Commercial “blue ocean” behind TWS Bluetooth headset

According to the sunrise big data report, in June this year, the world’s TWS headset shipment reached 37.72 million units, up 61% year-on-year. Among them, due to the rapid economic recovery after the epidemic, China’s market became the region with the highest volume of TWS earphones, reaching about 11.55 million units, accounting for 31%. The U.S. market ranked second with 8.14 million units of shipment and 21% market share. < / P > < p > but this is not an eye-catching Bluetooth headset. Behind it lies a huge “blue ocean” gold mine, which directly drives the performance growth of many companies in the relevant industrial chain. Recently, a reporter from China Business Daily found that domestic TWS earphones are in a mixed situation. Android manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi are constantly challenging the leading position of apple airpods. There are still variables in the future market structure. < / P > < p > on Jingdong platform, the reporter searched with “TWS Bluetooth headset” as the keyword, and found that there were no less than 500 brands of all sizes, and there were more than 50000 pieces of related products. The prices were very different. The cheapest ones were 10 yuan and 20 yuan, and the expensive ones were more than 5000 yuan. The shapes and styles were also various. Mr. Wu, who has bought and used many TWS earphones, told reporters that he started with the first generation of apple airpods, which cost more than 1000 yuan. He had a good experience in noise reduction and sound quality, but it broke down after less than half a year. Later, he bought several other brands of earphones, such as vivo, Yijia and other mobile phone brands, as well as several pairs of 300 yuan or so, which were on the phone The experience of scenes such as video and audio is quite different, especially when pairing, sometimes it is not very smooth, and there is also the ability of battery life. In some cases, it is indicated that the battery is low and needs to be shut down after less than 1 hour. < p > < p > Western Securities pointed out in the “TWS earphone industry in-depth report” that “although TWS earphone is small, the threshold of master chip design and whole machine manufacturing is very high.” Apple airpods has become a benchmark for TWS headphones due to its call stability and long standby time. Although the experience of Android brand products has been greatly improved in the past two years, it is difficult to achieve technological breakthrough in the short term. The shock to Apple’s high premium ability is penetrating and persistent. It is worth noting that TWS is the abbreviation of “true wireless stereo” technology and the most mainstream Bluetooth headset technology standard. Different from the traditional Bluetooth headset, it can support the separation of left and right channels of Bluetooth signal, which means that users can experience stereo effect by connecting one side of the headset. At the same time, because it is more portable and fashionable, which is conducive to better integrated design of mobile phone manufacturers, mobile phone manufacturers are making popular TWS earphones. In fact, earphones don’t need an operating system to run like smart phones. However, because Apple’s airpods market position and brand premium ability are significantly ahead, other brands are still struggling to catch up with apple, so the industry often refers to other brands as Android TWS headphones. According to the research data of strategy analytics, apple airpods captured 71% of the global TWS headphone market last year. The sales volume is expected to be 60 million units, with a market share of more than 50%. However, Samsung and Xiaomi, ranked second and third in the world, account for less than 10% respectively. < / P > < p > the reason why the Android TWS headset has not shaken Apple lies in the difference of Bluetooth chip transmission schemes. Apple’s airpods transmission scheme adopts an independent patent technology called “monitoring technology”, which ensures a good experience effect. In view of Apple’s patent moat, Android manufacturers are also looking for a breakthrough in the solution of binaural connection technology, that is, the technology patents are a little late. < / P > < p > the reporter has noticed that there are various types of earphones in the market today. Besides TWS earphones, headphones with head and neck hanging also have a certain number of fans. Will TWS headphones become the mainstream in the future? Wang Qinglin, a senior analyst at Ai media consulting, believes that from the perspective of consumer demand, headphones are more about the pursuit of sound quality, so headphones such as Bose and Panasonic have certain market advantages. In the medium term, headphones are still the first choice for users who pursue higher quality sound effects. The subversion of TWS earphones breaks the myth that users must have earphone cable. Compared with the decorative demands of necked and in ear earphones, the fashion and convenience of TWS have a high attraction for users. Most users who do not have high requirements for sound quality will turn to TWS earphones, which will gradually affect the layout of the upstream production line of earphones, and further weaken the market competitiveness of neck hanging and in ear earphones. < p > < p > from the perspective of market structure, there are three main forces in developing TWS headphones at present. The most powerful ones are mobile phone manufacturers such as apple, Huawei and Xiaomi. The other is traditional audio equipment manufacturers, such as Sony, JBL, and domestic manufacturers such as walkers. There are also Internet companies such as Netease cloud music and cool dog music. At the same time, the market is also full of a large number of “white brand” products. Wang Qinglin pointed out that in terms of adaptability, TWS earphones can be used in both Android and apple systems, so the main competition of TWS headphones is brand. Apple itself has a loyal “fruit powder”, and its market position has a certain foundation; and the TWS headset was first launched by apple. At present, apple and other brands are often the first reaction to mention TWS, and they will maintain certain advantages in the short term. However, with more and more brands joining the TWS headphone war, the market concentration of headphones may be more dispersed. During this period, earphone brands may break through through through quality or price advantages. < / P > < p > the reporter found that there are many manufacturers involved in the TWS industry chain. A complete set of TWS headset equipment mainly includes wireless headset and charging box. The headset part needs the main control Bluetooth chip, MEMS microphone, memory chip, battery, infrared sensor, audio decoder and wireless module components. < p > < p > according to Apple’s latest financial report, in the third quarter of fiscal year 2020 as of the end of June, revenue of wearable devices, including airpods earphones and apple watch watches, reached US $6.5 billion, up 18% year-on-year. It should be noted that the iPhone’s contribution to Apple’s total revenue was less than 50% for the first time in this quarter. The revenue growth of airpods has given TWS earphone industry a shot in the arm. In fact, domestic manufacturers in Apple’s airpods supply chain have taken the lead in making profits. For example, air pods OEM Co., Ltd. (002241. SZ) predicts that the net profit in the first half of this year will be between 760 million and 786 million yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 45% – 50%. Golfer said the improvement in profitability was due to “the growth of sales revenue of intelligent wireless headset products”. Another company, lichen precision (002475. SZ), which accounts for 60% of the OEM share of Apple’s headphones, achieved a revenue of 16.513 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 83.10%, and a net profit of 1.026 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 61.65%. A person from an asset management company told reporters that the market for TWS earphones is very popular, which is really on the air. The stock prices of some listed companies in the industrial chain are rising, and many institutions are also taking heavy positions. For example, the market value of Zhaoyi innovation, which mainly deals in memory chips, has increased by about 50% this year. On the other hand, Yang Delong, the chief economist of the open-source industry, points out that the performance of Apple’s open-source fund is driven by the market demand of Apple’s open-source fund. As far as the capital market is concerned, the current tense relationship between China and the United States may have a certain impact on apple and its sales in the domestic market, which may also bring certain variables to the orders of these listed companies in the upper reaches of the industrial chain. Therefore, we should observe carefully. Xiang Ligang, an IT communication expert, pointed out that TWS earphones have entered an explosive period of rise, and earphones and smart watches have become the two fastest-growing categories of intelligent wearable devices. Compared with smart phones and watches, Bluetooth headsets may consume faster and users can change them more frequently. The path of brand growth is quite similar to that of smart phones. Apple has occupied most of the industry profits with its leading effect and high-quality experience. However, other mobile phone manufacturers have followed suit. Especially in the market with less than 1000 yuan, the user acceptance and experience will be better and better. With higher cost performance ratio in the future, its market share will inevitably change continuously.