Do you feel that more and more people around you live in their own little world of sound? You buy AirPods every few years to upgrade your old ones, how do you replace a worn out wallet?
Companies that make headphones and earphones, including some of the world’s biggest tech companies like apple, samsung and Sony, can expect a boom. according to a new report. S&S Insider, a market research firm, predicts that global sales of these portable audio products will nearly double to $114.81 billion by 2032, up from $58.41 billion last year. In the US, sales are expected to nearly triple over the same period, from $760 million to $2.13 billion.
The research indicates that market growth is driven by affordability, features such as smart assistants and active noise reduction, and a lifestyle focused on smartphones and smart watches. The key to this is the huge popularity of wireless audio devices, especially wireless stereo headphones.
“Fitness enthusiasts, travelers, professionals and students are moving away from wired solutions, driving the wireless headphone market,” S&S Insider said in a press release accompanying the report.
Headphones (or “earbuds,” as the report commonly calls them) accounted for nearly 62% of market sales in 2024.
Apple’s launch of the iphone 17 earlier this month also introduced the AirPods Pro 3 headphones, which can perform live voice translation and offer better sound quality for the same price as the previously advanced airpods pro 2.