Samsung loses top spot in Indian earwear market in Q2

The South Korean tech giant registered a market share of 7.9 percent in the April-June period, sharply down from their 30.4 percent share a year earlier

Seoul: Samsung Electronics lost its top spot in India’s ear-worn device market in the second quarter of the year, a report has showed, as its rival brands expanded their presence.

The South Korean tech giant registered a market share of 7.9 percent in the April-June period, sharply down from their 30.4 percent share a year earlier, settling for the third position in the Indian earwear market, according to industry researcher International Data Corporation (IDC).

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Samsung’s shipment of smart earwear products, including wireless earbuds, neckbands and headphones, plunged 44.6 percent year-on-year, as Indian consumers apparently opted to buy devices from homegrown companies, reports Yonhap news agency.

“The homegrown brands have a strong dominance as their share has reached 71.5 percent in 2Q21 from just 31.2 percent in 2Q20,” IDC said.

BoAT, an electronics brand from India-based Imagine Marketing Private Ltd., became the dominant player after its market share more than doubled to 45.5 percent in the second quarter, with its shipment of ear-worn devices posting a whopping 424 percent on-year increase.

OnePlus, an electronics brand from China’s BBK Electronics Corp., took the runner-up spot with a market share of 8.5 percent, up from 5 percent a year ago, after its shipment grew 264.2 percent on-year.

Its compatriot Realme slipped to the fourth spot with a market share of 5.5 percent, down from 14.3 percent a year earlier.

The earwear market in India expanded 113.1 percent on-year to 9.2 million units in the second quarter and remained as the largest category in wearable products, IDC data showed.