The market for children’s smartwatches has doubled over four years in China due to the growing popularity of XTC and other youth-focused electronics makers, reports Nikkei Asia. According to Chinese think tank Huajing Industry Research Institute, 29.9 million smartwatches for children were sold in China in 2020—almost double the 15 million in 2016. But this pace could slow as Beijing moves to tighten regulations out of concern that smartwatches could hurt children’s daily lives and learning.
In addition to regular functions such as phone, camera and payment, the top-end Z8 model enables users to monitor body temperature and heart rate, and even identify which floor of a building the user is on.
BBK sold the most in 2020 and now commands a market share of more than 30%, followed by Huawei Technologies at 20% and Beijing Qi Bao Technology at 10%. Most smartwatches sell for between RMB 598 and RMB 1,998 ($86 and $288).