Apple Dominated Audio Device Shipments in 2020 With AirPods and Beats

Apple shipped an estimated 108.9 million "smart personal audio" devices, which includes the AirPods and Beats headphones in 2020, according to new data shared today by Canalys.

That's up close to 30 percent from the 84 million device shipments in 2019, with Apple holding 25.2 percent market share. Apple dominated the competition, with Samsung, the next closest audio device manufacturer, shipping 38.3 million headphones, including its Harman subsidiaries. Xiaomi, Sony, and others also trailed Apple.

Apple saw strong growth in the fourth quarter of 2020, shipping an estimated 37.3 million wireless earbuds and headphones for 26.5 percent market share. Q4 2020 shipments were up 26.6 percent from the year-ago quarter, with Apple beating all other competitors by a wide margin.

As for "wearable band shipments," Apple was the dominant seller in the fourth quarter of 2020, shipping an estimated 14.5 million Apple Watches for 25 percent market share, marking annual growth of 49.2 percent.

Xiaomi was Apple's next closest competitor during the quarter with 8.7 million devices shipped, followed by Huawei with 6.7 million and Fitbit with 5.5 million.

Though Apple sold the most wearable bands in the fourth quarter of 2020, it was not the dominant 2020 vendor. That title goes to Xiaomi, with 37.7 million units shipped during the year.

Apple shipped an estimated 35.2 million total Apple Watches in 2020, up from 27.3 million in the year-ago quarter. Chinese brand Xiaomi sells a range of highly affordable smart bands that are much more affordable than the Apple Watch, with some priced as low as $30.

All of Canalys' data is estimated data, as Apple does not provide specific data on AirPods, Beats, and Apple Watch sales, instead offering total revenue across a number of products.

Apple's Wearables, Home, and Accessories category, which encompasses the Apple Watch and AirPods, set a new revenue record in the fourth calendar quarter of 2020, hitting $13 billion.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that all three subgroups of the Wearables, Home, and Accessories category set new records, with Apple's wearable business reaching the size of a Fortune 120 company.