The Indian wearable device market, once a booming sector, has hit a slowdown. According to the latest IDC India Monthly Wearable Device Tracker, shipments fell by 6.3% year-over-year (YoY) in the first half of 2025 (1H25), dropping to 51.6 million units. The second quarter (Q2) was particularly challenging, marking the fifth consecutive quarterly decline with shipments down 9.4% YoY to 26.7 million units.
Despite declining shipment volumes, the average selling price (ASP) of wearables grew modestly, reaching $19.2 in Q2 and holding steady at $18.7 for H1 2025. This signals a shift toward slightly higher-value products amid changing consumer demand.
Smartwatches Lead the Market Decline
The smartwatch segment was the biggest drag on the market. Shipments plummeted by 28.4% YoY in Q2, reaching only 6.6 million units. This was the sixth straight quarter of decline, reducing the smartwatch share of the overall wearables market from 31.5% to 24.9%.
@IDC
Even advanced smartwatch models—which typically feature health sensors, GPS, and premium design—faced heavy setbacks, with shipments down 39.5% YoY, cutting their market share to just 2.1%.
IDC attributes this slowdown to market saturation, particularly in entry-level models, and weakened consumer appetite after a period of explosive growth in 2022–23. However, the ASP for smartwatches rose 5.1% YoY to $21.7, indicating buyers are now leaning toward feature-rich models rather than ultra-cheap options.
Earwear Market: Mixed Signals
The earwear category continued to dominate volumes, shipping 19.9 million units in Q2 2025—a slight 1.2% YoY dip.
TWS (Truly Wireless Stereo): Still the star performer with a 71.2% share, though shipments dipped by 1.2% YoY.
Neckbands: Fell sharply by 16.1% YoY, showing waning consumer interest.
Over-the-Ear Headphones: The surprise winner, growing by an impressive 97.4% YoY to 1.5 million units.
The segment’s ASP increased modestly by 1.1% YoY to $17.4, as brands pushed premium sound features like noise cancellation and enhanced bass.
@IDC
Vendor Performance: Market Leaders and Fast Risers
boAt (Imagine Marketing) retained its leadership, growing its overall share from 26.7% to 28% YoY.
In TWS, it held a commanding 31.9% share, followed by Boult at 14.9%.
In over-the-ear headphones, boAt skyrocketed with 198.4% growth, capturing 44.4% of the market.
Noise maintained dominance in the smartwatch category with a 30.9% market share, while boAt secured second place at 13.7%.
Xiaomi emerged as the fastest-growing smartwatch vendor, recording a staggering 145.5% YoY growth.
@IDC
Online vs. Offline Channels
Distribution channels also reflected the slowdown:
Online sales dropped 13.8% YoY, reducing their share from 63.4% to 60.3%. This was largely due to a steep 37.2% YoY fall in online smartwatch shipments.
Offline sales performed better, declining only 1.8% YoY overall. Interestingly, offline earwear sales grew 4.4% YoY, showing resilience in physical retail.
Emerging Categories Gain Traction
While traditional categories struggle, emerging wearables are starting to show promise:
Smart Rings: Rebounded with 2.8% YoY growth, shipping 75,000 units. Brands like Ultrahuman, Gabit, and Aabo dominated with a 65% combined share.
Smart Glasses: Exploded in popularity, surging from 4,000 units to 50,000 units YoY, boosted by new launches from Meta and Lenskart. With an ASP of $134, this category is positioned as a premium segment.
Smart Wristbands: Grew 118.5% YoY to 83,000 units, largely driven by Samsung Galaxy Fit3, which commanded 80.6% share.
These trends indicate a shift in consumer interest toward innovative, next-gen wearables beyond traditional smartwatches and earwear.
Market Outlook: What’s Next for Wearables?
IDC analysts suggest the Indian market is entering a consolidation phase.
Smartwatches: Expected to pivot toward mid-premium models featuring health sensors, AI-based predictive insights, and NFC payments. White-label (low-cost) smartwatches could reappear, especially in offline bundles.
Earwear: Future growth will hinge on AI-powered sound, next-gen noise cancellation, real-time translation in Indian languages, and seamless cross-device switching. However, IDC forecasts only low single-digit growth in 2025 due to market maturity.
Conclusion:
The Indian wearable market is clearly shifting gears. Traditional categories like smartwatches are facing saturation, while earwear is stabilizing. On the other hand, emerging categories—smart rings, glasses, and wristbands—are injecting fresh excitement into the industry.
For brands, the challenge will be balancing affordability with innovation, ensuring that devices not only attract first-time buyers but also deliver meaningful upgrades to existing users. With AI, health monitoring, and cross-device ecosystems at the forefront, the next wave of wearables could look very different from today’s market leaders.
Source @ IDC
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The post IDC Report: India’s Wearable Market Sees Smartwatch Decline While Smart Rings & Glasses Surge in Popularity appeared first on Before You Take.