Latest news with #IndiaMonthlyWearableDeviceTracker
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Decoding India's wearable market slowdown, and assessing Sennheiser's Accentum Open
The hype is taking a pause. No, I'm not talking about AI agents or ChatGPT or AI models, but India's wearable market that is in a sharp decline. Here's the quick snapshot of what we are talking about — According to International Data Corporation's (IDC) latest India Monthly Wearable Device Tracker, the wearable device market declined 6.3% year-over-year in the first half of 2025 (1H25), reaching 51.6 million units. In terms of 2Q25, that marks the fifth consecutive quarterly decline, falling 9.4% YoY to 26.7 million units. At the same time, the average selling price (ASP) for wearables as a broader category saw a modest increase of 2.2% to $19.2 in 2Q25, while it remained flat in 1H25 at $18.7. It depends how you look at this. Is this a market that is maturing, or does it represent a shifting consumer sentiment. India's wearables market is in sharp decline.(International Data Corporation's (IDC)) Amit Khatri, Co- founder of Noise, summarises the situation. 'The smartwatch market is currently undergoing a recalibration phase with a rise in quality conscious consumers. In the past few years, the category explored unprecedented price points, which spurred a surge in demand. Now, consumers are increasingly gravitating towards brands that offer consistent value,' he says. Khatri points to the fact that for four years, Noise led the wearables category in India (they're particularly strong with smartwatch market share) as the industry evolved, and key to those were innovation, quality, and trust. 'Trust is built through consistency and we've established it with every product, witnessing more committed buyers who are upgrading for performance and features,' he adds. Where does the wearables market go from here? For starters, a smartphone-like overexposure in entry-level wearables appears to have dulled consumer enthusiasm. Be it Noise, Boult, Boat or any other brand in this space, the product lines are bloated with a number of similar-esque products at similar prices. The end result is, either a customer makes a pick and hopes for the best, or gives up trying to find a wearable that fits best. At this point, wearable diversification will be key. Fitness tracking rings and AI sunglasses could be the way forward, exploring new product lines and uncharted territories. But even for the typical smartwatch or true wireless earbuds, something's got to take a step up. Looking ahead to the festive second half, brands are expected to pivot towards mid-premium offerings, focusing on advanced health sensors, NFC support, AI-driven features for predictive health insights, and seamless integration with devices and ecosystems,' says Anand Priya Singh, market analyst, Smart Wearable Devices, at IDC India, talking about smartwatches and fitness trackers. For earwear products, an AI infusion will be necessary, which could be used to build live translation functionality, for instance. TECH SPOTLIGHT: SENNHEISER ACCENTUM OPEN Sennheiser's Accentum Open earphones.(Vishal Mathur) This may well be a sign of the way things are. The Sennheiser Accentum Open is priced at ₹9,990 and there are two things to focus on. First, these are the company's second true wireless earphones to go on sale in India under the ₹10,000 price point, and that too in quick time (the other being the Sport true wireless for ₹8,990). Secondly, gone is that pedestal of premium-only product positioning, something Sennheiser held on to with pride over the years. Flexibility with approach is always a good thing, equally applicable for tech companies and humans. The Sennheiser Accentum Open earbuds are as distinct as they are now, with design and therefore appeal compared with a large number of earbuds on sale at this point in time. These aren't exactly in-ear buds, in the sense that there are no seal-fit silicone tips. Remember the open-ear design from earphones that were on sale a few years ago, or even to an extent, the Apple AirPods 4 (these will cost ₹12,900)? The Sennheiser Accentum Open also sits in the ear, rather than lodging itself tightly in the ear canal. There are advantages of comfort of use and for those who struggle with ear pressure on tighter fit earphones. But of course, this design means there is no noise cancellation, which may limit utility outdoors or while travelling. There's also the matter of fit, which is entirely reliant on the physical contours of your ears — some will find it sit perfectly, some won't. That is nature at play. Performance is best classified as two sides to the same coin. The sound