India’s smartwatch market slows as smart glasses and rings gain ground: IDC Report

After two years of explosive growth, India’s smartwatch market is showing signs of consolidation, driven by saturation in the entry-level segment. According to the latest data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), overall smartwatch volumes dipped in the April-June quarter (Q2 2025). However, the average selling price (ASP) rose 5.1 per cent year-on-year, moving from $20.6 to $21.7.

While smartwatches plateaued, newer wearable categories saw strong momentum. Shipments of smart glasses surged to 50,000 units in Q2 2025 compared to just 4,000 a year earlier, thanks to launches from Meta and Lenskart. The ASP stood at $134.0, underlining the segment’s premium positioning.

Smart rings also bounced back after their first-ever decline in Q1 2025. They recorded 2.8 per cent year-on-year growth with 75,000 units shipped in Q2. Ultrahuman, Gabit and Aabo collectively held 65 per cent of the market.

Smart wristbands posted a major comeback, with shipments rising 118.5 per cent year-on-year to 83,000 units in the April-June period. Samsung dominated the wristband segment with an 80.6 per cent share. Meanwhile, Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) earwear maintained its lead with 71.2 per cent of the category, and over-the-ear headphones nearly doubled shipments, climbing 97.4 per cent year-on-year to 1.5 million units.

In the overall wearables market, boAt retained leadership, increasing its market share from 26.7 per cent to 28.0 per cent year-on-year. However, IDC noted that the first half of 2025 saw fewer smartwatch launches than expected.

Emerging categories are also tipped to expand further. IDC expects earwear to see AI-led enhancements in personalised voice assistance, environment-aware sound tuning, and advanced noise cancellation.

Overall, India’s wearable device shipments declined 6.3 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2025 to 51.6 million units. The market also recorded a quarterly decline, falling 9.4 per cent to 26.7 million units in Q2.