According to Counterpoint, Apple retained its lead in a record-setting year for the smartwatch market.

The research giant’s analysts noted how the smartwatch market barely grew in 2020 as COVID-19 still had the world firmly in its grip. However, in 2021, the market staged quite a comeback.

Counterpoint Research’s Global Smartwatch Model Tracker found the market recorded 24 percent YoY growth in 2021. Q4 was the most impressive with more than 40 million units shipped;...