India’s TWS (Truly Wireless Stereo) market reached the record number of 21 million shipments in 2021, recording a 60 per cent YoY growth in shipment volumes in the year, according to research from Counterpoint’s IoT service. 

The growth of the TWS shipments was filled by brands adopting influencer marketing strategies to expand their reach, integrating premium features at low price-point, offering introductory pricing schemes, and running multiple sale events throughout the year.

The market grew 39 per cent YoY in Q4 2021 owing to the festive season sale events and channel exclusive releases.

Senior Research Analyst Anshika Jain said, “The TWS market is evolving rapidly with brands introducing differentiated specifications. Premium features such as ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) can now be seen in the low-end segment as well, but the ANC quality may vary.”

As per Jain, Realme was the first brand to offer this feature in the mid-price segment (₹2,000-₹5,000). 

“Following this, brands like pTron, Noise, Dizo and boAt also started offering ANC-enabled devices in the same segment. Going forward, brands are expected to explore more in terms of innovation, particularly adding health-related features and transparency mode to help enhance the user experience,” Jain said.

As per Senior Research Analyst Liz Lee said, India’s TWS market saw a healthy 20 per cent YoY growth in the premium segment (>₹5,000). 

“Apple led this segment in 2021, followed by Samsung and JBL. Most of the volume here was driven by the Airpods Gen 2 model due to its price being lowered ahead of the launch of the Airpods Gen 3 model. Samsung also offered new models – Galaxy Buds 2 and Galaxy Buds Pro – to enhance its competitiveness in the premium segment,” said Lee.

“New entrant Nothing also made a mark in the top five list of premium brands with its strong value proposition. Besides this, OnePlus leveraged its brand image and smartphone user base to expand its position in the high-end segment with the launch of OnePlus Buds Pro,” she added.

Top five

boAt maintained its leadership in the market with more than 2.5x YoY growth. It recorded a 38.86 per cent market share in 2021.

“Its tremendous growth was based on its loyal customer base, value-for-money offerings and integrated marketing strategies,” the report said.

The brand’s Airdopes 131 was the best-selling device in the overall TWS market in 2021.

Realme took the second spot with a 7.42 per cent share. 

“The brand pushed the inventory for its bestseller devices Buds Air 2 and Buds Q during realme Festive Days,” the report said. 

It also introduced the Buds Q2 Neo model in the budget segment (<₹2,000) in 2021 and later on offered discounts during the festive period, helping the brand drive volumes.

Noise held a 7.37 per cent market share, following Realme.

It “offered a good number of alternatives to the customers and also slightly shifted its product base towards the lower price band of ₹1,000-₹2,000 for the first time in 2021,” the report said.

The domestic brand grew 131 per cent YoY, offering the maximum number of new launches across price tiers in 2021.

OnePlus came in fourth with a 5.72 share. 

“The brand’s growth is largely attributed to the impressive performance of its Buds Z model, multiple sale events, and the growing smartphone user base. It also expanded into the premium segment this year with the launch of the Buds Pro model,” it said.

pTron, the first brand to offer a made-in-India TWS device and mainly active in the entry-level price band, managed to grab a position in the top five list with a 5.16 per cent market share in 2021. 

It also offered a low-price ANC model – Bassbuds Ultima – to stand out in the competition.

“The brand also actively participated in sale events and offered the maximum number of launches after Noise,” as per the report.

Homegrown brands gain

In Q4 2021, Chinese and other global brands recorded a drop in their share while homegrown TWS brands’ shipments doubled YoY with boAt, Noise, Boult Audio and pTron being the main drivers.

Jain said, “The domestic manufacturing of TWS devices is in its nascent stage. But this percentage is likely to increase further driven by increased partnerships with EMS (electronic manufacturing services) providers and benefits available under the Make-In-India scheme.”

“boAt started offering made-in-India devices towards the second half of 2021 while brands like Mivi have their entire TWS portfolios manufactured domestically. Besides, PTron and Ambrane are making their devices locally,” said Jain.