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India TWS Market Shipments up 85% YoY in 2022; Top 5 Spots Taken by Indian Players for First Time

  • Leading player boAt posted 89% YoY growth, contributing two-fifths of the total shipments.
  • For the first time, the top five spots in the India TWS market were captured by local brands.
  • Indian brands reached their highest ever share of 80%.
  • Domestic manufacturing captured a 30% shipment share in 2022, compared to just 2% in 2021.
  • The average selling price dropped by 20% YoY in 2022.

New Delhi, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, London, San Jose, Buenos Aires – February 21, 2023

India’s TWS market shipments registered 85% YoY growth in 2022, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s IoT service. Increasing local manufacturing helped drive the shipments, apart from timely sales events, frequent affordable offerings, and entry of new players.

Commenting on TWS brands’ performance in 2022, Senior Research Analyst Anshika Jain said, “Four-fifths of the total market was captured by Indian brands, their highest-ever share. For the first time, the top five spots were taken by local brands, which captured two-thirds of the total TWS shipments in India. Moreover, the majority of the new entrants this year were local brands. Further, Mivi, with its entirely locally produced TWS portfolio, grew 544% YoY and grabbed a position in the top five for the first time.

Evidently, Chinese and global brands lost some of their share to the Indian players this year. Chinese brands captured a 13% share in 2022 driven by the good performance of OnePlus’ feature-rich devices Nord Buds and Nord Buds CE. realme and OPPO also supported the growth of Chinese brands. Global brands took an 8% share led by Apple, Samsung and JBL.”

Talking about the local production scenario, Associate Director Liz Lee said, “Domestic manufacturing saw rapid growth, contributing 30% of the total shipments in 2022, compared to just 2% in 2021. Key homegrown brands boAt, Mivi and pTron ramped up their local manufacturing capabilities to account for 73% of the domestic shipment volume in 2022. Other key players like Noise, Truke, Boult Audio, Wings, Gizmore and Play also manufactured made-in-India devices for the first time this year. Moreover, this increase in the shipment share of local production largely led to a drop in the ASP (average selling price) by 20% in 2022. More new launches in the low-price band (INR 1,001-INR 2,000 or around $13-$25) also contributed to the drop.”

Market share of Top 5 TWS Brands, 2022

Source: India Hearables (TWS) Shipments, Model Tracker, 2021 vs 2022

Market Summary for 2022

  • boAt took the lead for the third year in a row with 89% YoY growth driven by increased penetration in domestic manufacturing, multiple affordable launches, and aggressive promotions. It captured seven spots in the rankings for top-10 best-selling models. The Airdopes 131 remained the top-selling model for the second consecutive year with a 10% share of the total TWS market shipments.
  • Noise rose to the second spot with 2x YoY The brand focused on its VS series which caters to the <INR 2,000 (or $25) price band. It added many new devices to the series in this period. Moreover, it opened the year 2022 with its expansion towards local production. As a result, it became the third-largest brand to offer made-in-India TWS devices.
  • Boult Audio grabbed the third spot with a 7% share and 167% YoY growth driven by aggressive marketing strategies and multiple new feature-rich offerings below INR 2,000 (<$25). It also entered the domestic manufacturing space for the first time in 2022. The majority of its volume was driven by the INR 1,001-INR 2,000 (or around $13-$25) retail price band. The Airbass XPods was the best-seller in its entire TWS portfolio.
  • Mivi grew 544% YoY this year and took the fourth position in the rankings for top-five brands for the first time, driven by its full-fledged made-in-India TWS portfolio, a good number of launches and huge presence in the entry-level price band (<INR 1,000 or around <$13) and low-price band (INR 1,001-INR 2,000 or around $13-$25).
  • PTron again took the fifth spot with a 5% share of the total TWS shipments. In addition, it was the largest brand in the entry-level price band (<INR 1,000 or around <$13).

Market Share of Top Five TWS brands, Q4 2022

Source: India Hearables (TWS) Shipments, Model Tracker, Q4 2022

Market Summary for Q4 2022

  • India’s TWS shipments saw 44% YoY growth in Q4 2022 driven by festive season sales and promotions and growing local production.
  • boAt grew 3% YoY to mark its tenth consecutive quarter of lead in Q4 2022, while Boult Audio stood second for the first time with an 11% share.
  • The top five TWS brands in India were all local brands – boAt, Boult Audio, Mivi, Ptron and Noise. They accounted for two-thirds of the total shipments.
  • In Q4 2022, Indian brands captured a record 84% share driven by boAt, Boult Audio, Mivi, Ptron and Noise.
  • With a 4% share, the boAt Airdopes 131 remained the top model for the seventh consecutive quarter in Q4 2022.
  • The INR 1,001-INR 2,000 retail price band (or around $13-$25) continued to fuel the TWS demand in India during Q4 2022 with an increased share of 75% in the overall shipments. boAt mainly drove the volume for this price band with a 45% share, followed by Boult Audio, Mivi, Noise and Wings.
  • The premium segment (>INR 5,000 or around >$60) captured a 4% share this quarter, driven by Samsung followed by Apple and JBL.

