The Russian headphone market in 2023 showed a clear tilt toward counterfeit designs inspired by Apple AirPods. Data from Kommersant, based on a study by the analytics firm GFK, indicates that fake headphones echoing Apple styling dominated sales by the end of the year. In total, about 157,000 counterfeit Apple-like headphones found buyers across Russia during 2023. A close second in popularity was the second Apple imitation, the Hoco W35 headphones designed to resemble the AirPods Max, with roughly 73,000 units sold.
Meanwhile, genuine Apple headphones did not command strong demand among Russian consumers. Major retailers reported only about 20,000 pairs of AirPods sold in 2023, placing the authentic product around the 15th position in the annual sales rankings. TelecomDaily’s chief executive Denis Kuskov notes that the affordability and broad distribution of counterfeit Apple headphones through online marketplaces, smaller retail channels, and shopping centers illuminate the gap between fake and real products.
Market researchers estimate Russia’s total headphone market for 2023 at 30.6 million devices, valued at around 62 billion rubles. This reflects a 43 percent increase in units and a 23 percent rise in monetary terms versus 2022. True Wireless Stereo TWS headphones emerged as the most popular category, capturing 58 percent of unit sales and 72 percent of revenue, underscoring a consumer shift toward wireless listening experiences.
Industry observations indicate continued interest in Apple branded accessories, with ongoing discussions about product line expansions announced by Apple. In a prior update, Apple signaled that AirPods 4 and AirPods Max equipped with USB-C would be released in 2024, a move seen as aligning with evolving connector standards and expected to influence pricing and category competition in the following year. This information is cited from Kommersant via GFK.