India's smartwatch market in consolidation phase, demand for Smart Glasses rises: Report

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) After witnessing explosive growth in 2022 and 2023, the smartwatch market in India is now consolidating, primarily due to saturation in the entry-level segment, a report showed on Monday.

Despite declining volumes, average selling prices (ASPs) increased by 5.1 per cent (on-year), rising from $20.6 to $21.7 in the April-June quarter (Q2 2025), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

Smart Glasses shipments surged to 50,000 units in Q2 2025 from 4,000 a year ago, fuelled by new launches from Meta and Lenskart. The average selling price (ASP) stood at $134.0, reflecting the segment's premium positioning.

Smart Rings shipments rebounded after its first-ever decline in Q1 2025, recording a modest YoY growth of 2.8 per cent with 75,000 units shipped in 2Q25. Ultrahuman, Gabit and Aabo continue to dominate with collective share of 65 per cent, the report mentioned.

Smart wristbands shipments jumped by 118.5 per cent YoY to 83,000 units in April-June period. Samsung accounted for 80.6 per cent share in the wristbands category in Q2.

Within earwear, Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) segment maintained its dominant position with a 71.2 per cent share. The over-the-ear segment recorded strong growth, with shipments surging 97.4 per cent YoY to 1.5 million units.

In the overall wearables category, boAt maintained its leadership, increasing its market share from 26.7 per cent to 28.0 per cent YoY.

The first half of 2025 saw fewer smartwatch launches than anticipated.

“Looking ahead to the festive second half, brands are expected to pivot towards mid-premium offerings, focusing on advanced health sensors, NFC support, AI-driven features for predictive health insights, and seamless integration with devices and ecosystems,” said Anand Priya Singh, market analyst, Smart Wearable Devices, IDC India.

“Additionally, white-label smartwatches (low-cost knockoffs) are expected to regain momentum, particularly in the offline retail channel, driven by aggressive bundle offers,” Singh added.

Emerging wearable categories are beginning to resonate with consumers, supported by innovative use cases and new product launches. In the upcoming quarters, the earwear segment is expected to feature AI-driven enhancements, including personalized voice assistance, environment-aware sound tuning, next-generation noise cancellation, said the report.

Overall, India’s wearable device market declined 6.3 per cent year-over-year (YoY) in the first half of 2025 (1H25), reaching 51.6 million units. The market also recorded quarterly decline, falling 9.4 per cent YoY to 26.7 million units.

--IANS

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