The wearables market in India registered strong growth and in the upcoming festive season we expect these two segments will see huge demand.
Smartwatch and TWS (True Wireless Stereo ) become an essential gadgets among the mobile users. Now-a-days, the smartwatch market consists of sales of smartwatches and related services that are used in medical, sports, gaming, and personal assistance. TWS devices are now becoming smarter and serve broader use cases beyond audio entertainments.
The mobile accessories market was booming along with the smartphone industry. Consumers are keeping a close eye on making their smartphones look good with unique mobile phone cases and covers. Power Banks also must have accessories, but in recent times, mobile manufacturers focused on more mAh and now consumers are getting smartphones with 5000 to 6000mAh capacity, but as users also consume more data and average screen on time increasing rapidly they need more and more backup. But 2 more categories which are now getting huge demand from consumers are Smartwatch and TWS as they also pair their smartphones with the latest Bluetooth devices like smart watch, TWS, earphones, wireless earbuds and speakers to enhance the whole user experience.
True Wireless Stereo emerges as largest and fastest-growing category among the mobile user. The rising importance of streaming content, and the rapid uptake in a new form of social media including short videos, resulted in profound changes in mobile users; audio consumption and these changes will accelerate in the next five years while technology advancements like machine learning and smart assistants will bring more radical innovations in areas such as audio content discovery and ambient computing.
TWS segment has increased its market and now contributes 23.1% to the overall earwear category and the TWS segment has grown by 300.7%
The potential for TWS devices is far from being fully uncovered, and vendors must look beyond TWS as just a way to drive revenue growth. Coupled with information collected from sensors or provided by smart assistants via smartphones, TWS devices will become smarter and serve broader use cases beyond audio entertainments, such as payment, health and fitness.
India, currently one of the hottest battlefields for smartphone vendors, saw players start shifting to TWS as the category share hit 20%. Accounting for more than half the market, wireless earphones are the most popular category in India.
The Internet of Things (IoT) driven smartwatches is a highly preferred choice of smart watches. Smartwatches connected to the internet offer a wide range of features such as time, health monitoring, and fitness tracking, receives calls and messages, entertainment, cardless payments, and connectivity to other IoT devices to improve the quality of the user’s life. With increasing consumer’s interests towards health and fitness, convenience in day to day activities and smart homes, wearable IoT devices such as smart watches offer various features. The global smartwatch shipments rise by 42% annually from 10 million units in 2018 to 14.2 million units in 2019.
The increasing health awareness among consumers is a key factor driving the growth of the smartwatch market.
Through a smartwatch, the user can take the necessary precautions in advance about health. After the global pandemic people are now extra precautious about their health and now everyone wants to check the oxygen level and pulse. So demand for smartwatches all of a sudden increased. The doctors can easily monitor the health status of patients remotely and can maintain, prescribe or treat them as required. For Example, the new Apple watch series is capable of international emergency calling, tracking heart rate, nervous system, emergency or inactivity warnings, and health events. While, digital health tracking increased steadily from 38% in 2018 to 42% in 2019 and 2020. Increasing number of people are using digital tools such as smart watches to address critical health needs rather than just exercise tracking. Therefore, the increase in health awareness among the consumer is expected to drive the smartwatch market.
Senior Analyst Sujeong Lim said: “The smartwatch space remains a popular consumer device segment, compared to the downturn seen in smartphone demand and many other segments in the first six months of 2020 due to the devastation caused by COVID-19. Close to 42 million smartwatches were shipped in H1 2020 as wearables continue to see greater demand with consumers becoming more health conscious. India (+57% YoY), Europe (+9% YoY) and the US (+5% YoY), the most affected regions of COVID-19, saw a healthy growth in smartwatch shipments which offset the decline in other markets.”
