Nearly 80% of iPhone users now own an Apple Watch

SAN FRANCISCO: Nearly 80 per cent of smartwatch users who own an iPhone own an Apple Watch, the highest share of any brand, a report has revealed.

Google Pixel users come in second with 71 per cent of Pixel smartphone users who own a smartwatch saying that they own the Google Pixel Watch, according to Counterpoint Research.

Apple managed to achieve 56 per cent share of the US smartwatch market in 2022.

Meanwhile, among Samsung smartphone users who own a smartwatch, only 40 per cent use Samsung Galaxy Watches, the report mentioned.

While Apple sold about one Apple Watch for every three iPhones in Q4 2022, Samsung sold only one Galaxy Watch for every 10 Galaxy smartphones in the US.

"Apple and iOS dominate the US smartphone market and iPhone users are more likely to adopt other Apple products due to their superior interoperability," said research analyst Matthew Orf.

With Apple's smartphone installed base share surpassing 50 per cent, it has a huge potential market to target with Apple Watches, while other smartwatch brands are stuck fighting for the rest of the pie.

"According to Apple Watch users, the most significant reason for selecting their current smartwatch was that they like the brand," Orf added.

The top three smartwatch features according to respondents are health and activity tracking, notification access, and messaging and calling, with health and activity tracking being most popular among older users and notification checking being more popular among younger users.

Popular health and activity tracking features include step counter, sleep tracker, heart rate monitor and blood oxygen monitor.

Meanwhile, users are also using their smartwatches for connectivity - interacting with notifications from social media as well as messaging and calling friends, family and coworkers.

"Smartwatch users are overwhelmingly satisfied with their devices, citing health and fitness tracking, as well as notification access, as central uses. This suggests that there is room to educate consumers on the benefits of smartwatches in everyday life and further drive the adoption of the form factor," said senior analyst Arushi Chawla.

Additionally, 77 per cent of the respondents stated that Apple was the most preferred brand for their next smartwatch.

"The share of respondents willing to pay $500 or more for their next smartwatch was double the share of those who stated they spent $500 or more on their current smartwatch, suggesting rising ASPs for the segment," the report mentioned.