International Data Corporation (IDC) has released its “China Wireless Headset Market Monthly Tracking Report”, according to which, the shipments of wireless earphones have reached 55.4 million units in the first half of this year. This reportedly represents a year-on-year growth of 20.8%.
TWS and open-back headphones have become more popular among consumers
Among the 55.4 million products, 35.08 million were TWS earphones, which represents a year-over-year growth of 5.6%. In comparison, the open-back headphone market has also achieved significant growth, with shipments of 11.84 million units in the first half of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 303.6%.
The growth of TWS earphones slowed down in the first half of this year. The competition in the product space is also fierce. Leading manufacturers are working on entry-level products and the overall market is competing with new technologies at aggressive pricing. It has resulted in long battery life, improved noise reduction, and audio quality.
TWS earphones with a price tag of less than 200 Yuan (~$28) have reached 65%, which is an 11% increase as compared to the same period last year.
Earphones that use bone conduction, despite having certain technical barriers and being targeted at a specific user group, have reportedly entered a relatively stable stage of development. This product category has also seen a 34% year-over-year growth in shipments in H1 this year.
Neckband earphones have reportedly seen a decline in shipments
The shipment volume of neckband headphones fell 24.1% year-on-year in the first half of 2024. In the long run, the shipments of this product category are expected to continue to decline. One of the reasons is that TWS headphones have become more popular. It is also reported that leaking manufacturers have reduced their investment in the product category.
IDC predicts that the overall market shipments of Bluetooth headsets will continue to grow slowly in the future. They also predicted that TWS earphones would maintain their popularity. The growth rate of open-type headsets will gradually stabilize after 2024.
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