A new analytical report posted this morning states that the latest estimates for global shipments of smart personal audio devices (including TWS, wireless headphones and wireless earphones) reached 455 million units in 2024, marking an 11.2% year-on-year growth.

Canalys Research Analyst Jack Leathem: " While leading brands have maintained stable market positions, their differentiation strategies are increasingly taking shape. In the ecosystem category, players like Apple continue to reinforce their competitive edge through deep hardware-software integration. Apple’s in-house chipset enables seamless cross-device connectivity while integrating spatial audio technology with Apple Music to deliver a high-resolution audio experience."

Canalys forecasts that global shipments of smart audio devices will surpass 500 million units by 2025, reflecting a cautiously optimistic outlook. In the near term, the market is expected to witness active player participation and exhibit three key trends:

• A surge of innovative products with novel functionalities and designs.
• Increased cross-brand collaborations to build broader ecosystems.
• A market shift from adding isolated functions to enhancing overall user experience.

Canalys Research Manager Cynthia Chen: " AI is redefining the boundaries of smart personal audio functionality, with nearly all manufacturers exploring new applications of AI. However, several critical challenges remain before these solutions achieve large-scale commercial application.” Current AI explorations in smart audio focus on three primary areas:

• Health monitoring: leading brands have integrated AI-driven hearing assessments and posture detection in flagship products, using biosensors and algorithms to facilitate proactive health management.
• Adaptive audio technology: multimodal sensor-based scene recognition is advancing dynamic audio adjustments—such as intelligent noise reduction and adaptive spatial audio—to enhance the user experience in challenging acoustic environments.
• Real-time translation: as these features extend into mid-range products, real-time translation is becoming more widespread, prompting manufacturers further to explore the integration of AI with smart audio devices.