From slumping smartwatches to surging smart glasses, India’s wearables market is shifting gears, declining shipments but fresh momentum in emerging categories.
India’s wearable device market continued to contract in the first half of 2025, with shipments falling 6.3% year-on-year (YoY) to 51.6 million units, according to data by International Data Corporation (IDC). The sector also registered its fifth straight quarterly decline in 2Q25, down 9.4% YoY to 26.7 million units.
Average selling prices (ASPs) showed only modest movement. In the second quarter, ASPs edged up 2.2% YoY to $19.2, while remaining flat at $18.7 across the half-year.
Smartwatches lose steam
Among the wearable categories, smartwatch shipments fell for the sixth consecutive quarter, plunging 28.4% YoY to 6.6 million units in 2Q25. Their share of the overall wearables market narrowed to 24.9%, down from 31.5% the previous year. The report noted demand fatigue in the entry-level segment as a key factor.
Despite the decline, smartwatch ASPs rose 5.1% YoY to $21.7. Advanced smartwatches also experienced a decline, with shipments down 39.5% and market share slipping from 2.5% to 2.1%.
Earwear shows mixed trends
The earwear category saw a softer drop of 1.2% YoY, totalling 19.9 million units. Truly wireless stereo (TWS) devices retained dominance at 71.2% share, though shipments dipped 1.2%. Neckband-style devices contracted 16.1%, while over-the-ear models surged 97.4% YoY to 1.5 million units. ASPs for earwear rose slightly to $17.4.
Vendor performance
boAt (Imagine Marketing) strengthened its leadership in overall wearables, growing its share to 28% from 26.7%. It led the TWS market with 31.9% share, followed by Boult at 14.9%. In over-the-ear devices, boAt posted an explosive 198.4% growth, capturing 44.4% share.
In smartwatches, Noise (Nexxbase) retained the top spot with 30.9% share. boAt climbed to second place with 13.7%, while Xiaomi posted the fastest growth at 145.5% YoY.
Channels under pressure
Online sales slipped 13.8% YoY, cutting their share to 60.3%. Offline channels performed better, down only 1.8%. Online smartwatch shipments dropped sharply by 37.2%, compared with a 14.8% fall offline.
Looking ahead…
IDC expects the smartwatch market to fall in double digits in 2025, citing fewer launches and regulatory pressure on local manufacturing. “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 health insights, and ecosystem integration,” said Anand Priya Singh, Market Analyst, IDC India.
However, emerging categories showed promise. Smart rings grew 2.8% YoY to 75,000 units, led by Ultrahuman, Gabit and Aabo. Smart glasses shipments jumped to 50,000 units, up from 4,000, driven by Meta and Lenskart, with an ASP of $134. Smart wristbands soared 118.5% YoY to 83,000 units, boosted by Samsung’s Galaxy Fit3, which alone held 80.6% share.
Earwear is expected to rely on innovation for growth. “Future devices will prioritise seamless cross-device connectivity and even real-time translation across Indian languages,” said Vikas Sharma, Senior Market Analyst, IDC India.
However, the report projects only low single-digit growth for earwear in 2025, as competition tightens.
