Global Wearable Shipments Grew Strongly In 2020 - Canalys - Android

Smartphone shipments may have declined year-on-year (YoY) globally in 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced economic recession as well as related supply issues. However, wearable devices, which are primarily used in pair with a smartphone, still managed to exhibit a positive trend last year. According to research and analytics firm Canalys, global shipments of wearable [...]

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The post Global Wearable Shipments Grew Strongly In 2020: Canalys appeared first on Android Headlines.

Smartphone shipments may have declined year-on-year (YoY) globally in 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced economic recession as well as related supply issues. However, wearable devices, which are primarily used in pair with a smartphone, still managed to exhibit a positive trend last year.

According to research and analytics firm Canalys, global shipments of wearable audio products, which include truly wireless (TWS) earbuds, wireless earphones, and wireless headphones, grew 20 percent YoY in 2020. Global shipments of wearable bands, which include smartwatches, basic watches, and basic bands, also grew 10 percent YoY last year.

The YoY growth rate is much smaller compared to the previous year though. According to the report, global shipments of wearable audio products had grown 58 percent YoY in 2019, while that of wearable bands had grown 46 percent YoY.

However, considering the impact of the still-ongoing global health crisis on the tech industry, or perhaps the global economy, this positive trend in wearable device shipment is somewhat surprising. Growing consciousness towards physical health has driven the sales of smartwatches and fitness bands, the report says.

Shipment of basic bands declined 27 percent YoY in the fourth quarter of 2020. However, the demand for smartwatches and fitness bands, which usually come costlier, was so great that the overall market stayed flat.

The growth in shipment of wearable audio products, on the other hand, is a result of newer, low-cost devices. TWS earbuds comprised the bulk of these shipments.

"Due to the market's low barrier to entry, especially for TWS devices, where the mature supply chain resulted in better devices at lower price points, vast shipments flooded the market in a short period of time," said Canalys Research Analyst Cynthia Chen.

Apple maintains its dominance in the wearable market in 2020 as well

As shown in the latest Canalys report, Apple's dominance in the wearable market remained unchallenged in 2020 as well. The Cupertino giant particularly dominated the audio sector. It shipped 108.9 million smart audio products last year, capturing 25.2 percent of the global market. Samsung and Xiaomi came second and third respectively with an 8.9 percent and 5.9 percent market share. The two companies shipped 38.3 million and 25.4 million wearable audio products respectively.

Overall, 432.1 million units of wearable audio devices were shipped globally in 2020. Sony was the only major OEM that saw a negative YoY growth last year (-3.1 percent). Chinese audio manufacturer Edifier, meanwhile, registered a staggering 158.1 percent YoY growth during the same period.

The numbers for the fourth quarter alone also show a similar trend. Apple is still at the top, with Samsung, Xiaomi, and Sony following distantly.

While Apple dominated the wearable band segment as well in Q4 2020, Xiaomi leapfrogged it for the whole year. The Chinese manufacturer was also the biggest wearable band vendor in 2019, so it's not very surprising. Huawei also maintained its third spot, registering a significant 46.6 percent YoY growth.

Fitbit was the biggest loser with a 16.3 percent YoY decline last year. Samsung's wearable band shipments also marginally dropped in 2020. Overall, the global shipments of wearable bands reached 185.1 million units last year.

Canalys expects the wearable industry to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic-related supply chain constraints this year as well. As a result, the firm now forecasts the global shipment of wearable audio products to grow 15.6 percent YoY to reach 500 million units in 2021. Meanwhile, the global shipment of wearable bands could grow 10.2 percent to reach 204 million units this year.

The post Global Wearable Shipments Grew Strongly In 2020: Canalys appeared first on Android Headlines.