The Short Version
Apple Watch shipments rose 21% in Q1 2026 while Galaxy Watch dropped 28%, with Apple's SE 3 credited for attracting new buyers.
Apple Watch shipments jumped 21% in Q1 2026 while Galaxy Watch fell 28%, a 49-percentage-point swing in a single quarter between the two biggest names in smartwatches. The affordable SE 3 did the heavy lifting for Apple, pulling in buyers who weren't ready to spend on the higher-end models. Samsung has new smartwatch hardware coming, but it's arriving into a market where Apple just widened its lead considerably.