some limitations). For some years it has intensified its presence in the real smartwatch sector with the Versa series, which at least aesthetically is very inspired by the Apple Watch, starting with the rectangular dial.
The most recent model is called Versa 2. Fitbit has added Alexa, Amazon's voice assistant, which can be used to give commands to the watch, simplifying interactions made a little complicated by the size of the touchscreen that makes up the dial. The operating system is made by Fitbit and includes some applications developed by third parties, including Spotify for listening to music.
Overall, the Versa 2 has received good reviews, although many have reported the lack of intuitiveness of the operating system and the slowness in carrying out some operations. On the other hand, the smartwatch has a considerable battery life, up to 5 days, much longer than that of Apple Watches and Samsung smartwatches, which require a daily charge. The point where Versa 2 gives its best is still the tracking of physical activity, thanks to Fitbit's experience in the sector and its smartphone application, which has been around for a long time and considered among the best to keep track of activity. sport and the progress achieved. Versa 2 does not have a GPS system, however, so if you use it to run and want to keep track of your movements, you need to carry the smartphone it is connected to. The basic model costs 199 euros.
Garmin
Several companies share the remaining 28 percent of the smartwatch market. Among the largest and with a growing specialization in the sector is Garmin, once known above all for its satellite navigators and now increasingly active in the production and sale of smartwatches and devices to track one's physical activity. Those who buy a Garmin model usually start with the idea of having a good tracker for sports, leaving other classic features of smartwatches in the background such as receiving notifications or managing particular apps. However, many Garmin models do a little bit of everything, in addition to tracking physical activity.
Among the most recent Garmins is the Fēnix 6X, sold in a classic model or in a version with a solar panel, which helps to extend battery life. Garmin says that with a single charge it can reach up to 21 days of use, “which can extend up to 24 hours more per week using solar charging”; however, if you always leave the GPS mode active, the battery life drops to 15 hours. On the Fēnix 6X you can listen to music with Spotify, receive notifications about messages from your Android smartphone and use a navigator. The solar model costs 950 euros, while the basic one starts at 600 euros. Garmin sells numerous other models at lower prices, which still favor the sporty aspect over the rest of the features for a smartphone.
Huawei
Huawei, a private Chinese company famous above all for its smartphones, has started to invest more heavily in smartwatches in the last year, confident that it can do more competition to Samsung in a different sector but close to that of mobile phones.
The Chinese company recently presented its Watch GT 2, a smartwatch that (well, you guessed it!) Favors the tracking of sports activities over the rest. Huawei says the new watch's battery lasts up to two weeks, but GPS usage can affect that. The Watch GT 2 are equipped with numerous sensors and can also be used to answer phone calls directly by speaking into the watch. The new model, judged to be very promising, is available in numerous variants with a starting price of 230 euros.
Xiaomi
Chinese companies are working hard in the smartwatch sector, in which they see good opportunities both in the domestic market of China and abroad. Xiaomi, another Chinese company known for producing quality devices at very low prices, has been selling the Amazfit Stratos 2 smartwatch for some time, which tries to be a cross between a classic watch and a device to track physical activity.
It works with both Android smartphones and iPhones, and offers several features to keep track of specific sports such as running, cycling, soccer, hiking, swimming and tennis. It has built-in GPS and a battery life of up to 5 days. It is sold at the starting price of 230 euros.
Growth market
Overall, the offer of smartwatches on the market is quite wide and now includes models for every shopping need, with a good quality / price. The significant increase in sales in the last year will probably incentivize companies to invest even more in the sector, with the introduction of new models and innovations, which could contribute to making these products more interesting even for those who are used to no longer wearing. a watch, having a smartphone in your pocket to check the time. Apple will still maintain its lead, thanks to the quality and ease of use of its Apple Watches, and the fact that its main competitor – Samsung – is far behind in second place.
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