TWS Earbuds Grew 13% YoY in Q2 but Fell 3% in Value: Canalys

Worldwide smart personal audio shipments fell 1.7% year on year in Q2 to 98.1 million, reported Canalys Tuesday. Growth of 55% in India couldn’t offset the overall global decline, led by China with a 13% drop; the U.S. was down 1%. True wireless stereo earbuds bucked the trend, growing 8% to 63 million units, but they declined 2.9% in value, it said. Apple held its market lead in TWS shipments, growing 13.1% year on year in Q2, on the strength of the Beats by Dre brand; AirPods’ growth slowed to 2%, with 15.3 million units shipped, it said. Apple will have to rely on the next-generation AirPods Pro for shipment and revenue growth in wearables in coming quarters, said analyst Sherry Jin: “To drive replacements and new buyers, the next-generation AirPods Pro must not only improve on the basics, such as battery life and sound performance, but must also deliver new and practical wow factors, such as unique ecosystem-integrated content consumption and health-tracking features,” said the analyst. Samsung will likely leverage its TWS lineup as an “ecosystem play” to boost prospects at the higher end of the lineup amid a weaker economic climate, she said.