Shipments of true wireless stereo (TWS) headphones have exploded in India, growing 723 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2020, according to research firm Counterpoint. The Indian supplier Boat became the market leader with an 18 percent share, while Xiaomi maintained its second position. The Chinese company captured a 16 percent market share. Counterpoint believes that the entry of new players including OnePlus, Vivo and Infinix into the TWS headset market has accelerated its growth in the country. The culture of studying and working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak has also helped increase the demand for TWS headsets.
According to data shared by Counterpoint, Boat emerged as the leading player in the Indian TWS headset market in the third quarter. The New Delhi-based company launched a list of headsets in all price segments during the quarter that helped increase its market share to 18 percent from the 10 percent reported in the second quarter. Boat also managed to outrun Realme, which previously led the market.
After Boat, Xiaomi ranked second in the Indian TWS headset market in Q3. The company’s market share, however, fell to 16 percent from the 20 percent reported in the second quarter.
Like Xiaomi, Realme also saw a 10 percent drop in its market share which fell to 12 percent in the third quarter from the 22 percent reported in the second quarter when it led the market. Counterpoint believes that the drop in its market share was due to Realme not launching new products in the third quarter.
After the top three players, JBL ranked fourth with an eight percent market share in the third quarter. This decreased from 15 percent in the second quarter. Increased competition and growth in consumer demand for value offerings due to the economic slowdown are considered the two key drivers for JBL’s falling share of the TWS headset market.
Apple, which managed to dominate the TWS headphone market in the country in 2019, ranked fifth in the third quarter. The Cupertino giant replaced Ptron to restore his spot on the top five players list during the quarter. Its quarterly market share also increased to six percent.
Regarding the best-selling models in the TWS earphone segment in Q3, Counterpoint claimed that the Redmi Earbuds 2C led the market, followed by Boat Airdopes 441 and Realme Buds Q. Realme Buds Air Neo and Apple AirPods (2nd Gen) he came fourth and fifth, respectively.
“Smartphone OEMs have managed to establish a significant niche in the segment by leveraging their established brand awareness and sales channels,” said Counterpoint analyst Shilpi Jain.
Rising AirPods shipments in India and new launches at higher price levels boosted the average sale price of TWS earbuds in the country for the first time since 2019, according to Counterpoint.
“Apple’s decision not to include wired EarPods in its new iPhone 12 series evidently helped increase demand for AirPods,” Jain said.
What are the best truly wireless headphones under Rs? 10,000? We talked about this on Orbital, our weekly tech podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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