IDC: Bluetooth headset market shipments in the first half of 2025 were about 59.98 million units, up 7.5% year-on-year

The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to IDC's “China Wireless Headset Market Monthly Shipment Tracking Report, June 2025”, China's Bluetooth headset market shipped about 59.98 million units in the first half of 2025, an increase of 7.5% over the previous year. Among them, the true wireless headphone market shipped 38.31 million units, up 8.0% year on year; the entry-level market is still the main driving force, and the high-end flagship market has recovered.

The open market shipped 14.22 million units, an increase of 20.1% over the previous year. The growth potential is moving from scale to quality, and the trend of product upgrading is beginning to emerge.

Driven by e-sports and learning and office demand, the headset market shipped 4.13 million units, an increase of 30.1% over the previous year. Among them, entry-level products contributed significantly to the market.

In the first half of 2025, the performance of major manufacturers in China's Bluetooth headset market:

millet

In the first half of 2025, Xiaomi (01810) Bluetooth headsets shipped 9.89 million units, an increase of 52.6% over the previous year. The refinement of its Redmi product line provides the entry-level market with more clear and diverse choices, and the cost-effective product superposition brand effect is still very attractive. Furthermore, the “national subsidy” policy drives the mobile phone market and indirectly activates sales of its headphone products.

HUAWEI

As a high-end earclip product, the Huawei FreeClip is very iconic and appealing in the open market. FreeArc further expanded into open earhook products, driving overall growth. Furthermore, the two generations of the FreeBuds SE series have consolidated the entry-level market. Products such as Freebuds 6i, 6, and FreeBuds Pro 4 have also been iterated in the middle and high-end markets.

ramblers

On the basis of the cost-effective advantages of the Shengmai series, Rambler further expanded the competitiveness of the Huazaihe HECATE sub-brands and strengthened the brand characteristics in the youth fashion and e-sports segments respectively. Furthermore, it is growing rapidly in the entry-level headset market due to its cost performance advantages and sub-brand building. Ramblers are also making great strides in the open ear hook and ear clip market, and are leading product upgrades in the earhook and ear clip market as one of the representatives of domestic audio manufacturers.

Apple

Apple (AAPL.US) has clearly recovered in the Bluetooth headset market since the launch of the AirPods 4 in September 2024. In particular, the active noise cancellation version of the AirPods 4 has helped the semi-in-ear active noise cancellation market to grow markedly, and has also made Apple's price competitive in the high-end market.

OPPO

Shipments of OPPO Bluetooth headsets increased by 57.2% year-on-year in the first half of 2025. Among them, Enco R4 was driven by mobile phone sales, which led to a significant increase. Furthermore, the Enco Air4i and 4 Pro showed significant increases within 100 yuan and 200-300 yuan markets, respectively. On the one hand, OPPO expanded online channels through cost-effective products, and on the other hand, expanded sales strategies through mobile phone channels, and achieved significant growth.

In 2025, the Bluetooth headset market will mainly show the following three changes:

The development trend of the open market pattern has changed

In the first half of 2025, the size and growth rate of the ear clip market surpassed the earhook market for the first time, with shipments of 6.51 million units, an increase of 41.0% over the previous year. On the one hand, the explosive growth of the earhook category in the low price market last year quickly established a high market base; on the other hand, the middle and high-end tracks in the earhook market have not yet fully opened up room for differentiated premiums in terms of design and user experience, and the continuous driving effect on overall market growth is relatively limited. On the other hand, looking at the ear clip market, its development path shows that iconic products with benchmark significance first appeared in the high-end market, which in turn led to widespread replication and scale expansion in the entry-level market; at the same time, the personalized design of the product's appearance also gave it a stronger premium capacity.

The open ear clip and ear hook market ushered in an upgrade

After laying the foundation in the entry-level market, the ear clip and ear hook categories have shown a significant growth trend in the middle price segment of 200-400 yuan and 400-600 yuan. On the demand side, users who have gone through the initial trial stage are more likely to seek a precise balance between product quality and price, and their consideration of “quality-price ratio” is becoming more mature; from the supply side, in the face of competitive pressure brought about by mobile phone manufacturers continuing to decline in the true wireless market, domestic audio manufacturers are speeding up the inclination and adjustment of mid-market product lines to emerging forms such as ear clips and earhooks, so as to expand profit margins and seize new opportunities for development.

Mobile phone manufacturers will become more prominent in the true wireless market

In the first half of 2025, mobile phone manufacturers accounted for 67% of true wireless market shipments, an increase of 16 points over the same period last year. In the true wireless market, some mobile phone manufacturers are gradually expanding their market coverage and user recognition through strategies to optimize users' purchasing rights and enhance the added value of their products, and their market share is growing steadily.

Pan Xuefei, research director at IDC China, believes that the structural changes in the Bluetooth headphone market in 2025 are already clear — the open market pattern ushered in reshaping, and the ear clip category surpassed the earhook market for the first time in terms of scale and growth rate with high-end benchmarking, personalized premiums, and scale expansion advantages. At the same time, the growth momentum of earclips and earhook circuits in the middle price segment is prominent, becoming an important direction for domestic audio manufacturers to cope with competition and optimize product structures; while mobile phone manufacturers have further consolidated their dominant position in the true wireless market through continuous optimization of user rights and added value, and promoted the overall evolution of the market in the direction of differentiation, quality, and concentration of leadership.