In a major upset in the tech arena, Huawei has dethroned Apple from its long-standing position at the top of the wrist-worn wearables market. The shift occurred during the first three quarters of 2024, a period that has seen Huawei ship an impressive 23.6 million units, marking a staggering 44.2% increase compared to the same timeframe last year. This news is particularly striking given Huawei's ongoing sanctions by the U.S. government, leading many to question how a company facing such challenges could achieve such remarkable growth.

Since its launch in April 2015, the Apple Watch was initially marketed as a sleek accessory, even gracing the pages of high-fashion magazines. However, its evolution into a health and fitness powerhouse was catalyzed when users began reporting life-saving benefits from its features. By late 2015, Apple Watch shipments surpassed those of traditional Swiss watches for the first time, firmly asserting its dominance.

Fast forward to today, and Huawei's upward trajectory has caught many off guard. With Apple experiencing a troubling 12.8% decline in shipments, Huawei outsold them by 1.1 million units—Apple reached 22.5 million smartwatch deliveries in the same period. Despite Apple reclaiming the top spot in the third quarter with the rollout of the Apple Watch Series 10, the preceding quarters reflect Huawei's formidable performance. Their standout models this year included the innovative D2, equipped with advanced blood pressure monitoring, and the GT5 and GT5 Pro.

Xiaomi also made notable strides, claiming third place primarily due to the success of the Xiaomi Band 9. Enhancements such as increased brightness, improved battery capacity, and expanded health functions have attracted customers, resulting in 20.5 million units shipped in the first three quarters of 2024—a robust 26.5% increase from last year.

Samsung remains competitive as well, shipping 11.5 million watches during the same period, buoyed by the release of the Galaxy Watch Ultra. BBK, a company specializing in children's smartwatches, achieved its own success with 7.8 million units shipped, reflecting a 25.9% increase year-over-year.

Overall, the wrist-worn wearables market delivered 139 million units in the first three quarters of 2024, although this figure shows a slight dip of 1% compared to last year. Impressively, Huawei has carved out a leading market share of 16.9%, slightly ahead of Apple at 16.2%, and Xiaomi at 14.7%.

With Huawei now leading the charge in innovation and market share, the tech world is buzzing with questions: can Apple bounce back, or is this the dawn of a new era in wearable tech led by Huawei? Stay tuned as this thrilling story unfolds!