BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartwatch shipments grew an impressive 42 percent annually to reach 14 million units in the third quarter of 2019.

Apple Watch maintained first position with 48 percent global smartwatch marketshare, while Samsung held second place, and Fitbit clung on to third.

Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global smartwatch shipments grew an impressive 42 percent annually from 10.0 million units in Q3 2018 to 14.2 million in Q3 2019. Smartwatch growth continues to soar, as consumers increasingly accessorize their smartphones with fitness-led and health-focused wearables.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Apple shipped 6.8 million smartwatches worldwide in Q3 2019, rising an above-average 51 percent from 4.5 million in Q3 2018. Apple Watch remains a long way ahead of the chasing pack and its global smartwatch marketshare has grown from 45 percent to 48 percent in the past year. Apple Watch continues to fend off strong competition from hungry rivals like Fitbit and Samsung. Apple Watch owns half the worldwide smartwatch market and remains the clear industry leader.”

Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, “Samsung shipped 1.9 million smartwatches worldwide in Q3 2019, almost doubling from 1.1 million a year ago. Samsung’s global smartwatch marketshare has jumped from 11 percent to 13 percent during the past year. Samsung is firmly established as the world’s number two smartwatch vendor. Recent new models, such as Galaxy Watch Active 2, should enable Samsung to improve its global smartwatch presence during the upcoming Q4 holiday season.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Fitbit shipped 1.6 million smartwatches worldwide in Q3 2019, inching up slightly from 1.5 million in Q3 2018. However, Fitbit’s global smartwatch marketshare fell to 11 percent this quarter, down from 15 percent a year ago. Fitbit continues to underperform the smartwatch industry average. Fitbit has struggled to compete with Apple Watch at the higher end of the smartwatch market, while its latest Versa Lite model has struggled to excite consumers at the lower end. Fitbit’s recent takeover by Google will be a relief to the company, as Fitbit is under rising competitive pressure from Apple, Samsung, Garmin, Huawei, Xiaomi and others. The big question now on everyone’s lips is what Google plans to do with Fitbit, and whether Google will expand or contract Fitbit’s famous hardware, operating system, and healthcare, sport and fitness services.”