The latest report from research firm Smart Analytics Global shows that with its AirPods series, Apple continues to top the global truly wireless headphone (TWS) market in the first quarter of 2026, and its combined shipments with its Beats brand account for nearly one-third of the world. The report estimates that in the first quarter of this year (January to March), Apple’s shipment share in the global TWS market was approximately 23%, Xiaomi ranked second with a market share of 11%, and Beats ranked third with 8%.
Looking at the overall scale, global TWS shipments increased by 4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, and wholesale revenue increased by 8% year-on-year. Thanks to the high unit prices of products such as AirPods, Apple not only maintains a lead in shipments, but also has a greater advantage in revenue, with its TWS revenue share reaching 44%. Smart Analytics Global pointed out that in the traditional in-ear TWS category, Apple is still ahead of Xiaomi, Beats, Huawei and Indian brand Boat, and expects Apple’s global TWS leading position to continue at least until 2027.
While the overall market maintains moderate growth, open-back headphones have become the main driving force for industry expansion. The report shows that the shipment volume of open-hook products increased by 48% year-on-year in the first quarter, and the year-on-year growth of open-clip products was as high as 87%. In sharp contrast, traditional in-ear TWS shipments fell 1% year-on-year, which also explains why the overall market can still achieve positive growth despite the contraction of the largest segment.
At present, open-back headphones still account for a minority in total shipments, but their growth rate is much higher than that of traditional headphones, and they are rapidly expanding their proportion. In terms of brand structure, Shokz (Shaoyin) ranks first in the open ear clip market with a 25% share, while Huawei leads the open ear clip market with a 22% share. It is worth noting that Apple is not yet among the major brands in the two fastest-growing open subcategories.
The report mentioned that although Beats' Powerbeats Pro 2 uses an earhook structure to improve wearing stability, the product still has a traditional in-ear design with silicone earplugs and supports active noise reduction and transparency modes. From the perspective of wearing and acoustic structure, it does not belong to the open headset form that is currently driving the rapid growth of the market, but is closer to the category of traditional TWS.
Looking ahead, Smart Analytics Global expects the high growth trend for open-back headphones to continue until at least 2027. The agency predicts that the shipments of open earhook products will increase by another 34% in 2026, and the shipments of open earclip products are expected to increase by 72% year-on-year. In comparison, traditional TWS product shipments are expected to decline 2% in 2026. The agency believes that the strong growth of open-back headphones is mainly due to consumers’ increased attention to “more friendly listening” and “all-day comfortable wearing” experiences.
From a user experience perspective, open-type headphones do not close the ear canal and retain environmental sound perception while playing audio, which is beneficial to improving safety and communication efficiency in commuting, sports or office scenarios. Research institutions believe that this kind of design that takes into account audio enjoyment and environmental perception is attracting more and more users who want to wear headphones for a long time, and has become an important factor in driving a new wave of replacement demand.
Despite the rapid rise of open products, traditional TWS will still dominate for the foreseeable future. Smart Analytics Global predicts that traditional in-ear true wireless headphones will still account for more than 80% of global TWS shipments by 2027. This means that even if new forms of products continue to divert users, Apple is still expected to maintain its leading position in the overall market with its solid advantages in the traditional TWS market.
In terms of overall scale, the report predicts that total global TWS shipments will reach 344 million units in 2026, a 3% increase from 2025; this is expected to further increase to 349 million units in 2027, a year-on-year increase of 2%. In mature markets where growth is slowing down, open-back headphones are becoming a key force driving structural growth. How leading manufacturers such as Apple maintain their existing advantages while deploying emerging forms will become a key aspect of the evolution of the TWS market in the next few years.