signature is reassuringly Sennheiser, which means neutral out of the box and versatile enough for different genres of music. It can be quite versatile with drumming up the lower frequencies when the playlists demand as such, whilst also handling higher frequencies quite well. There is no overlap, no overshadowing of the vocals or the mids, yet there are times when the lower frequencies may sound a smidgen sculpted. But that can well be attributed to the very nature of audio tuning these days, where aggressive inputs are quite common, to make an earphone sound better. I'll say that collectively, it is still a good foundation to build with. A reason for that is, the lack of any companion app for the Accentum Open earbuds. This may well be a big miss for users who'd like to fine-tune the sound to their liking. At that point, the comfort of wearing this for long hours, and I say this as someone who has fairly sensitive ears, does more than make up for any missing pieces. At least for my ear contours, this sits well and there are no hints the buds will fall out whilst walking. Jogging, I'm not entirely sure. But the open nature of this fit means the ears don't feel the sort of pressure noise cancellation or a tighter fit brings. All in all, a return to the past may well work in the Accentum Open's favour. Even more so, because of the price. SENSE OF (PERPETUAL) INJUSTICE It's Elon Musk against the world. Elon Musk's sense of identifying historical grievances with almost anyone, is relatively unmatched, albeit there are a few who could give him intense competition in the battle to perceive our collective history. Anyway, I digress unintentionally towards geopolitics. Back to the point which is, Musk believes that Apple seems to favour OpenAI at his expense, and that he's better than Sam Altman. These two illustrations of apparent injustice have been running in parallel. I'll decode them for you, in the most concise manner possible. First, Musk alleged that Apple refuses to put his X app in the 'Must have' section on the App Store, when he himself believes X is the number one news app in the world and that Grok is similarly popular. Apple responded that their app lists are curated with objective criteria and are 'designed to be fair and free of bias'. Mind you, Musk's apps still appear on various curation lists on the App Store, from time to time. Reposting (I almost wrote 'retweet') Elon's post, Sam Altman pointed out that he's heard Elon manipulates X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm competitors and people he doesn't like. Someone invoked Grok in the replies to verify this, and the AI assistant actually said 'Based on verified evidence, Sam Altman is right'. No wonder Elon wasn't best pleased — sure Grok was made to sit on the naughty step too. OpenAI's GPT-5 release (and the fact that it fell short of the hype) gave Musk some hope of a flex, and he again tried to show he's a better human being than Altman. For that, Musk took (it is difficult to ascertain if this is true or faked in any way) the help of GPT-5 to ask if he's more trustworthy or Sam Altman, and ChatGPT (apparently) replied with 'Elon Musk'. When I asked (query replicated as is; weird to be writing something in Elon's style - a question with no question mark), ChatGPT said Sam Altman. There was another argument about whose posts get more likes or something like that… I couldn't care less at this point. A disclaimer now that you've completed this explainer journey of childishness on full display — I don't pay for a free app. Do you?
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Smartwatches drag India wearable market down for fifth straight quarter to 26.7 mn units: IDC
The Indian wearable market declined for the fifth consecutive quarter, with sales falling by 9.4% to 26.7 million units in the April-June period due to a dip in supplies of smartwatches and true wireless stereo earbuds, market research firm IDC said on Marketing, which sells products under the Boat brand, led the wearable market with a 28% market share, despite a 4.8% year-on-year decline in sales followed Boat with a 13.1% market share despite an 8.6% decline in supplies. Boult, rebranded as GoBoult, cornered 10.9% market share with growth of 21.8% YoY, Oppo and OnePlus held 8% share and realme 6.5% share. However, new form factors in wearable technology like smart rings , smart glasses and smart wristbands are finding traction among the customers, according to International Data Corporation's (IDC) India Monthly Wearable Device Tracker. "India's wearable device market declined 6.3% year-over-year (YoY) in the first half of 2025, reaching 51.6 million units. The market also recorded its fifth consecutive