“With the advent of technology our basic gadgets have undergone major changes. Today, technology has entered our daily livelihood, our daily accessories. Smartwatches for instance have taken the world by a storm, by establishing a connection via Bluetooth these watches make lives easier. They help you access notifications on the go while keeping a track of your fitness activities, further aiding you to accomplish your fitness goals. While talking about fitness regimes another technological advancement must not get unnoticed. TWS devices including speakers and headphones have been a game changer; they give an individual access to non-stop music minus the hassle of wires while allowing you to pair two audio devices via Bluetooth. Inbase believes that technology is our future, our products reek of cutting edge technology and we aim at bringing in more such products for our audience base. With this ideology, we wish to strengthen our position in the market of consumer electronics”
commented Aashish Kumbhat, Founder, Inbase.
For the last 2 years India is evolving towards hearbles and wearables gadgets. Now people are becoming more conscious in monitoring their health and due to covid, WFH and online classes becoming part of our day to day life, both the wearables and hearables will have enormous growth in the coming period.
Mr. Gopal Jeyaraj, Head India and SAARC for Anker Innovations.
“Smartwatches have been in great demand lately due to the mobility and ease of use that they offer. They help you stay connected even on-the-go and essentially serve as wearable computers. For instance, whether you’re in a meeting or at the gym, smartwatches make it extremely convenient to check up on calls, messages and emails. With notifications being sent right to your wrists, a quick glance is enough to determine their importance and respond to them, hence, saving time and minimising distractions.
“TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earbuds have been in great demand lately due to their strikingly appealing form factor. Users no longer need to worry about tangled wires. Additionally, the ability to answer calls and change the music volume via gestures make for an extremely intuitive and user-friendly experience”.
Mr. Manvendra K Chandola, CEO, Riversong India.
The TWS or True Wireless Stereo Earbuds market is getting hotter with the entry of Oppo , Mi , Realme , Oneplus etc in the footsteps of Apple , who is the global leader in TWS. The sector keeps innovating , with ANC (Active Noise Cancellation ) being the new trend after Airpods Pro launched last year. Covid related factors like limited outdoor entertainment options , increased in online activities and work from home have fuelled the growth , in addition to competitive pricing .
Ajesh George, MD, RAEGR
Owing to the new normal i.e. Work from home and online studies – TWS has become one of the essential gadgets for working people and students and the industry is witnessing a huge demand for this product. India has a huge potential as the penetration of TWS is still under 10% of the total audio wear category. The shift from wired earphones to TWS is rapid and way more than expected. Gizmore is committed towards bringing smart audio products to the Indian consumers and TWS is one of the most popular from the brand. We shall be launching more feature rich TWS earbuds in the coming months and expect a great response.
As regards the Smartwatches, they are a big hit with Indian millennials. Apart from telling time and making / receiving calls, the wearable segment has come of age during COVID19 with health use cases such as tracking one’s fitness levels, BP, blood oxygen etc. The segment has seen above 90% year on year growth and India’s strong young consumer base with decent disposable income and high aspiration level is only adding to the demand. We at Gizmore have successfully launched around 6 products in this category during last one year and we shall be adding couple of more before the year 2020 ends. We are expecting a warm response from the consumers as earlier and truly hope that the products will be very well received due to their competitive pricing and best in class smart features.
Manish Gupta, Co-founder & Director, Gizmore.
“We have seen a significant increase in the demand for wireless accessories and SmartWatch in the Indian Market. The user of such devices are booming each day in the market and consumers are appreciating quality products. With Digital India adoption on a rise, the consumer wants everything to be digitalized and handy, be it a smartwatch, earphones, or any other accessory. A product that provides the best in class comfort, easy access, and sleek design, allowing the user to use them for a long period of time. We have already launched a few products in the same category and we are looking forward to launching more such pocket-friendly yet high-quality products. “
Yogesh Bhatia, Founder, and CEO, Detel
We are moving towards a smarter life where everything is available at the touch of a button. So here comes the smart gadgets which improve our everyday life, two such gadgets are Smart watches and True Wireless Earbuds. Their market is developing quickly as an ever increasing number of individuals are making them a basic aspect of their schedules. The two of them have become lifestyle statement products as everybody wants to track their health and tune in to music without compromising their freedom, they are here to make your life simpler.
