Omdia: OWS Crosses 10-Million-Unit Milestone as TWS Market Pivots to Value Creation

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 10, 2025--

Global TWS shipments reached 92.6 million units in 3Q25, up just 0.33% year-over-year (YoY), according to Omdia’s latest research. Although overall growth was modest, shipments of Open Wireless Stereo (OWS), a type of non-in-ear TWS device, surpassed 10 million units, marking a 69% increase YoY. This growth offset a 4% decline in conventional TWS shipments, which totaled 82 million units.

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"We're witnessing the democratization of ANC technology at sub-US$25 price points, while premium brands are pivoting from volume wars to value creation," said Omdia Analyst Jack Leathem. "Vendors are focusing on experiences that deepen loyalty rather than on share expansion alone. The market is now diverging along two distinct paths: premium differentiation with top-notch ANC and sound quality supported by AI and health feature integration, and accessible innovation in emerging markets."

Apple remained the global revenue leader despite a 4% shipment decline, capturing around half of all TWS market value through ecosystem strength and premium positioning. Its latest generation AirPods Pro 3 strengthens health tracking through integrated heart-rate sensing, demonstrating how ecosystem stickiness outweighs unit volume in the premium tier. Meanwhile, Xiaomi held second place, achieving triple-digit growth across Latin America and other emerging markets through accelerated feature rollout in the sub-US$50 segment.

"OWS crossing the 10-million-unit quarterly shipment threshold represents more than a milestone - it validates OWS as a legitimate category that is reshaping how consumers think about hearable devices," noted Omdia Research Manager Cynthia Chen. “However, inherent sound quality limitations keep most OWS products concentrated in the US$50-150 mid-range, making it difficult to compete directly with high-end in-ear models.”

Leading vendors are actively pushing ASPs above US$100 to avoid price-led competition, resulting in faster growth than OWS priced under US$100 in 3Q25. Huawei and Shokz lead the advanced OWS segment with contrasting strategies: Shokz focuses on sports and safe listening, while Huawei drives AI-enabled, intelligent experiences through premium hardware integration.

"Open form factor designs that do not enter the ear encounter sound quality limitations compared to conventional TWS, making long-term user retention dependent on delivering ongoing functional benefits beyond initial use," Chen explained. “As a dynamic category, OWS is positioned for rapid growth, particularly as the industry explores new avenues for enhanced features through strong integration with key user scenarios, such as during workouts or in office settings. Emphasizing long-term comfort and innovative AI-enabled features will be essential for sustaining momentum and meeting the evolving demands of consumers.”

The market's structural transformation extends beyond form factors to encompass regional dynamics and technological capabilities. Emerging markets continue to drive volume growth through aggressive pricing and feature democratization, while developed markets increasingly prioritize premium experiences and ecosystem integration. This bifurcation creates opportunities for vendors to pursue parallel strategies across different geographic segments and price tiers.

Omdia forecasts that OWS shipments will reach 40 million units in 2026, representing 10% of the total TWS market. This projection reinforces open-ear audio's strategic importance in reshaping the broader wearable audio landscape as vendors balance traditional performance metrics with emerging user experience priorities. The next phase of market differentiation will center on AI-driven personalization, seamless device ecosystem integration, and sustained comfort-led design innovations that address the evolving demands of an increasingly sophisticated consumer base.

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Omdia, part of Informa TechTarget, Inc. (Nasdaq: TTGT), is a technology research and advisory group. Our deep knowledge of tech markets grounded in real conversations with industry leaders and hundreds of thousands of data points, make our market intelligence our clients’ strategic advantage. From R&D to ROI, we identify the greatest opportunities and move the industry forward.

Global OWS market shipment, $100+ segment, by top vendors, 3Q25

Global TWS market shipment, 1Q22 to 3Q25

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A massive avalanche of garbage at Indonesia’s largest landfill killed seven people after heavy overnight rain triggered a rubbish dump collapse, officials said Tuesday.

More than 300 search-and-rescue personnel, using heavy machinery and sniffer dogs, were deployed to the sprawling dump site late Sunday at the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Treatment Facility in Bekasi, a city just outside the capital of Jakarta. Rescuers worked cautiously amid unstable heaps of waste, said Desiana Kartika Bahari, who heads Jakarta's Search and Rescue Office.

She said the victims included two garbage truck drivers, three scavengers and two food stall sellers who had been working or resting near the landfill, while six people managed to escape the disaster. No more missing people were reported by families as of Tuesday morning, Bahari said.

Photos and videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed excavators digging through the collapsed mound, where several garbage trucks and small food stalls were buried.

The National Disaster Management Agency's spokesperson, Abdul Muhari, urged strict safety protocols during the search, noting that rain was forecast in the area and further movement in the trash mounds could endanger those conducting the search.

Sunday's deadly collapse renewed scrutiny of Bantargebang, a critical but overwhelmed landfill that receives most of Greater Jakarta’s daily household waste. The site has faced repeated warnings about capacity, prompting efforts to overhaul Indonesia’s waste management system.

Late last year, the government announced a two-year deadline to clear Bantargebang through an accelerated waste-to-energy project aimed at reducing chronic over reliance on open dumping. The initiative, backed by a new presidential regulation intended to streamline licensing and encourage investment, calls for converting refuse into electrical or thermal energy.

In this photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) on Monday, March 9, 2026, rescuers use heavy machines to search for victims of an avalanche of garbage that killed multiple people at a dump site in Bantargebang, West Java, Indonesia. (BASARNAS via AP)

In this photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) on Monday, March 9, 2026, rescuers inspect the site of an avalanche of garbage that killed multiple people as heavy machines are used to search for victims at a landfill in Bantargebang, West Java, Indonesia. (BASARNAS via AP)