Samsung slips to No. 3 in global smartwatch market

SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. slipped a notch and ranked third among global smartwatch manufacturers in the second quarter, data showed Wednesday.

According to the data compiled by Strategy Analytics, Samsung Electronics shipped 900,000 units of smartwatches in the April-June period, accounting for 10.5 percent of the global total. It marked a slight drop from 12.7 percent posted a year earlier.

The industry research firm added Samsung was overtaken by Fibit, which secured a market share of 15.2 percent in the three-month period.

U.S. Apple Inc. stood as the leading player with its market presence standing at 44.4 percent in the second quarter, the latest data showed. While the tech giant remained No. 1, its market share dropped sharply from 50.9 percent posted a year earlier.

LG Electronics accounted for just 1.2 percent of all smartwatches sold, Strategy Analytics said.

Samsung is anticipated to showcase its new smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch, possibly with the Galaxy Note 9, which will be unveiled later this week. The new name will take over from the company's previous Gear S wearable title.

colin@yna.co.kr
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