Why are most TWS headphones cheap?

When it comes to TWS headphones, Apple AirPods are considered the pioneers of TWS headphones. Since the release of the first generation Airpods in 2016.

Apple has successfully led a wave of consumer boom, and after the launch of the new generation of AirPods Pro last year, it has rapidly triggered the market for TWS true wireless Bluetooth headphones.

With the success of Apple AirPods, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi and other brands have also followed the TWS technology. At present, there are many brand choices for TWS headphones, and the general price has realized a multi-price coverage from one hundred to one thousand dollars.

However, as can be seen from the 2019 Global TWS Headphone Sales Report, Apple's Airpods series headphones still have an absolute advantage in the TWS market, with more than half of the sales.

Usually, we would think that the diversification of TWS headphone prices can greatly increase the market share of Android TWS headphones, and the fact is that although Android TWS headphones are cheap, the sales still can't catch up with Apple Airpods, so it can be seen that the price is not the main pain point for users.

In fact, the first problem that needs to be solved for excellent TWS headphones is Bluetooth connectivity, including the stability and low latency of Bluetooth connectivity. The advantage of Apple Airpods is precisely here, its unique Snoop listening mode can realize the left and right ears to listen together, connection stability and delay is relatively better, compared to other brands of relay forwarding mode, Apple this patented technology is obviously more popular.

Under Apple's technical barriers, is it possible for other TWS headphones to come out of the new road? Some people say that the Bluetooth 5.0 transmission speed has been increased by 2 times, and the transmission distance has been increased by 4 times, so it can transmit commands more smoothly, is it possible to improve the Bluetooth connection experience?

Actually not, Bluetooth 5.0 affects only the audio transmission, but does not improve the forwarding mode performance. To put it simply, that is, Bluetooth 5.0 does not support the TWS headset 1 to 2 connection function, the real realization of the focus is on the chip, which requires chip manufacturers to continue to break out in the technology, such as Qualcomm, Loopda, each showing their ability to launch a differentiated connectivity solution to allow Android TWS to turn the tide.

Qualcomm launched TWS+ (TrueWireless Stereo Plus) technology in 2018, under the TWS+ connection technology, there will be two independent audio streams transmitted directly from the phone to two different headsets, that is, the left and right channels are independently connected, that is, 1 to 2 connection, ensuring the stability and latency of the Bluetooth connection. However, this technology can only be used in TWS headsets that use the QCC5100/QCC30XX series Bluetooth chips, as well as cell phones equipped with the corresponding cell phone Bluetooth chip supporting the use of the device, which is more demanding.

In early 2019, Lotta launched the self-developed MCSync technology, similar to Apple's Snoop listening mode. This technology is mainly applied to the A15XX series headset chip, MCSync does not distinguish between main and secondary ears, stable connection, support for high resolution audio streams, comprehensive performance comparable to Apple AirPods, and does not depend on the support of the cell phone terminal chip, which is compatible with a variety of cell phone platforms.

With the successive removal of 3.5mm headphone holes by major cell phone manufacturers and the continuous development of TWS technology, TWS headphones are likely to become the standard for smartphones in the future. According to Gartner data, the ratio of shipments of Android and Apple phones in 2018 was about 6:1, so it can be imagined that the potential demand for TWS headphones from Android phone users is actually very huge.

If all the manufacturers can link up and work together to break through the technical problems, the outbreak of Android TWS headphones will not be far away, and Android cell phone users will be able to experience high-quality TWS headphones.