Thinking about the benefits they bring to our daily life, a person equipped with these hardly has to reach out to mobile phones for any work. Track your health in numerous ways on your watch while running and enjoying the music with seamless connectivity. At Ambrane, we have several models for earbuds with different value ranges from which you can choose according to your preferences.
Ashok Rajpal, Managing Director, Ambrane India
With companies of all sizes and segments preferring to work from home and online education having become the new normal due to COVID-19, we have seen a huge demand for TWS. The trend is here to stay and we are all set to launch our first ever TWS buds by mid-October 2020, priced at INR 2999/-. These earbuds are designed to deliver high-quality audio playback, ease of usage, compact carrying and freedom from messy wires. The IPX5 water and sweat resistant earbuds are easy to go wireless that are equipped with extra bass of 13mm dynamic drivers for delightful music. With TWS still contribution to just 10% of the overall hearable segment, India has huge potential of growing this category. Consumer’s preference is rapidly shifting from wired earphones to wireless TWS and increase in audio content consumption, portability and smart voice assistants are making TWS popular among the youth and driving the demand.
Mr Ajay Arora, CEO, Matata
“With the enhancements in mobile technology, Smartwatches and TWS (True Wireless Stereo) has become an integral gadget accessory category. Smartwatches are witnessing an increased number of sales as they are widely being used in sports, gaming, health, and personal assistance space.
Both categories are getting huge responses from consumers as they are easy to pair with your smartphones and in turn, enhance the whole user experience. In the future, we can expect a wider variety of these unique features and will be added in both categories creating new segments.”
Paresh Vij, Founder, and Director, U&i
The future of wireless headsets is TWS(True Wireless Stereo), a technology that allows us to pair two audio devices via Bluetooth, which means that the left and right channels can be transmitted separately. Well, that’s defining their technicality in simplest terms. What’s enticing to the users about TWS, though, is their minimal design and superb comfort. Not to forget, the style statement that comes along. Wait, there’s more! Their cases, which look so modern and smart, also act as a magnetic charging base, capable of charging a 60 mAh battery in just 30 minutes, to last between 2-4 hours. And with the right blend of noise cancellation technology, TWS is the next big thing. Beyond a shadow of doubt.
Akhilesh Chopra, Director at Bluei
Device Next Prediction:
The demand for wearable technology will further rise in the coming years owing to the increasing inclination toward fitness, healthcare and media consumption. This festive season TWS and Smartwatches will be the most trending categories.
Just Launched:
Kronos Alpha
Portronics launches Kronos Alpha – fitness tracker, the latest addition to their existing range of exclusive smartwatches. With an upgraded interface, this Smartwatch has fully-touch enabled controls, with a 1.3-inch HD color display. The newly launched fitness watch combines smart features with style aesthetics; it not only keeps a track of your daily physical activities, but also helps you monitor various other aspects.
INR 3,999/- on www.portronics.com.
Urban Lite & Urban Pro
2 new Smart Wearables – “Urban Lite” & “Urban Pro”. With the launch of these products, Inbase will be strengthening its existing portfolio of premium smartwatch line-up. The newly launched Smartwatches are loaded with a plethora of features that allow one to track their health by measuring and monitoring blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen levels and sleep hours while letting one enable to create their own style statement, inevitably making Inbase new smartwatches a real treat for fitness enthusiasts. Inbase Urban Lite and Urban Pro are available at an introductory price of INR 5,499/- and INR 6,999/-respectively at www.gourban.in
Oraimo Tempo 1S
Tempo 1S comes equipped with all-rounded fitness tracking features that continuously monitors your heart rate, gives you a count of the steps taken, distance covered, calories burnt in different training modules and tracks sleeping pattern which will let you remain on top of your health goals. It also comes equipped with six different training modes- Running, Jump Rope, Pingpong, Riding, Badminton and Tennis that makes it your perfect partner for sports and health monitoring. Tempo 1S is splash, water and dust resistant and tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP67.
