India’s Smart Wearable Shipments Fall 7.4% in Q2 2026 As Premiumisation Drives Record 8.8% YoY ASP Growth to US$21.0

Smartwatch and Earwear Volumes Shrink as Brands Chase Premiumisation, While Wristbands and Smart Glasses Emerge as the Market’s Fastest-Growing Categories

INDIA, September 8, 2026 – According to International Data Corporation’s (IDC) India Monthly Wearable Device Tracker, India’s wearable device market declined 7.4% year over year in Q2 2026, to 24.7 million units, a sharper fall than the 1.1% dip seen in Q1’26, as fewer model launches skewed toward higher price points weighed on volumes. Even so, the average selling price (ASP) surged a record 8.8% YoY to US$21.0 in Q2’26, a sharp turnaround from the 1.1% decline seen in Q1’26, signaling a clear pivot toward higher-value devices. Across H1 2026, the market contracted 4.4% YoY to 49.4 million units, while ASP rose 3.9% YoY to US$19.5, as the premiumization that took hold in Q2 began lifting value trends even as shipments stayed under pressure.

India Smart Wearable Device Shipments (000) by Product and Year-over-Year Growth (2Q26)

Why It Matters

Q2 2026 makes clear that India’s wearables story is no longer just about volume. Shipments in smartwatch and earwear kept shrinking, yet rising ASPs and a shift toward premium devices kept value trends firmly positive, while emerging categories posted sharp gains.

Smartwatch: Shipments fell for a tenth straight quarters, down 4.0% YoY to 6.4 million units in Q2’26, yet the category’s share of the overall wearables market climbed to 25.8%, up from 24.9% a year ago. Even as volumes slipped, ASPs surged 23.9% YoY, from US$22.0 to US$27.3, as consumers traded up to higher-quality, feature-rich devices. Advanced smartwatches stood out further, shipments nearly doubled, up 94.8% YoY, lifting their share from 2.2% to 4.5%.
Earwear: The category declined faster than smartwatch, down 9.1% YoY to 18.0 million units in Q2’26. Even so, value held firm, ASP rose 2.2% YoY to US$17.8, as brands leaned on more premium offerings and newer innovations to support the category’s long-term sustainability. TWS held on to its dominant 71.1% share despite a 9.3% YoY dip in volumes, a sign of market maturity and longer replacement cycles, while neckband shipments fell sharply, down 22.9% YoY. Over-the-ear bucked the trend, surging 31.5% YoY to 2.0 million units on the back of hybrid work trends and rising premium audio demand.
Emerging categories: These are carving out real momentum of their own. Wristband shipments more than doubled YoY to 184.4K units, led by Pebble(IN) and Samsung, while smart glasses shipments were  69.4K units in Q2’26, led by Meta and Fire-Boltt, both categories are still building off a modest base but pointing to genuine early traction.

Top 5 Wearable Companies, Market Share, Year-over-Year Growth (2Q26)

Market Dynamics: What Drove the Outcome?

Five distinct shifts shaped India’s wearables market in Q2 2026, each pulling the story in a different direction:

boAt (Imagine Marketing) strengthens category leadership: boAt’s overall wearables share climbed from 28.0% to 29.2% in Q2’26, even as shipments fell 3.4% YoY, underscoring its grip across TWS, tethered, and over-the-ear categories with a 34.7% share of the earwear segment alone. In smartwatches, its share climbed from 13.7% in Q2’25 to 15.2% in Q2’26 with a 6.0% YoY growth at the second spot.
Advanced smartwatches gain ground: The category was led by Apple, Samsung, and Garmin, with all three posting strong shipment growth on the strength of previous-generation devices, Garmin’s momentum with 234.2% YoY growth was boosted by the rising popularity of fitness and sporting events.
Over-the-ear and lifestyle audio see strong momentum: The segment was led by boAt (Imagine Marketing), Zebronics, JBL (Samsung) and Noise (Nexxbase), while Apple stood out with exceptional growth of 448.6% YoY, reflecting rising demand for premium, lifestyle-oriented audio.
Price bands diverge sharply: Within smartwatches, the sub-US$50 mass segment declined 8.3% YoY, with its share slipping from 95.9% to 91.6% in Q2’26, while every other price band posted strong growth, the US$50-100 band alone saw its share rise from 1.9% to 4.3%. In earwear, the sub-US$50 segment declined 9.6% YoY though its share held flat at 96%, while the US$50-100 mid segment fell sharply, down 34.2% YoY, even as every band above the mass-market tier posted strong growth.
Offline channel strengthens as online contracts: Offline shipments grew 2.1% YoY in Q2’26, lifting its share from 39.8% to 43.8%, while online shipments fell 13.7% YoY. The online pullback was driven largely by a steep 16.2% YoY drop in online earwear shipments, even as offline earwear grew 2.7% YoY on stronger retail traction; offline smartwatch shipments stayed largely flat while online smartwatch shipments fell 7.3%.

