Will Samsung smartwatches and Google Wear OS dominate the wearables market?

A new report suggests that Samsung and Google’s Wear OS will dominate the smartwatch market, not the Apple Watch. It also indicates that sales are expected to be healthy this year.

Smart wearables are supporting the smartwatch market, but not for long

The smartwatch market experienced a post-pandemic boom as buyers regained the freedom to go outdoors freely. However, the wearables market saw a slight decline last year.

Perhaps buyers stuck with their smartwatches a little longer or manufacturers failed to embed new and attractive features. However, this year will be different, according to a new report from Counterpoint.

The global smartwatch market never went downhill. Overall, the market has grown steadily. Interestingly, the main driving factor has been aggressively priced smartwatches.

According to the report, the smartwatch market is dominated by basic smartwatches priced mostly under $100. These wearable devices run operating systems (OS) of the real-time operating system (RTOS) type.

In other words, the smartwatch market is driven by wearables that offer basic functionality and applications.

Manufacturers like Samsung and Apple remain committed to High Level Operating Systems, or HLOS. Although their market share is smaller, these companies command the highest price. This segment is expected to grow this year.

Is Google Wear OS challenging Apple Watch OS?

Perhaps recognizing the need for a smartwatch that multitasks well, Google has adopted a new strategy for its Wear OS. Interestingly, even chipset manufacturers design their processors accordingly.

Chipmakers such as Qualcomm and Hengxuan produce “two-chipsets”. These chips support a dual OS strategy. Simply put, the chipset has a powerful processor paired with a low-power coprocessor.

This combination isn’t just for battery life. Instead, they work with a hybrid version of Wear OS. Simply put, Google has developed a new version of the smartwatch OS to provide seamless integration and switching between RTOS and HLOS.

Quickly switching between these operating systems helps optimize apps as and when users access them. Additionally, smartwatches can quickly switch between performance mode and efficiency mode. It also helps to increase battery life.

It would also allow high-end smartwatch makers like Samsung to offer more affordable options. Meanwhile, smart wearable makers could break into the high-end smartwatch market.

Overall, smartwatches running a hybrid variant of Google’s Wear OS could finally challenge Apple’s dominance, according to some reports. However, it would be hard for manufacturers to challenge the Apple Watch OS and its ecosystem.