Children's brands like Imoo and start-ups like Amazfit also performed well, the company said. citing statistics from its own Global Smartwatch Tracker.
Research director Jeff Fieldhack said Apple continued to dominate the market with 30% share.
"The introduction of the Series 4 this fall was the biggest update from a design and features standpoint, and has quickly resonated with Apple’s loyal user base," he said.
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American consumers cited the LTE communications capability in the Apple Watch as its most desirable feature.
The top five brands in the smartwatch market accounted for 69% of shipments by volume:
- Apple’s quarterly shipments grew by 24% sequentially and 31% year-on-year in Q3 2018 due to response to its Watch Series 4.
- Fitbit’s share grew to 16%, primarily due to the continued success of its Versa, which was released in April 2018.
- Imoo is a sub-brand of a Chinese OEM BBK Group (which owns OPPO, vivo and OnePlus). Imoo held a healthy 10% global market share in Q3 2018.
- Samsung held 8% global market share in Q2 2018. The shipments grew due to a better performance of both its Gear S3 and the new Galaxy Watch launched in August 2018.
- Amazfit is a sub-brand of a Chinese OEM Huami, which is also a manufacturer of wearable products for Xiaomi. Amazfit currently holds 3% market share and grew 41% QoQ in Q3 2018.