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

Analyst Contacts

Anshika Jain

Liz Lee

Anam Padha

Counterpoint Research
press(at)counterpointresearch.com

 

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India TWS Shipments Increase 168% YoY in Q2 2022; Local Brands Capture Record Share at 81%

  • boAt continued to dominate with a 46% share, while Noise took the second spot for the third time in a row.
  • Mivi made it to the top five for the first time with a 6% share in Q2 2022.
  • Online channel penetration stood at 79%, with Flipkart capturing half of these shipments.

New Delhi, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, London, San Jose, Buenos Aires – September 1, 2022

India’s TWS (True Wireless earbuds) shipments delivered a strong quarter with 168% YoY growth and 62% QoQ growth in Q2 2022, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s IoT Service. The increased penetration of the low-price band (₹1,000-₹2,000 or $25-$50), multiple discount offers and growing popularity due to convenience of use led to this huge jump in market demand.

Commenting on the overall market, Senior Research Analyst Anshika Jain said, “India’s TWS market continues to show phenomenal growth due to the reasons like availability of low-priced new TWS devices, better features and functionalities like ANC, innovative designs, and low-latency mode for gaming. The market is expected to grow 47% in 2022 as new brands continue to arrive even as existing ones expand their channel presence. Besides, consumer demand is expected to rise during the festive period as people are also seeing TWS devices as a good option for gifting purposes.”

On local production, Jain added, “The share of domestic manufacturing stood at 16%, the highest ever. With boAt, Noise, Mivi and pTron ramping up their local manufacturing capabilities, these brands together accounted for 98% of the domestic shipment volume in Q2 2022. ‘Made in India’ has been taking the spotlight since the beginning of this year. But more brands started focusing on local manufacturing during this quarter. Gizmore and new entrant SWOTT also offered locally produced devices in Q2 2022. Further, we expect to see ‘Make in India’ devices from Truke and Portronics as they focus on localizing their manufacturing to maintain price competitiveness.”

Talking about the dominance of Indian brands, Associate Research Director Liz Lee said, “During Q2 2022, homegrown brands captured the top five brands rankings for the first time. These brands together took over 70% share and were quite aggressive in their marketing strategies, introducing new advanced alternatives at affordable prices along with discount schemes through various sales events. Besides, there has been a growing emphasis on roping in brand ambassadors to capture customer mind share. The top position was taken by boAt, followed by Noise and Boult Audio. Mivi entered the top five list for the very first time due to its focus on R&D and designing better quality products under the ‘Make in India’ scheme.”

India Hearables (TWS) Market Share of Top 5 Brands, Q2 2022

Source: India Hearables (TWS) Shipments, Model Tracker, Q2 2022

Market summary for Q2 2022

  • boAt maintained its leadership with 236% YoY growth in Q2 2022. The substantial demand was driven by its new low-priced alternatives and big sales events like Amazon’s summer and mega music fest sales. The Airdopes 131 remained the bestseller model, contributing a 15% share to the overall TWS market shipments.
  • Noise maintained its second position for the third consecutive quarter with 190% YoY growth driven by its locally produced TWS earbuds. The brand again refreshed its low-priced VS series with the launch of the Noise Buds VS104 in Q2 2022. The Noise Buds VS102 was the brand’s most popular model, entering the top 10 models list for the quarter.
  • Boult Audio again took the third spot and reached a record high volume with 233% YoY During the quarter, it offered multiple new launches in the low-price segments (₹1,000-₹2,000 or $25-$50). The brand also participated in Amazon sales events to drive volumes. The Boult Audio Airbass X Pods grabbed a spot in the top 10 bestseller list, contributing 33% of the brand’s volume.
  • Mivi made it to the top five brand ranking for the very first time with more than 2X QoQ The Duopods F30 and Duopods M20 were its most popular devices.
  • PTron took the fifth spot with a 4% The brand actively participated in multiple sales events on different e-commerce platforms and offered two new launches at an entry-level price band (less than ₹1,000 or $13). The PTron Bassbuds Duo was its bestseller model, making it to the top 10 model rankings.