INR 2399/- Visit: http://www.oraimo.com/
Pulse Smartwatch
Designed with the minimal yet classy approach, Ambrane Pulse Smart watch comes with a 1.3 inches display (240*240 resolution) in the TFT LCD screen. The device supports the PPG sensor and is 5ATM waterproof, for daily use. Supports Android 4.4 & above also iOS 8.0 and above with Bluetooth version 5.0, the smart watch is equipped with a battery capacity of 210 mAh. Enabled with magnetic charging, it supports full charging in less than 2.5 hours.
INR 3,499/- Visit: https://ambraneindia.com/
Liberty 2
Equipped with Diamond-coated drivers, Liberty 2 produces flawless sound and treble that sparkles full of detail. Its 10*2mm drivers, gives an excellent sound stage with punchy bass. Powered byaptx technology, the sound is streamed from any device to Liberty 2 in the highest possible quality and with ultra-low latency. The perfect workout companion, supports full 8 hours of playtime on a single charge, and upto 32 hours with the pocket friendly charging case. The device also comes with 4 mics and uplink noise cancellation, cVc 8.0, that filters the sound that surrounds you, enabling crystal-clear calling experience. Packed with unique HearID Technology, the Headset creates a custom set of EQ settings that are optimized for the user ears. Easy to pair with a touch of style, the headset features Bluetooth 5.0 technology that ranges seamless upto 14m. Special Price INR 6,999/- with Flipkart
Oppo Enco W31:
The Oppo Enco W31 features a stylish and compact design, and comes with 7mm audio drivers. It offers two different modes for users, the Bass Mode and Balance Mode, and features dual-microphone noise cancellation and an anti-wind noise chamber to cancel out unwanted noise during calls. The earbuds also support touch-based controls, allowing users to to change the audio mode (between balance and bass), skip tracks and also to activate the voice assistant. These are rated IP54, making it resistant to dust and water, and therefore, suitable for intense workout sessions. The headphones offer up to 3.5 hours of music playback on a single charge and can go up to 15 hours of music playback with the charging case. INR 3,999
realme Buds Air Neo:
The brand’s latest addition to its audio accessories, the realme Buds Air Neo is powered by the R1 chipset, which enables a seamless wireless audio experience with the latency rate of 119.2ms when using a super low latency mode. It comes with touch controls allowing users to play or pause a track by double tapping on the earbuds, triple tap to skip to the next track, and press and hold on one side to end calls. As for the battery, the realme Buds Air Neo can offer upto three hours of continuous music playback on a single charge, and up to 17 hours with the charging case. The realme Bud Air Neo offers an IPX4-certified build that has a water-resistant design, and are available in three colors – Pop White, Punk Green, and Rock Red. Priced at INR 2,999
U&i Morning Wireless Earbuds (TWS-4545)
The newly launched Morning boasts of better sound, better fit and promises a better battery life. The latest Bluetooth 5.0 ensures uninterrupted connectivity with any phone because of its smart Auto Pairing Connectivity feature. With a battery capacity of 25 mAh (in-built capacity) and 300 mAh (charging case), one can enjoy 12 hours of playtime. Available in pure white colour, Morning certainly promises to jazz up the style quotient with its stylish finishing. The attractive case that comes along with the earbuds has an inbuilt magnetic charger that eliminates the need to carry a separate charging cable. INR 3,499/- Visit: uandiworld.com
Bluei-Truepods 1
Bluei-Truepods 1 is an optimum combination of classic Bluetooth earphones and True wireless earbuds. It provides you ergonomic comfort without tangling. The glossy and quality build brings nothing but low profile fashion. Easy access to control music, calls and voice assistant without pushing the button or bringing any discomfort. High-tech chipset with latest Bluetooth 5.0 ensures fast and stable transmission. Around 4 hours per charge, and 4 times full charge provided by charging case to extend your enjoyment. Included Components : 1 x wireless headset, 1 x micro charging cable, 1 x user manual, 2 x Pair Extra Earbus
Visit: https://www.bluei.co.in/
