India’s Smartwatch Market Enters Consolidation Phase, Demand for Smart Glasses on the Rise: Report

New Delhi – After two years of rapid expansion in 2022 and 2023, India’s smartwatch market is now entering a consolidation phase, largely due to saturation in the entry-level segment, according to a report released Monday.

While overall shipment volumes have declined, average selling prices (ASPs) rose 5.1% year-on-year in Q2 2025, climbing from $20.6 to $21.7, data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) showed.

Meanwhile, smart glasses are emerging as a new growth driver, with shipments surging from just 4,000 units in Q2 2024 to 50,000 units in Q2 2025. This spike has been driven by fresh launches from Meta and Lenskart, with the category’s ASP at $134, highlighting its premium positioning.

Smart rings also recovered after their first-ever quarterly decline earlier this year, posting modest 2.8% YoY growth with 75,000 units shipped. Ultrahuman, Gabit, and Aabo continued to dominate the category, together holding a 65% share.

Smart wristbands saw the sharpest growth, with shipments jumping 118.5% YoY to 83,000 units, led overwhelmingly by Samsung, which captured 80.6% of the segment.

In the earwear category, Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) devices remained dominant with a 71.2% share. Over-the-ear headphones also recorded robust growth, with shipments nearly doubling (up 97.4% YoY) to 1.5 million units.

Overall, homegrown brand boAt retained its leadership in the wearables space, expanding its market share from 26.7% to 28% YoY.

However, smartwatch launches in the first half of 2025 were fewer than expected.

“Looking ahead to the festive season, brands are expected to shift focus to mid-premium devices, offering advanced health sensors, NFC, AI-driven predictive health features, and seamless ecosystem integration,” said Anand Priya Singh, Market Analyst for Smart Wearable Devices at IDC India.

Singh added that white-label smartwatches—low-cost unbranded models—are likely to gain traction again in offline retail, supported by aggressive bundle deals.

Emerging wearable categories are also beginning to resonate with consumers, thanks to new product launches and innovative use cases. IDC noted that upcoming earwear devices are expected to feature AI-based improvements such as personalized voice assistants, adaptive sound tuning, and next-generation noise cancellation.

Despite these trends, India’s overall wearable market declined by 6.3% YoY in the first half of 2025, totaling 51.6 million units. Quarterly shipments also dipped 9.4% YoY, down to 26.7 million units in Q2.

With inputs from IANS