Samsung's Gear series of smartwatches are top of the wish list in the niche consumer market for wearable devices, apparently ahead of Apple's yet-to-be-released gadget, UBS said Monday.
The Swiss bank recently asked 4,000 consumers in China, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S. which smartwatch they would buy if they had to, and 37 percent chose the Gear series. Only 25 percent chose the Apple smartwatch.
Samsung has six different smartwatches in its lineup, including the Galaxy Gear which was released in August 2013, and the Gear S, which went on sale in October of this year. None have been exactly smash hits, but a tiny niche market has developed among sporty people who like to take their pulse and see how far they have run.
LG's G Watch ranked fourth along with Motorola's Moto 360.
But UBS forecast that Apple's smartwatch would rise to the top if and when it is released some time next year.
It also found that half of the consumers who did use smartwatches simply bought the same brand as their smartphone.
