Xiaomi topples Fitbit, Apple to become top seller of wearable devices

While Xiaomi has grown strength to strength and became the number one wearable devices maker, Fitbit's sales slumped 40% in Q2, 2017.

Xiaomi
Mi.com

Recently a research firm has found out that for the first time, Xiaomi has toppled Fitbit and become the top brand to sell the highest number of wearable tech devices. Sales of Fitbit devices slumped 40% during this period.

Following Xiaomi's re-entry in the list of world's top five smartphone sellers, Strategy Analytics has reported that the Chinese firm has also become the number one seller of wearables in Q2 2017, beating Apple and Fitbit both. Xiaomi has shipped 3.7 million of wearable devices during the second quarter, this year, while Fitbit shipped 3.4 million wearable devices and Apple managed to sell 2.8 million units of the same.

However, Apple actually posted a higher year-on-year growth than Xiaomi in Q2, 2017. Apple recorded a 19% y-o-y growth and Xiaomi managed 15% but Fitbit's growth witnessed a steep fall from 29% to 16% this quarter.

While Xiaomi has a wide range of wearable products, including heart-rate monitors, that are priced competitively, Apple's approach towards the segment is quite premium. A Mi band costs as low as $14.99 in the US, whereas, Apple's smartwatches carry price tags that start from $269.

"Fitbit is at risk of being trapped in a pincer movement between the low-end fitness bands sold by Xiaomi and the fitness-led, high-end smartwatches sold by Apple," Strategy Analytics' Neil Mawston said in a statement.

Xiaomi's push towards having a strong offline presence in China and the huge progress in India have both definitely contributed to their humongous success. In India, the company had cracked a whopping $1 billion in revenue. CEO of the company Lel Jun has claimed that Xiaomi has reached "a major inflection point in its growth."

This article was first published on August 4, 2017
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