The smartwatch market does not look like cooling down any time quickly — if something, it is heating up. Strategy Analytics estimates smartwatch shipments grew by a whopping 47 % year-over-year within the second quarter of 2021, with 18.1 million of the wearables transport this spring. Demand (no less than from retailers) has returned to “pre-pandemic levels,” in line with the analyst agency’s Steven Waltzer — it hasn’t been this sizzling since 2018.

Strategy Analytics attributed the spike to continued demand for private well being units. It’s not clear how a lot the pandemic restoration fuelled demand, though it would not be shocking if the renewed curiosity in going exterior prompted additional gross sales.

It wasn’t simply the standard firms that benefited from the surge, both. Apple held on to a cushty lead with 52 % of the market and the most well-liked particular person smartwatch (the Apple Watch Series 6), and Samsung noticed its shipments bounce 54 %. Garmin’s fitness-focused watches nonetheless jumped 25 %, although, and “others” (together with Fossil and different Wear OS backers) noticed their shipments climb 55 %. This was a powerful general market, even for smaller manufacturers.

There are indicators this spike will proceed. Apple Watch Series 7 might be weeks away as we write this, and Samsung’s Wear OS-packing Galaxy Watch 4 would possibly revitalize Android smartwatch gross sales. Low-cost LTE smartwatches from Chinese manufacturers like Oppo and Xiaomi may also assist, in line with the analysts. This momentum will ultimately die down, but it surely’s unlikely to fade within the close to future.