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Apple Leads Slowing TWS Market; Open Wireless Stereo Shipments Grow
Key points
- Apple shipped 16.8 million TWS devices in Q2 2026, a 1.2% increase year-over-year.
- Apple held 20.5% of the TWS market share, followed by Xiaomi at 10.4%.
- The overall TWS market declined by 0.7% year-over-year.
- Open wireless stereo (OWS) shipments grew 12%, with Shokz leading this segment.
Apple's Continued Dominance in TWS
In the second quarter of 2026, Apple shipped 16.8 million true wireless stereo (TWS) devices, marking a 1.2% increase from the previous year. This performance allowed Apple to secure 20.5% of the total TWS market share, nearly double that of its closest competitor, Xiaomi, which held 10.4%. Samsung, Huawei, and OPPO followed with 6.7%, 6.2%, and 5.0% market shares, respectively.
Overall Market Slowdown
Despite Apple's modest growth, the broader TWS market experienced a 0.7% decline in shipments year-over-year. Among the top five vendors, only Apple and OPPO (including OnePlus devices) recorded shipment growth, with OPPO seeing a 14.9% increase.
Rise of Open Wireless Stereo (OWS)
A notable trend within the TWS market is the significant growth of open wireless stereo (OWS) devices, which include clip-on and ear-hook models that do not seal the ear canal. This segment saw a 12% increase in shipments during the period. Shokz led the OWS market with 1.1 million units shipped, representing a 10.3% market share and a 107.9% year-over-year growth. Other key players in the OWS market included Sanag, Huawei, Baseus, and Edifier.
Future Outlook for OWS
Omdia forecasts that OWS will be a primary growth area within the TWS sector in the coming years. Annual OWS shipments are projected to increase from 43.9 million units in 2026 to 90.5 million units by 2030, potentially accounting for nearly one in five TWS shipments.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
Apple maintained its lead in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) market in Q2 2026 with 16.8 million units shipped, despite a 0.7% overall market decline. The open wireless stereo (OWS) segment, a subset of TWS, saw 12% growth, indicating a shift in consumer preference within the earbud market.