Top 5 Smartwatch Companies, Market Share, Year-over-Year Growth (2Q26)

Top 5 Truly Wireless Companies, Market Share, Year-over-Year Growth (2Q26)

India Smart wearable Market at a Glance – Q2 2026

Total shipments: 24.7 million units (−7.4% YoY)
Earwear: 18.0 million units (−9.1% YoY)
Smartwatch: 6.4 million units (−4.0% YoY)
Smart glasses: 69.4 thousand units (+38.3% YoY)
Smart Rings: 57.1 thousand units (−23.5% YoY)
Wristband: 184.4 thousand units (+109.2% YoY)
Average selling price (ASP): US$21.0 (+8.8% YoY) — a record growth
Market value growth: +0.7% YoY despite volume decline
Offline channel: 43.8% share (up from 39.7%); +2.1% YoY
Online channel: 56.2% share (down from 60.3%); −13.7% YoY
Top five companies: boat (Imagine Marketing) (#1), OPPO (OPPO + OnePlus + Realme) (#2), Noise (Nexxbase) (#3), GoBoult (#4), Fire-Boltt (#5)

Vikas Sharma, senior market analyst, Smart Wearable Devices, IDC India, said, “Earwear is rapidly evolving from an audio-centric category into a more intelligent, multifunctional wearable, with premium sound, ANC, low latency, comfort, and design increasingly complemented by AI, health sensing, and biometric capabilities. Brands are backing this shift with an aggressive wave of festive launches centered on longer playback time, stronger ANC, and AI-enabled sound partnerships. The bigger story, though, is the pull toward OWS (Open Wireless Solution) and OES (Open Ear Solution) form factors, as consumers increasingly prioritize comfort and ear health over sheer portability. Emerging innovations such as camera-enabled earbuds, real-time health monitoring, and context-aware AI could push TWS further into becoming a true everyday companion, and alongside this growing preference for over-the-ear designs, the category looks well placed for long-term resilience — pricing is moving higher, and demand isn’t backing off.”

IDC Outlook: What’s Next?

Two quarters into 2026, India’s wearables market is confirming a decisive pivot from volume to value. Smartwatch shipments are set to stay under pressure through the rest of the year, while earwear is likely to decline in the low single digits or hold roughly flat. Even so, premiumization, richer health features, and a growing base of AI-enabled devices should keep ASPs climbing across both categories even as unit growth stays muted. Emerging categories such as wristbands and smart glasses, still building off a modest base, are shaping up to be the market’s fastest-growing pockets through H2 2026.

What could accelerate growth? AI-powered health and fitness insights, deeper ecosystem integration, and rising demand tied to fitness and endurance events such as HYROX and marathons that pull more consumers toward advanced smartwatches, alongside continued innovation in OWS/OES designs, spatial audio, and camera-enabled earbuds that broaden earwear’s use cases well beyond music.
What could slow it down? Persistent price hikes squeezing the mass-market base, longer replacement cycles as devices mature, and increasingly sophisticated counterfeits in physical retail chipping away at brand credibility just as offline becomes more central to the category.
What should readers watch next quarter? Whether the momentum in advanced smartwatches, led by Apple, Samsung, and Garmin, carries through the festive season, whether over-the-ear and OWS/OES designs keep gaining ground within earwear, and whether wristbands and smart glasses can turn their early momentum into durable, lasting demand.

“Smartwatches and wristbands are moving from simple activity counters to genuine health companions,” said Anand Priya Singh, market analyst, Smart Wearable Devices, IDC India. “Years of accumulated user data, paired with AI, are helping brands turn raw numbers into insights that feel personal, and consumers are increasingly willing to pay up for that depth rather than settle for the basics. Advanced smartwatches are leading this shift with richer sensing and stronger ecosystem integration, while wristbands are building a following of their own through minimal, screenless designs that trade some of that richness for longer battery life and lighter comfort, in service of a simpler way to track wellness.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the wearable market decline in Q2’26 despite ASP growth?

Earwear, the market’s largest category by volume, declined 9.1% YoY to 18.0 million units in Q2 2026, and that drop alone outweighed the gains seen in emerging categories such as wristbands and smart glasses. Combined with a 4.0% YoY decline in smartwatch shipments, this pulled the overall market down 7.4% YoY, even as ASPs climbed 8.8% YoY to a record US$21.0.

Which vendors and categories benefited most in Q2’26?

boAt (Imagine Marketing) strengthened its overall leadership, holding a 35% share of earwear and lifting its overall wearables share from 28.0% to 29.2%, while also climbing back to the second spot in smartwatches. Advanced smartwatches saw the sharpest gains, led by Apple, Samsung, and Garmin, with shipments up 94.8% YoY, and over-the-ear audio grew strongly too, led by boAt, Zebronics, and Noise (Nexxbase), with Apple posting standout growth of 448.6% YoY.

What emerging categories are gaining traction?

Among emerging categories, wristbands more than doubled YoY led by Pebble and Samsung, while smart glasses shipments grew 38.3% YoY led by Meta and Fire-Boltt.

What should we expect from the wearables market in 2026?

Smartwatch shipments are likely to stay under pressure through the rest of the year, while earwear should decline in the low single digits or hold roughly flat. Even so, premiumization and a growing base of AI-enabled devices should keep ASPs climbing across both categories, while wristbands and smart glasses, still building off a modest base, are shaping up to be the market’s fastest-growing pockets through H2 2026.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the technology intelligence layer of the AI economy. A global leader in research and data for more than 60 years, IDC’s expert analysts, proprietary datasets, and rigorous methodologies are trusted by business and IT leaders to guide critical business strategies and IT investments. Today, that intelligence is built into the tools and workflows where work gets done with IDC Quanta, making work sharper, teams faster, and businesses harder to beat. 

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