Smartwatch shipments in 2020 outpaced by trackers
- North American smartwatch shipments in 2020 slowed as wearable shoppers shifted to cheap fitness trackers during the pandemic.
- Watches with Wear OS and watches from Fitbit and Samsung are having problems.
- However, shipments of the Apple Watch Series 3 have increased.
Lots of people buy wearables to keep an eye on their fitness routines during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but many of them don’t rely on smartwatches. Instead, they opt for the low-end activity trackers. This is a minor reversal as this market was previously declining.
Canalys researchers found that portable device shipments in North America increased 10% year over year in the second quarter of 2020. However, this was mainly due to inexpensive fitness trackers that they could afford on a pandemic-impacted budget, especially in the lower $ 50 range. Fitbit may have fared better than most as its paid service helped those who did could not work out in gyms.
However, this wasn’t good news for most smartwatch manufacturers. Fitbit and Samsung were partially injured when they cleaned up inventory before Sense and Galaxy Watch 3 arrived. Google’s Wear operating system also suffered a severe blow as stores closed and companies prepared for new watches with the greatly improved Snapdragon Wear 4100.
North American smartwatch shipments in 2020
It wasn’t bad news for everyone. Apple Watch shipments were still going strong, but the star of the show wasn’t the Series 5. While the high-end model was still Apple’s most popular, it was the Series 3, valued at $ 199, at of the deliveries compared to the same time increased by 30% a year earlier. Price is clearly a key factor, and Apple may be well positioned with a new low-cost watch slated to be available this fall.
Continue reading: The best smartwatches you can buy
Whether this will continue or not is not certain. Canalys says all big companies are focused on 2021, but that doesn’t necessarily mean smartwatches will have problems. New models from Apple, Fitbit, Samsung and others could lead to spikes. Canalys also noted that devices with “advanced health tracking” may differ more from “casual” trackers. Smartwatches could then revive, especially if people are concerned about blood oxygen levels and other possible signs of COVID-19 infection.
