Counterpoint: Global shipments of true wireless earbuds are expected to reach 310 million units in 2021

The production and sales boom of true wireless stereo (TWS) headphones seen in the past few years is expected to continue this year. According to the latest report from Counterpoint Research, the shipment volume of TWS headphones is expected to be about 310 million units in 2021, a 33% increase from 233 million units in 2020. Apple, Xiaomi and Samsung are expected to remain the three major players in this field.

Despite the ongoing epidemic and reduced consumer spending, global shipments of TWS earbuds still grew significantly by 78% last year. According to past reports, 233 million wireless earbuds were shipped in 2020, far exceeding initial expectations. In the past year, TWS earbuds remained one of the most popular technology products, especially mid- and low-end products with the largest growth.

Last year, Apple still led the category and is expected to have the most shipments again in 2021, with about 27% of the market. Xiaomi is expected to remain in a distant second with 9% market share, while Samsung is likely to enter the top three with 7%. The July-September quarter is expected to be the peak of the market, and there will definitely be a lot of interest and further boost to the overall industry sales around the release of Apple's next AirPods, which should arrive this fall.

From cnbeta