Bluetooth Devices Expected To Top 7 Billion By 2026

On April 12, the annual report "2022 Bluetooth Market Update" released by the Bluetooth Technology Alliance pointed out that Bluetooth technology adoption is growing and the development of increasingly diverse applications in various markets is helping the market to grow rapidly. Over the next five years, Bluetooth device shipments are expected to grow by nearly 50%.

While 2020 was a tumultuous year for many markets around the world amid the impact of the epidemic, in 2021 the Bluetooth market began to rebound quickly to pre-epidemic growth levels. Analysts predict that the Bluetooth market will recover from the epidemic in 2022 faster than initially forecast. Analysts predict that annual shipments of Bluetooth devices will grow 1.5 times over the next five years, topping 7 billion units by 2026.

Bluetooth audio transmission will remain the largest solution area. More definitions of Bluetooth Low Power Audio (LE Audio) will be introduced this year, which is expected to further drive the development of applications in Bluetooth's largest solution area of audio transmission.

With innovative audio experiences such as higher audio quality, lower power consumption and broadcast audio, LE Audio will enable audio developers to meet the growing consumer demand for performance across the audio peripheral market, including speakers, headphones and in-ear headphones.

By 2026, annual shipments of Bluetooth in-ear headphones will climb to 619 million units, accounting for 66% of all wireless headphone shipments. LE Audio will also support new types of audio peripherals such as Bluetooth hearing aids, and optimize device form factors with its flexibility. Annual shipments of Bluetooth audible devices are expected to grow by 2.6 times by 2026.

Bluetooth location services will be the fastest growing solution area. Recent global supply chain disruptions and the enhancement of Bluetooth location capabilities are driving the growth in demand for Bluetooth location services.

With Bluetooth Received Signal Strength (RSSI), direction finding and soon high accuracy distance measurement capabilities, Bluetooth technology can provide developers with the reliability and flexibility needed to create a variety of higher accuracy location services solutions.

Annual shipments of Bluetooth location services devices are set to triple by 2026. The commercial category of real-time location systems, which includes applications in the medical field, accounted for the largest share of location services device shipments this year.

Annual shipments of Bluetooth asset tracking devices are expected to reach 350 million units by 2026.