“TWS Bluetooth earbuds have become more capable than ever. Consumers are replacing bulky old-style Bluetooth headsets with smaller lighter and often less-expensive TWS earbuds that pack advanced features such as active noise cancellation, heart-rate monitoring, water resistance and wireless charging,” says Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics.
“TWS earbuds now often have features not found in traditional banded Bluetooth headsets,” says Ken Hyers, Director at Strategy Analytics. “TWS earbuds better fit modern consumers lifestyles. While Apple’s AirPods are the most popular brand, vendors from around the world, ranging from Bose in the USA to Oppo in China and Boat in India are all introducing new TWS earbuds with advance features that capture consumers’ notice.”
“Powering these advanced features are tech vendors like Qualcomm, whose Clear Voice Capture technology is the key to providing noise cancelling to improve sound quality in many TWS earbuds,” says Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics (ed. note: Qualcomm’s Clear Voice Capture is actually a suite of algorithms for voice clarity, combining noise echo cancelling and noise suppression - different from noise cancelling). “Other system-on-chip (soC) solutions providers include Realtek, AppoTech, Actions, BES and Cypress. Prices for these technologies are continuing to fall. In 2021, 52% of all TWS earbuds with noise cancellation will have a wholesale price of $50 or less, making them more affordable for more consumers.”
“TWS earbuds are adding other technologies for consumers engaging in active lifestyles,” says Ukonaho. “Over 30% of TWS earbuds sold in 2021 will be water resistant, meaning consumers engaging in high-impact activities like exercise will be able to enjoy music, podcasts and phone calls without having to worry that their TWS earbuds will be damaged by sweat or an unanticipated rain shower. Heart rate monitors are in 4% of TWS earbuds that will be sold in 2021, allowing users to track a key health metric. And transparency features allow users to hear surrounding sounds when being fully absorbed in music isn’t ideal. This is an important safety feature for joggers and bicyclists who need to be able to hear real-world sounds.”
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