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(Yicai Global) June 11 -- China's wearables market has grown rapidly in the first quarter of this year as more consumers bought smartwatches and wireless headphones, particularly those made by Xiaomi.
Shipments of internet-connected wearables rose 35 percent from the previous year to 19.5 million units, Chinese data provider IDC said in a report published today. Shipments of intelligent watches for adults nearly doubled to 2 million units.
The average price of smartwatches for adults fell by 35 percent in comparison to the same period last year as mainstream manufacturers moved toward mid-range segments of products, priced between USD100 and USD200. Supply chains matured and the life cycle of some earlier products came to an end, which also prompted lowered pricing and higher demand.
Xiaomi ranked first, logging a 34 percent annual increase in wearables shipments to 4.3 million units. The Beijing-based firm lost 1.6 percentage point of its market share to rivals, holding onto a 21.9 percent stake. The company launched a new series of headphones in the quarter.
Huawei Technologies ranked second as shipments more than tripled to 3.6 million units. However, its market share dropped 0.9 percentage point to 18.5 percent. The Shenzhen-based firm released new watches including TalkBand B5, Honor Band 4, and Watch GT, as well as wireless headphones called FreeBuds and Honor FlyPods.
Apple's shipments rose 17 percent to 1.9 million devices, taking third place, while raising its market share by 0.1 percentage point to 10.2 percent. The Cupertino-headquartered company relies heavily on its Beats and AirPods headphone brands to spur growth.
Editor: Emmi Laine