quarterly decline, falling 9.4% YoY to 26.7 million units in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025," the report said. Despite a decline in the supplies, the average selling price (ASP) for overall wearables saw a modest increase of 2.2% YoY to $19.2, about ₹1,700, in the reported quarter, while it remained flat in the first half of 2025 at $18.7 or about ₹1,630. The shipments of all top smartwatch sellers, except Boult, in the country including Noise, Boat, Titan and Fire Boltt declined during the June 2025 quarter. "Smartwatch shipments declined for the sixth consecutive quarter, dropping 28.4% YoY to 6.6 million units in the second quarter of 2025. The category's share within the overall wearables market also fell, decreasing to 24.9%, down from 31.5% a year ago," the report said. After witnessing explosive growth in 2022 and 2023, the smartwatch market is now consolidating, primarily due to demand fatigue and saturation in the entry-level segment. The earwear category saw a marginal decline of 1.2% YoY, reaching 19.9 million units in the June 2025 quarter. "Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) segment maintained its dominant position with a 71.2% share, though shipments declined 1.2% YoY. Neckband-style earwear saw a more significant drop, with shipments down 16.1% YoY. In contrast, the over-the-ear segment recorded strong growth, with shipments surging 97.4% YoY to 1.5 million units," the report said. In the TWS (Truly Wireless Stereo) segment, Boat continued to lead with a 31.9% share despite a 6.9% decline in YoY sales, followed by Boult with a 14.9% share. Among the emerging form factors, Smart Rings shipments recorded a YoY growth of 2.8% with 75,000 units shipped in 2Q25. Ultrahuman, Gabit and Aabo continue to dominate with a segment collective share of 65%. Smart Glasses shipments surged to 50,000 units in the June 2025 quarter from 4,000 a year ago, fuelled by new launches from Meta and Lenskart. "Smart Wristbands shipments jumped by 118.5% YoY to 83,000 units in the second quarter 2025, driven primarily by the strong uptake of Samsung's Galaxy Fit3. Samsung accounted for 80.6% share in the wristbands category in the second quarter of 2025" the report said.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Wrist Fatigue? Smartwatch craze slows down
Bengaluru: Once the hottest accessory on every fitness buff and tech lover's wrist, smartwatches are seeing their shine fade. For the sixth straight quarter, shipments dipped—falling 28.4% year-on-year to 6.6 million units in the June quarter. The category's footprint in the broader wearables market is shrinking too, now accounting for just 24.9%, down from 31.5% a year ago, according to International Data Corporation's (IDC) India Monthly Wearable Device Tracker. After the boom of 2022 and 2023, the smartwatch scene is entering a cool-down phase, with signs of saturation—especially in the entry-level segment—and a growing sense of demand fatigue among consumers. Despite declining volumes, average selling prices (ASPs) increased by 5.1% year-on-year, rising from $20.6 to $21.7 in the June quarter. Advanced smartwatches were also impacted, with shipments falling 39.5% year-on-year and their market share declining from 2.5% to 2.1%. Amit Khatri, co-founder of Noise, said the smartwatch market is currently undergoing a recalibration phase with a rise in quality-conscious consumers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She started a pottery brand feeding street kids in Vietnam – all because of a hotel cup on holiday CNA Read More Undo "In the past few years, the category explored unprecedented price points, which spurred a surge in demand. Now, as the market matures, consumers are increasingly gravitating towards brands that offer consistent value. For four years, we've not only led the category but expanded our lead, growing our market share even as the industry evolves, staying committed to innovation, quality, and trust. " In the smartwatch category, Noise (Nexxbase) retained its top position with a 30.9% share, while boAt rose to second place with a 13.7% share. Among the top 10 smartwatch vendors, Xiaomi stood out with the highest year-on-year growth, recording a 145.5% increase in shipments. The first half of the calendar year saw fewer smartwatch launches than anticipated, primarily due to regulatory pressures promoting local manufacturing and muted consumer demand. