Samsung was the third-largest TWS (totally wireless headset) manufacturer in 2019, according to the Yonhap News Agency citing Strategy Analytics. The TWS category excludes headsets that have a neckband and account only for truly wireless earbuds.

Samsung was able to ship 7.4 million wireless headsets throughout 2019, covering 6.9 percent of the market. This wasn’t enough for the company to secure the first or even second place. Unsurprisingly, Apple took the crown, or more precisely, it took over 54.4 percent of the market after shipping 58.7 million AirPods in 2019 alone.

Samsung’s first obstacle is Xiaomi

It’s clear that Samsung has some catching up to do in order to become a real threat to Apple’s dominance in the segment. But before Samsung does that, it will have to challenge Xiaomi first. The Chinese OEM came in second after Apple, as it shipped 9.1 million wireless headsets throughout the year, and accounted for 8.5 percent of the market.

Samsung is preparing a new pair of TWS and it should be introduced as the Galaxy Buds+ next month along with the Galaxy S20 series. The company might not be able to turn the tables as far as Apple is concerned, and the lack of ANC on the Galaxy Buds+ could turn off a number of prospective buyers. But hopefully, the Buds+ will be successful enough to propel Samsung in second place on the podium by the end of 2020.