Global wearable band market up 13% in Q1 2025 as Xiaomi takes top spot

According to the latest research from Omdia, the global wearable band market grew 13% year on year in Q1 2025, reaching 46.6 million units. Recovering demand and a comparatively low base in the same period last year accelerated market growth. All three major categories – basic bands, basic watches and smartwatches – grew, with basic wearables (basic bands and basic watches) leading the charge.

“Xiaomi shipped the most wearable bands for the first time since Q2 2021, driven by a broad portfolio and improved integration through HyperOS,” said Jack Leathem, Analyst at Omdia. “Xiaomi has upgraded its Mi Band and Redmi Watch series with refreshed designs and advanced data capabilities, bringing comprehensive features down the price segments, boosting its value proposition. Its growth has also been supported by effective multi-category coordination and competitive pricing, particularly in emerging economies. For many vendors, emerging markets remain key growth drivers, exemplified by TRANSSION gaining ground in Southeast Asia via precise localization and targeted value-for-money propositions. Samsung has also increased its focus on its basic bands to grow its presence in emerging economies.” 

In Q1 2025, ecosystem strength was a key success factor for the largest vendors: 

• Xiaomi regained the top vendor spot with 44% shipment growth to 8.7 million units, driven by strong Redmi Band 5 sales. Its new self-developed smartphone chip highlights a strategic push for in-house R&D and deeper ecosystem integration under its “Human × Car × Home” strategy. 
• Apple claimed second place with a robust but conservative Q1 that increased Apple Watch shipments by 5% to 7.6 million units. With 2025 marking the Apple Watch’s tenth anniversary, Apple is expected to regain momentum in the second half of the year with a big portfolio update, leaning on its mature and tightly integrated health-focused ecosystem. 
• Huawei defended its third-place position with solid performances from its GT and Fit series, alongside accelerated global rollout of the Huawei Health app, expanding its ecosystem strategy beyond China. Its shipments grew by 36% to 7.1 million units. 
• Samsung’s strong 74% growth to 4.9 million units was thanks to its dual-track strategy, part focused on expanding its user base in emerging markets with mass-market products and part focused on preserving its premium positioning through smartwatches in developed economies.  
• Garmin came fifth in Q1, growing its shipments 10% to 1.8 million units. It leaned on its differentiated portfolio and Connect+ launch to upsell to its loyal user base.

Ecosystems become the battlefield as hardware margins tighten

“With hardware profitability under strain, the wearables market is shifting from being hardware-led to ecosystem-driven,” said Cynthia Chen, Research Manager at Omdia.“Vendors are accelerating platform and service development to boost recurring revenue and user retention.” In China, Xiaomi is leveraging its broad portfolio and HyperOS to deepen device integration and user engagement, while Huawei is building a closed-loop health ecosystem via the Huawei Health app, combining hardware, data analytics and subscription services. Globally, low-weight, device-focused vendors, such as smart ring brand Oura and health-focused Whoop, prioritize services, using subscriptions to increase user value. Garmin also aims to expand into a service-centric model with the launch of Garmin Connect+. 

Vital balance between newness and core functionality aspects 

“Vendors must balance their focus between new features and the essential core comparative aspects to capture consumer demand,” added Chen. In a recent consumer study conducted by Omdia in Europe, respondents highlighted price, battery life and health tracking as the top three most important features when buying wearables. “Many new features are difficult for consumers to evaluate, making it hard to differentiate brands and leaving many to default to selecting devices based on price and core functionality. But once market education improves and hardware penetration reaches a certain level, software and ecosystem integration can deliver greater added value, at which point vendors can demonstrate their advantages. The study’s findings also highlight the importance of health and wellness features in wearables and underscore where vendors should focus future investment.”

Competition in the wearable band market will increasingly center on ecosystem strength and service depth, rather than hardware alone. Core use cases, such as health tracking and fitness coaching, will continue to improve, making seamless device integration and subscription-based models vital to encourage user engagement and drive sustainable revenue.