Xiaomi overtakes Apple in wearable band market

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi overtook Apple to become the top-shipping wearable band vendor in the second quarter of 2021, according to technology market research firm Canalys' data.

Xiaomi took the lead with shipments of 8 million units during the period, occupying nearly 20 per cent of the market share, the data showed.

Apple closely followed with a shipment of 7.9 million units, while Huawei ranked third with a shipment of 3.7 million units.

"Xiaomi made a wise move to hasten the release of the Mi Band 6, which is a more compelling device than its predecessor," said Canalys Research Analyst Cynthia Chen.

"The company's quick pivot to basic watches also helped it boost its wristwatch shipments by 1.3 million units this quarter," Cynthia added.

In the second quarter of 2021, the global wearable band market shipped 40.9 million units of devices, up by 5.6 per cent from a year ago, the Canalys data showed.