The global TWS earbuds market has exploded in 2019 as a large number of Chinese manufacturers release new products.
The fourth quarter is the traditional peak season, so annual shipments of TWS earbuds are expected to reach 130 million units, with a year-on-year growth rate expected to reach 182%, China’s Huawei Securities analyst Sun Yuanfeng said in a Wednesday note.
With the continuous development and popularization of noise reduction technology, voice interaction and Bluetooth technology, the industry is expected to continue to maintain a high growth rate in the next few years, Sun predicts.
TWS (TrueWireless Stereo), can realize the wireless separation of left and right ear channels to achieve true stereo. The first generation of AirPods released by Apple in 2016 brought the TWS headset into the public eye and triggered a rapid follow-up by many manufacturers.
At present, the headphone market sees 3 billion sales worldwide each year. Canalys' report states that for every 100 smartphones shipped, 13 smart watches / bands and 27 personal smart audio devices are shipped.
Even if it doesn't break, half of users will change their wireless headphones on average two years, according to Qualcomm's "The State of Play Report 2019".
The continuous technical improvement of TWS headsets has prompted them to quickly replace traditional wired headsets or even wireless headsets (non-TWS), and at the same time have a higher replacement frequency. These are the driving forces for the industry to maintain rapid growth in the future, Sun said.
According to Counterpoint Research data, TWS headset shipments in 2018 were approximately 46 million units. In the first three quarters of 2019, the total number of global TWS headset shipments has reached 77 million units.
From Apple ’s first-generation AirPods to AirPods Pro with noise reduction, Apple has been leading the market, making TWS headsets another fast-growing profit point for Apple.
Although the performance of AirPods Pro is still strong, with the rise of other manufacturers, the market share of Apple's TWS headsets has declined. According to Counterpoint Research data, Apple's AirPods shipments in 2018 were about 35 million units, accounting for overall global shipments. 3/4.
According to this report by Canalys, in the third quarter of 2019, Apple continued to top the list with a 43% market share. Data show that other brands are also on the rise, of which Xiaomi ranks second with a market share of 7%, and Samsung accounts for 6%.