Xiaomi has once again become the leader of the global wearables market after a three-year pause. According to Canalys (part of Omdia), the brand showed record growth in shipments in the first quarter of 2025.
From January until March of 2025, Xiaomi shipped 8.7 million wearables, which is 44% more than in the same period last year. The main contribution was made by the updated Smart Band and Watch 2 models, as well as the budget line Redmi Band. This allowed the company to bypass Apple (7.6 million) and Huawei (7.1 million).
Analysts attribute Xiaomi’s success to several factors. The brand relied on affordable prices and improved integration of devices through the proprietary HyperOS OS. The products are sold especially well in developing countries, where buyers value price and quality.
The global wearables market grew by 13% to 46.6 million units. In addition to Xiaomi, Samsung (+74%) and Huawei (+36%) showed significant progress. Apple increased shipments by only 5%, which experts explain by users’ anticipation of an update to the line for the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch.
“Xiaomi has updated its Mi Band and Redmi Watch series, updating the design and advanced data processing capabilities, offering comprehensive features in lower price segments and enhancing its value proposition,” notes Canalys analyst Jack Leathem.
The company paid special attention to the ecosystem. The new bracelets and watches are tightly integrated with smartphones and other Xiaomi devices via HyperOS. This is in line with the “Human x Car x Home” strategy, which the company is actively developing.
Samsung achieved growth due to expansion into emerging markets, and Huawei – thanks to the global promotion of the Huawei Health app. Garmin retained its niche positions, increasing shipments by 10% to 1.8 million devices.
Experts note that the market is moving from hardware competition to ecosystem competition. Manufacturers are focusing on services and subscriptions to compensate for the decline in hardware margins. Xiaomi uses HyperOS, Huawei is developing a health ecosystem, and Garmin has launched the Connect+ service.
According to research, when choosing wearable devices, consumers primarily pay attention to price, battery life, and health-tracking functions. These are the parameters that Xiaomi has managed to optimally balance in its new models.
