New research claims that global smartwatch shipments declined in 2024 The 7% decline over 2023 would mark the first time the market has shrunk It is claimed that the missing Apple Watch Ultra 3 launch and iterative Series 10 may be partly to blame A new set of figures into the global smartwatch market claims that the sector shrunk in 2024 year-on-year,

Global smartwatch shipments dipped 7% in 2024 compared to the year prior. This is the first time since the original Apple Watch model debuted in 2014 that the market has seen any decline.

For the first time ever, global smartwatch shipments declined in 2024, with Apple experiencing its sharpest downturn yet.

The global smartwatch market shrunk for the first time ever in 2024. Apple retained its lead, but it came at the cost of slumping sales and rising competition.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your I

According to Canalys the global wearable band market achieved steady growth in 2024, with shipments reaching 193 million units, a 4% year-on-year increase. And Apple continues to lead the market. This was the second consecutive year of expansion following the 2022 market correction,

Apple's previously iron-fisted hold on the smartwatch market began to slip. The Apple Watch, the longtime gold standard of wrist technology,

Apple was also hit with sales and import bans in the US in late 2023 and early 2024 over a disputed patent regarding blood oxygen level monitoring - which Ms Jain says also contributed to lower sales figures in the first half of 2024.

However, for the first time ever, the global smartwatch market drops in terms of overall shipments, according to the latest figures by Counterpoint. According to Counterpoint Research’s latest Global Smartwatch Shipments Tracker,