SAN FRANCISCO, August 18, 2026 – As per Smart Analytics Global’s Wearable 360 prelimnary estimates, the global wrist wearable market declined 5% YoY in Q2 2026, according to our latest research estimates.
Key Takeaways
- Global wrist wearable market declined 5% YoY in Q2 2026, primarily driven by the basic smartwatch and band category, which declined 11% YoY.
- The true smartwatch segment grew 1% YoY, while the non-display band market grew a strong 122% YoY, albeit from a small base.
- Huawei led the global wrist wearable market with 19% market share, followed by Xiaomi at 18% and Apple at 16%.
- Apple led the true smartwatch market with 46% market share, followed by Huawei at 23% and Garmin at 12%.
- Xiaomi led the basic smartwatch and band category with 27% market share, followed by Huawei at 17% and imoo at 11%.
- WHOOP continued to dominate the non-display band market with 54% market share, followed by Amazfit at 21% and Polar at 14%.
- We forecast the global wrist wearable market to decline 3% YoY in 2026. The true smartwatch segment is expected to grow 2%, while basic smartwatch and band will decline 8% and non-display band will grow 109%.
The global wrist wearable market declined 5% YoY in Q2 2026. The decline was primarily driven by the basic smartwatch and band category, which declined 11% YoY during the quarter. The other two categories continued to grow, with true smartwatch shipments increasing 1% YoY and non-display bands growing 122% YoY.
The strong growth in non-display bands was on a small base and was primarily driven by the launch of Google Fitbit Air during the quarter.
Exhibit 1: Global Wrist Wearable Market Share by Vendor Q2 2026
Huawei led the global wrist wearable market in Q2 2026 with 19% market share. Huawei shipments remained broadly flat YoY during the quarter.
Xiaomi followed closely with 18% market share, although its shipments declined 14% YoY. Apple was the second runner-up with 16% market share and, unlike the top two vendors, recorded strong 12% YoY growth during the quarter.
Imoo and Garmin rounded off the top five with 7% and 6% market share, respectively.
True Smartwatch Market Continues to Grow
The true smartwatch segment, which SAG defines as smartwatches running a dedicated smart OS with third-party app installation capability, grew 1% YoY in Q2 2026.
Apple led the segment with 46% market share, with its shipments growing 12% YoY during the quarter.
Huawei was the second-largest true smartwatch player with 23% market share. Huawei’s true smartwatch shipments grew 2% YoY in Q2 2026.
Garmin ranked third with 12% market share.
The true smartwatch market continues to grow, but the pace of growth remains relatively small compared with the rapid expansion of the non-display band segment.
Exhibit 2: Global True Smartwatch Market Share by Vendor Q2 2026
Basic Smartwatch and Band Category Remains Under Pressure
The basic smartwatch and band category continued its decline in Q2 2026, falling 11% YoY.
Xiaomi led the category with 27% market share, followed by Huawei and imoo with 17% and 11% market share, respectively.
The basic smartwatch category is currently on a decline streak as consumers increasingly look toward more capable true smartwatches and newer screen-free wearable formats.
Exhibit 3: Global Basic Smartwatch and Band Market Share by Vendor Q2 2026
Non-Display Band Market Keeps Roaring Louder
The non-display band category was once again the fastest-growing segment of the global wrist wearable market, growing 122% YoY in Q2 2026.
As already highlighted in Smart Analytics Global’s recent research, WHOOP led the market with 54% market share, followed by Amazfit at 21% and Polar at 14%.
The category remains relatively small compared with traditional wrist wearable categories, but the rapid growth shows increasing consumer interest in screen-free health and fitness tracking. Q3 will be even stronger driven by launches from Garmin and Noise.
The launch of Google Fitbit Air during the quarter also helped accelerate the category.
Exhibit 4: Global Non-Display Band Market Share by Vendor Q2 2026
Divergence Across Wrist Wearable Categories
Commenting on the overall wrist wearable market, Abhilash Kumar, Lead Research Advisor at Smart Analytics Global, said, “The wrist wearable market is increasingly showing a divergence across categories. The basic smartwatch and band segment is on a decline streak, while non-display bands continue to roar louder. True smartwatches, on the other hand, continue to grow, but at a smaller pace.
The non-display band market is still relatively small, but the strong growth we are seeing indicates that consumers are increasingly looking for health and fitness tracking without adding another screen to their daily lives. At the same time, the traditional smartwatch market continues to face pressure from longer replacement cycles and limited incremental upgrades.”
Global Wrist Wearable Market Outlook
For the full year 2026, Smart Analytics Global forecasts the global wrist wearable market to decline 3% YoY.
At the category level, the true smartwatch segment is forecasted to grow 2% YoY, while the basic smartwatch and band category is forecast to decline 8% YoY.
The non-display band segment is forecasted to grow 109% YoY in 2026. While this growth is coming from a relatively small base, the category is expected to remain the fastest-growing segment of the wrist wearable market.
The contrasting performance across categories highlights the changing dynamics of the wrist wearable market. Basic smartwatches and bands continue to lose momentum, true smartwatches are maintaining modest growth, and non-display bands are emerging as a rapidly growing new category.
Note:
As per SAG definition, wrist wearable includes true smartwatches, basic smartwatches and bands, and non-display bands.
Analyst Contact:
Abhilash Kumar, Lead Research Advisor (Director)
abhilash.kumar@smartanalyticsglobal.com
Linda Sui, Founder and Principal
lsui@smartanalyticsglobal.com