Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The best smartwatch you can buy is also the world’s most popular, by far

Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends

The best smartwatch you can buy is the Apple Watch Series 4, and the latest figures from Counterpoint Research show that the vast majority of people understand this, as it’s by far the world’s most popular smartwatch, too. During the first three months of 2019, 35.8% of smartwatches shipped around the world came from Apple, and that’s up from 35.5% from the same time last year.

Apple released the Series 4 Apple Watch at the end of last year, revising the design for the first time, albeit subtly, and in doing so created an absolute winner. Since then it has further improved with the introduction of the electrocardiogram, or ECG, feature. First launched in the U.S., it has since been approved for use in the U.K. and 19 other countries. Counterpoint Research says it’s the wearable’s most desirable feature, based on data from a consumer survey.

Recommended Videos

While we strongly recommend the Apple Watch Series 4, it’s not the only decent smartwatch out there, and there are two other companies chasing after Apple for smartwatch supremacy in terms of quality. The names will be familiar to anyone also following the battle for first, second, and third place in smartphone market share, as they are Samsung and Huawei.

Samsung’s in second position with an 11.1% market share, well above last year, when it had 7.2%. Since then, it has launched the Galaxy Watch and the Galaxy Watch Active, two great smartwatches that use its Tizen operating system. Huawei is in sixth position with 2.8%, based almost solely on the Huawei Watch GT, which uses Huawei’s own LiteOS software, and fitness bands from itself and Honor. In between Huawei and Samsung are Fitbit, Amazfit, and Imoo.

Have you spotted the pattern yet? None of these manufacturers use Google’s Wear OS. Fossil is in seventh place, and relies on Google’s wearable software platform for its products. At the beginning of 2018, it had 3.2% market share, but for the first three months of 2019, Counterpoint Research puts Fossil’s market share at 2.5%. Fossil may be prolific — producing watches from designers including Armani Exchange, Kate Spade, and under its own Fossil name too — but Google’s forever-stalled software doesn’t appear to be helping it catch its rivals here.

To purchase these watches, check out these retailers:

Apple Watch Series 4

Samsung Galaxy Watch

Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
You can play Space Invaders on this crazy retro smartwatch
Promotional images of the Space Invaders: My Play Watch smartwatch.

Who wants an Apple Watch Series 10 when you can have a smartwatch that celebrates the classic arcade game Space Invaders on it? If you’re leaning toward the second option, then head over to crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, where you’ll find the wearable of your dreams. It’s called the Space Invaders: My Play Watch, and it takes smartwatches in a fun new direction.

The name gives the Space Invaders: My Play Watch’s special feature away. It has a version of Space Invaders installed that’s specially designed to be played using the watch’s tiny touchscreen and the rotating crown, and it has been created in partnership with Taito, the video game company behind the groundbreaking original.

Read more
How much is Apple Music, and how can you get it for free?
Apple Music pricing September 2024.

Apple Music has become one of the top music streaming services globally, second only to Spotify, providing subscribers access to over 100 million songs, curated playlists, and exclusive content. Since its launch in 2015, Apple Music has consistently grown its library and features, seamlessly integrating with the broader Apple ecosystem to deliver a high-quality user experience. It has become a popular choice for music lovers and a strong competitor to other streaming platforms.

Apple Music's pricing structure is a crucial part of its market strategy, aiming to balance affordability with its value proposition to attract a wide range of users, catering to individuals, families, and students.

Read more
Here’s everything you can do with the iPhone 16’s Camera Control button
Someone using the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16.

Apple has announced the iPhone 16 lineup, and it’s an exciting upgrade to one of Apple’s biggest product lines. The iPhone 16 gets the Action button that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro models last year, and Apple is also adding a new Camera Control across the entire iPhone 16 lineup, so it's not just exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro models — the regular iPhone 16 models have it too.

Originally rumored to be a “capture” button, the Camera Control can do much more than just take a photo. Here are all of the cool things you can do with the Camera Control on the iPhone 16 series.
What is the Camera Control?

Read more