Fierce New Technology War on the Wrist... Samsung, Apple, and Google Compete for Victory

Google to Launch 'Pixel Watch' on 13th... Clashing with Samsung and Apple
Q2 Smartwatch Market Grows 13% Year-on-Year
Ownership Rate Among Children and Adolescents Higher Than Adults

Global Smartwatch Market in Q2. (Source: Counterpoint Research)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] The battle for new technology on the wrist is fierce. Samsung Electronics and Apple, which dominate the smartwatch market, have released their next-generation smartwatches, and on the 13th, Google entered the battlefield for the first time by launching the 'Pixel Watch.'

According to the information and communication industry on the 11th, Google, which is currently preselling in the United States, equipped the smartwatch 'Pixel Watch' with healthcare functions from the fitness smartwatch company 'Fitbit,' which it acquired last year with an investment of 2.3 trillion won. It can monitor more than 200 types of exercises and measure heart rate. It also has a 'Sleep Score' function that evaluates sleep quality. Google Wallet payment, Gmail, and calendar notification functions are also included. The application processor (AP), which acts as the brain of the product, is the older 'Exynos 9110' used in the Galaxy Watch 3. The operating system is Google's own 'Wear OS.'

Samsung Electronics' 'Galaxy Watch5' also includes a large number of health-related technologies. Since the 'Galaxy Watch4,' Samsung has replaced its own OS 'Tizen' with Google's 'Wear OS'-based 'One UI Watch.' It is equipped with an advanced 'Samsung BioActive Sensor' that provides integrated health management functions such as body composition, heart rate measurement, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram measurement. The Galaxy Watch5 series is the first to adopt a temperature sensor. The Galaxy Watch5 monitors rest and recovery after exercise and also provides body composition measurement functions. After exercise, it automatically measures heart rate and recommends water intake amounts. Sleep management functions have also been enhanced. It analyzes sleep quality in four stages according to sleep depth and measures snoring and oxygen saturation during sleep to provide detailed information about the individual's sleep condition.

Apple's 'Apple Watch8' is equipped with a temperature sensor for the first time. One sensor is located on the back of the watch closest to the skin, and the other is installed just below the display. It measures wrist temperature every 5 seconds during sleep and detects up to 0.1 degrees Celsius. This is used to estimate women's ovulation days. It also provides a crash detection function. Using advanced sensor fusion algorithms that utilize a gyroscope and accelerometer, it detects impact in the event of a car accident and automatically makes an emergency call after 10 seconds.

In terms of price competitiveness, the 'Galaxy Watch5' has the advantage. The price of the 'Galaxy Watch5' is 299,000 won, the 'Apple Watch8' is 359,000 won, and the 'Pixel Watch' is about 500,000 won. The 'Galaxy Watch5' is 200,000 won cheaper than the 'Pixel Watch.'

The reason companies are focusing on smartwatches is that the smartwatch market, once considered an accessory to smartphones, is growing faster than smartphones. Due to the economic downturn, global smartphone sales in the second quarter of this year decreased by 9% compared to last year, but the smartwatch market grew by 13%. Recently, Bloomberg forecasted that the global smartwatch market will grow from $23.5 billion (about 33 trillion won) this year at an annual rate of 17.8%, reaching $121.5 billion (about 170 trillion won) by 2032. According to market share by company surveyed by global market research firm Counterpoint Research, Apple ranks first with 29.3%, followed by Samsung (9.2%). Huawei is third with 6.8%.

The user age group is also getting younger. According to the US investment bank Piper Sandler, the ownership rate of smartwatches among children and adolescents in the US is 31%, surpassing adults (21%). This is because more parents are buying smartwatches, which have limited functions compared to smartphones that raise concerns about internet addiction with prolonged use, but can track location and make calls. A similar trend is being detected in Korea as well. Apple is developing child-friendly smartwatches to secure future customers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.