Samsung’s wearable division kicks off 2026 with a staggering 28% drop in shipments

Samsung’s next big Unpacked event is just a little over a month away at this point. Of course, we’re expecting to see new foldables from the South Korean tech giant, but that’s not all.

Samsung is also expected to unveil its next-gen smartwatches, though if its previous run is anything to go by, the tech giant might want to limit production.

For reference, Samsung holds a decent slice of the overall smartwatch marketshare. Its 2026, however, was off to a rough start.

The tech giant came out with the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic last year, but the initial excitement surrounding the wearables reportedly fizzled out as the year turned.

A new CounterPoint Research report clearly shows Samsung having a slow start to 2026, at least in the smartwatch department (via 9to5Google).

According to the report, the overall smartwatch market grew by 4% year-over-year in Q1, 2026. During the same period, Galaxy Watch series shipments dropped by 28% year-over-year.

The dip has resulted in Samsung’s marketshare going down to 5%, from 7% in Q1 2025. This happened all while other brands flourished.

Apple, one of Samsung’s main competitors, saw its overall smartwatch shipments surge by 21% year-over-year. During the same period, Huawei’s shipments grew by 12%, and Xiaomi by 9%.

For reference, Q1 isn’t expected to be Samsung’s strongest quarter, at least not when it comes to wearables. That’s mainly because Samsung watches normally come out in July/August. By the time the year closes and Q1 of the subsequent year begins, all the hype surrounding the latest wearables has normally cooled off.

However, the report compares Q1 2026 with Q1 2025, which means that during the same ‘off season’ period, Samsung was doing much better in 2025.

Now, all eyes are on Samsung’s upcoming Unpacked event, where Samsung will need to unveil some solid upgrades to the umored Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2.