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru | Gold Rates Today in Bengaluru | Silver Rates Today in Bengaluru As a result, IDC projects the smartwatch category to decline in strong double digits for the current calendar year. "Looking ahead to the festive second half, brands are expected to pivot towards mid-premium offerings, focusing on advanced health sensors, NFC support, AI-driven features for predictive health insights, and seamless integration with devices and ecosystems," said Anand Priya Singh, market analyst, Smart Wearable Devices, IDC India. "Additionally, white-label smartwatches (low-cost knockoffs) are expected to regain momentum, particularly in the offline retail channel, driven by aggressive bundle offers." According to IDC's data, India's wearable device market declined by 6.3% year-over-year (YoY) in the first half of the year, with shipments totalling 51.6 million units. The market also saw its fifth consecutive quarterly decline, dropping 9.4% YoY to 26.7 million units in 2Q25. The average selling price (ASP) of overall wearables recorded a slight YoY increase of 2.2% to $19.2 in the June quarter, while remaining flat at $18.7 in the first half of the year. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Smartwatches drag India wearable market down for 5th straight quarter to 26.7 mn: IDC
The Indian wearable market declined for the fifth consecutive quarter, with sales falling by 9.4 per cent to 26.7 million units in the April-June period due to a dip in supplies of smartwatches and true wireless stereo earbuds, market research firm IDC said on Monday. Imagine Marketing, which sells products under the Boat brand, led the wearable market with a 28 per cent market share, despite a 4.8 per cent year-on-year decline in sales volume. Noise followed Boat with a 13.1 per cent market share despite an 8.6 per cent decline in supplies. Boult, rebranded as GoBoult, cornered 10.9 per cent market share with growth of 21.8 per cent YoY, Oppo and OnePlus held 8 per cent share and realme 6.5 per cent share. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Could This NEW Collagen Blend Finally Reduce Your Cellulite? Vitauthority Learn More Undo However, new form factors in wearable technology like smart rings , smart glasses and smart wristbands are finding traction among the customers, according to International Data Corporation's (IDC) India Monthly Wearable Device Tracker. "India's wearable device market declined 6.3 per cent year-over-year (YoY) in the first half of 2025, reaching 51.6 million units. The market also recorded its fifth consecutive quarterly decline, falling 9.4 per cent YoY to 26.7 million units in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025," the report said. Live Events Despite a decline in the supplies, the average selling price (ASP) for overall wearables saw a modest increase of 2.2 per cent YoY to USD 19.2, about Rs 1,700, in the reported quarter, while it remained flat in the first half of 2025 at USD 18.7 or about Rs 1,630. The shipments of all top smartwatch sellers, except Boult, in the country including Noise, Boat, Titan and Fire Boltt declined during the June 2025 quarter. "Smartwatch shipments declined for the sixth consecutive quarter, dropping 28.4 per cent YoY to 6.6 million units in the second quarter of 2025. The category's share within the overall wearables market also fell, decreasing to 24.9 per cent, down from 31.5 per cent a year ago," the report said. After witnessing explosive growth in 2022 and 2023, the smartwatch market is now consolidating, primarily due to demand fatigue and saturation in the entry-level segment. The earwear category saw a marginal decline of 1.2 per cent YoY, reaching 19.9 million units in the June 2025 quarter. "Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) segment maintained its dominant position with a 71.2 per cent share, though shipments declined 1.2 per cent YoY. Neckband-style earwear saw a more significant drop, with shipments down 16.1 per cent YoY. In contrast, the over-the-ear segment recorded strong growth, with shipments surging 97.4 per cent YoY to 1.5 million units," the report said. In the TWS (Truly Wireless Stereo) segment, Boat continued to lead with a 31.9 per cent share despite a 6.9 per cent decline in YoY sales, followed by Boult with a 14.9 per cent share. Among the emerging form factors, Smart Rings shipments recorded a YoY growth of 2.8 per cent with 75,000 units shipped in 2Q25. Ultrahuman, Gabit and Aabo continue to dominate with a segment collective share of 65 per cent. Smart Glasses shipments surged to 50,000 units in the June 2025 quarter from 4,000 a year ago, fuelled by new launches from Meta and Lenskart. "Smart Wristbands shipments jumped by 118.5 per cent YoY to 83,000 units in the second quarter 2025, driven primarily by the strong uptake of Samsung's Galaxy Fit3. Samsung accounted for 80.6 per cent share in the wristbands category in the second quarter of 2025" the report said.