Other emerging brands in Q2 2022

  • OPPO saw 171% YoY growth driven by its frequent new launches. The brand launched the Enco buds Air 2 Pro in Q2 2022 in the mid-price segment. It was the second most popular model after the Enco Buds in the brand’s TWS offerings.
  • OnePlus maintained its position in the top 10 list. It released a new model Buds Pro in the mid-price segment in Q2 2022. The model is the least-priced TWS device in the brand’s portfolio.
  • Samsung took the first position in the premium segment driven by the popularity of its Galaxy Buds 2 and Galaxy Buds Pro models. The brand also offered discounts during Amazon’s summer sale.
  • Truke registered 75% YoY growth in Q2 2022. The brand offered two new alternatives at low price points with ENC technology. The Buds F1 model attained a record of selling 10,000 units on its launch day on Flipkart

 

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

 

Analyst Contacts

Anshika Jain

Liz Lee

Counterpoint Research
press(at)counterpointresearch.com

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Q1 2022: boAt Leads India Neckband Market Followed by OnePlus

  • boAt led the market with a 25.7% share, while OnePlus and realme took the second and third spots respectively.
  • The INR 1,000-INR 2,000 price band captured 70% share.
  • OnePlus’ Bullets Wireless Z Bass Edition was the best-selling device in Q1 2022, followed by the boAt Rokerz 255 series and realme Buds Wireless 2 Neo.
  • More than three-fourths of the total neckband models were sold online with Flipkart dominating the channels.

New Delhi, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, London, San Jose, Buenos Aires – May 27, 2022

India’s neckband market shipments declined 13% YoY in Q1 2022 but grew 34% YoY in 2021, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s IoT Service. The market showed tremendous growth in 2021 primarily due to the user preference for neckbands over headphones for their stylish look, wireless design and long-duration usage. Consumers are also opting for neckbands as an alternative audio device. The decline in Q1 2022 is primarily due to the high inventory which was pushed into the channel in Q4 2021 ahead of the festive season.

Commenting on the competition, Senior Research Analyst Anshika Jain said, “Half of the total neckband market was taken over by the top three brands in Q1 2022. boAt captured the first position due to its significant presence in the lower price segment (INR 1,000-INR 2,000). The primary factor that has helped boAt to maintain its leadership position is its wide range of products in hearables, along with strong marketing efforts. OnePlus and realme captured the second and third positions with 14.9% and 9.6% market shares, respectively.

India Hearables (Neckband) Market Share of Top 5 brands, Q1 2022

Source: India Hearables (Neckband) Shipments, Model Tracker, Q1 2022

Talking about the overall market, Jain said, “The popularity of neckband devices is increasing as users are upgrading from a wired ecosystem and also want an alternative hearable device. Like TWS, the India neckband market is dominated by local players, which captured around 58% share in Q1 2022. These players have focused on providing the emerging features at affordable prices, like voice assistance, gaming mode for low latency, gesture music controls and insta-charge technology. Besides, next-gen neckbands from top brands are coming up with increased total playback time, primarily focusing on the budget segment (INR 1,000-INR 2,000).”

Looking at the forecast, Research Director Tarun Pathak said, “India’s neckband market holds tremendous potential. We estimate that this market will continue to grow in double digits in the coming period. We have also seen the entry of new players in this segment, which is expected to drive volumes in the second half of 2022. Domestic manufacturing is also likely to pick up due to the increase in the customs duty for wireless hearable products. The current penetration of domestically made products stands at 5%.”

Market Summary

  • boAt shipments grew 4% YoY in Q1 2022. The brand had a wide range of products for the budget segment. The boAt Rockerz 255 Pro Plus was the best-selling model for the brand.
  • OnePlus maintained its second position driven by the success of the Bullets Wireless Z Bass Edition. The brand also introduced the Bullets Wireless Z2 model in the lower price tier in Q1 2022.
  • realme captured the third position with ~10% market share. The Buds Wireless 2 Neo was its best-selling model in Q1 2022.
  • Zebronics entered the Top 5 list for the first time thanks to its multiple budget-friendly neckband devices launched in the market. More than half of the total shipments for the brand were driven by just two models – Zeb-Lark and Zeb-Symphony.
  • Boult Audio registered 6x growth YoY in Q1 2022 with the Curve being the best-selling device for the brand. The brand has launched several affordable models on online as well as offline platforms.
  • Xiaomi maintained a position in the Top 10 list with the Redmi SonicBass being the major volume driver. Around 67% of its shipments came from the online channel.
  • Noise grew 8x QoQ due to the popularity of its Nerve and Flair models in the budget segment. The brand also launched the Noise Combat model in Q1 2022. It has a gaming mode.
  • Other emerging brands in the market include OPPO, Ptron, Hitage, Ubon and Dizo.

