IDC: The shipment volume of Bluetooth headsets in the first half of 2025 is expected to be approximately 59.98 million units, a year-on-year growth of 7.5%

According to IDC's "Monthly Shipment Tracking Report on the Chinese Wireless Headphone Market, June 2025," the shipment volume of Bluetooth headphones in China is expected to reach approximately 59.98 million units in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 7.5%. Among them, the true wireless headphone market is expected to ship 38.31 million units, a year-on-year increase of 8.0%; the entry-level market remains the main driving force, while the high-end flagship market shows signs of recovery.

The open-type market is expected to ship 14.22 million units, a year-on-year increase of 20.1%, with growth momentum shifting from scale to quality, and product upgrade trends beginning to emerge.

Driven by the demand for e-sports and study/office use, the over-ear market is expected to ship 4.13 million units, a year-on-year increase of 30.1%, with entry-level products significantly boosting the market.

Performance of Major Manufacturers in China's Bluetooth Headphone Market in the First Half of 2025:

Xiaomi

In the first half of 2025, Xiaomi (01810) shipped 9.89 million Bluetooth headphones, a year-on-year increase of 52.6%. The refinement of its Redmi product line provides clearer and more diverse options for the entry-level market, and the combination of cost-effective products with brand effects remains highly attractive. Additionally, the "national subsidy" policy indirectly stimulates the sales of its headphone products through its impact on the smartphone market.

Huawei

Huawei's FreeClip, as a high-end ear clip product, is highly iconic and appealing in the open-type market, while FreeArc further expands into open-type ear hook products, driving overall growth. Moreover, the FreeBuds SE series, with two generations running simultaneously, solidifies its presence in the entry-level market. Products like Freebuds 6i, 6, and FreeBuds Pro 4 have also completed iterations in the mid-to-high-end market.

EDIFIER

EDIFIER has further expanded the competitiveness of its Hecate and Flower series based on the cost-performance advantages of its SoundMate series, strengthening brand characteristics in the young fashion and e-sports segments, respectively. Additionally, it has rapidly developed in the entry-level over-ear market due to its cost-performance advantages and sub-brand development. EDIFIER is also making significant strides in the open-type ear hook and ear clip markets, leading product upgrades in these segments as one of the representatives of domestic audio manufacturers.

Apple

Apple (AAPL.US) has shown a significant recovery in the Bluetooth headphone market since the launch of AirPods 4 in September 2024. Especially with the active noise-canceling version of AirPods 4, there has been a noticeable growth in the semi-in-ear active noise-canceling market, which also enhances Apple's price competitiveness in the high-end market OPPO

In the first half of 2025, OPPO's Bluetooth headset shipments increased by 57.2% year-on-year, with the Enco R4 benefiting from the boost in smartphone sales. Additionally, the Enco Air4i and 4 Pro saw significant increases in the under 100 yuan and 200-300 yuan markets, respectively. OPPO has expanded its online channels through cost-effective products while leveraging smartphone channels to enhance its sales strategy, achieving significant growth.

The Bluetooth headset market in 2025 is primarily characterized by the following three changes:

The development trend of the open market form has changed

In the first half of 2025, the ear clip market size and growth rate surpassed the ear hook market for the first time, with shipments reaching 6.51 million units, a year-on-year increase of 41.0%. On one hand, last year's explosive growth in the low-price ear hook category quickly established a high market base; on the other hand, the mid-to-high-end segment of the ear hook market has not fully opened up the differentiated premium space in terms of design and user experience, limiting its sustained impact on overall market growth. In contrast, the ear clip market has developed a path where high-end markets first see the emergence of benchmark products, which then drive widespread replication and scale expansion in the entry-level market; at the same time, the personalized design of products has also endowed them with stronger premium capabilities.

The open ear clip and ear hook markets are upgrading

After establishing a foundation in the entry-level market, the ear clip and ear hook categories have shown significant growth in the mid-price segments of 200-400 yuan and 400-600 yuan. From the demand side, users who have gone through an initial trial phase are more inclined to seek a precise balance between product quality and price, with considerations of "quality-price ratio" becoming increasingly mature; from the supply side, facing competitive pressure from smartphone manufacturers continuously penetrating the true wireless market, domestic audio manufacturers are accelerating the adjustment of their mid-range product lines towards emerging forms like ear clips and ear hooks, aiming to expand profit margins and seize new development opportunities.

Smartphone manufacturers will become more prominent in the true wireless market

In the first half of 2025, smartphone manufacturers accounted for 67% of shipments in the true wireless market, an increase of 16 percentage points compared to the same period last year. In the true wireless market, some smartphone manufacturers are gradually expanding their market coverage and user recognition through strategies that optimize user purchase rights and enhance product added value, showing a steady growth in market share.

IDC China Research Director Pan Xuefei believes that the structural changes in the Bluetooth headset market in 2025 are already clear— the open market pattern is being reshaped, with the ear clip category leading with high-end benchmarks, personalized premiums, and scale expansion, surpassing the ear hook market in both scale and growth for the first time. Meanwhile, the growth momentum of ear clips and ear hooks in the mid-price segments is becoming prominent, making it an important direction for domestic audio manufacturers to respond to competition and optimize product structure; smartphone manufacturers are further consolidating their dominant position in the true wireless market by continuously optimizing user rights and added value, overall driving the market towards differentiation, quality, and concentration at the top