According to a recent consumer study by Counterpoint, 15% of TWS users prefer to plan for other forms of wireless earphones, like neckbands, as their next purchase. India’s neckband market is approximately 1.3x of TWS market. Going forward, competition can be expected between the neckband and TWS segments as some users are preferring neckbands because of convenience during workouts. However, we will continue to see more innovation happening in the TWS category.

 

Background:

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

Analyst Contacts:

Anshika Jain

anshika@counterpointresearch.com

Tarun Pathak

tarun@counterpointresearch.com

Counterpoint Research

press(at)counterpointresearch.com


 

 

India TWS Shipments Cross 10 Million, Post 641% YoY Growth in Q4 2020

  • The top three brands contributed almost half of the total shipments in Q4 2020.
  • boAt led the India TWS market, contributing one-third of total shipments, followed by OnePlus and realme.
  • Festive season and many new launches in the affordable segment from major players drove this huge demand. 

India’s TWS market posted 641% YoY growth in Q4 2020 with the shipments crossing the 10 million mark, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s IoT service. This segment is one of the fastest growing in the smart wearables category, and now with the PLI scheme being extended to CIOT, we will witness higher growth in India’s TWS ecosystem.

Commenting on the TWS market growth, Research Associate Anam Padha said, “Key players like Xiaomi and OnePlus were seen carving a niche for themselves by offering new launches at affordable price points and with better features like water resistance, ENC and USB Type-C. Coupled with the festive season, this played a huge role in driving this substantial demand.”

Exhibit 1: India Hearables (TWS) Market Share by Top Five Brands, Q4 2020

 India Hearables (TWS) Market Share by Top Five Brands, Q4 2020
Source: India Hearables (TWS) Shipments by Model Tracker 2020 Q4

Talking about strategy, Research Analyst Shilpi Jain said, “Considering the drastic change in the spending behaviour of consumers due to COVID-19, many brands like OnePlus, Skullcandy and Zebronics adopted a low-pricing strategy and launched models at an introductory price for a limited period. Also, with the PLI scheme being extended to the CIOT segment, including hearables and wearables, a major push will be witnessed from the existing OEMs to strengthen their ‘Make in India’ capabilities and expand their product portfolios. This will pave the way for reduced imports, export competitiveness and a more developed manufacturing ecosystem.”

Discussing the ASP for TWS, Jain added, “TWS ASP in the India market declined 18% this quarter driven by many affordable launches. In 2020, the ASP declined by almost 50% compared to 2019.”

Exhibit 2: Top 5 Best-selling Models in India Hearables (TWS) Market, Q4 2020

Top 5 Best-selling Models in India Hearables (TWS) Market, Q4 2020
Source: India Hearables (TWS) Shipments by Model Tracker 2020 Q4

Key Takeaways:

  • boAt maintained its leading position with 43% QoQ growth and increasing its share to 30% in Q4 2020. This major boost was driven by two of its models, the Airdopes 131 and Airdopes 402, which managed to grab spots in the top five best-selling models’ list with an equal share of 4%. The models were not only available at a strong discounted price of below INR 2,000 during the festive season but also offered better features like USB Type-C charging, voice assistant functionality and instant pairing.
  • OnePlus stepped up its game and took hold of a spot in the top five list for the first time. With a 12% share, the brand marked its presence in the second position by taking full advantage of the opportunity that the India TWS market holds. Launching a new model, the OnePlus Z, during the festive season and offering a special pre-order price helped it become the top-selling model with 9% share.
  • realme maintained its third spot with 10% market share, though its shipments declined during the quarter due to inventory build-up in the previous quarter. Its Buds Q model continued to have a huge demand and rose to the second spot in the top five list for Q4 2020. Going forward, we see multiple affordable launches from realme as it aims to be a leading brand in the CIOT category in 2021.
  • Xiaomi captured the fourth spot with 7% market share in Q4 2020. Its newly launched model Redmi Earbuds 2C held spot in the top five list within the initial quarter of launch. Good build quality, DSP ENC and stylish design at an affordable price are some of the features which immediately caught consumers’ attention.
  • pTron, a domestic earwear audio company, bounced back strongly by catering the demand with multiple new launches during the festive season at a highly competitive price. It is the first brand to launch a ‘Made in India’ TWS device. With the PLI scheme extension, we may see more models under this brand in future.

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