Xiaomi, Asus headphone supplier sells 20 million units in two years

China headphone supplier 1More has now sold more than 20 million units since it was incorporated in 2013, the manufacturer revealed. The company is perhaps best known as a supplier for Xiaomi and Asus, but it sells similar headphones under its own brand. 1More sold more than 10 million units in 2014, according to the Wall Street Journal, so it looks like the company did not see any growth in 2015. Still, this is quite a bit of success for the two-year-old supplier started by three former Foxconn executives, one of whom helped secure a contract with Apple to manufacture the original iPod in 2000.

1More is not content relying on partners such as Xiaomi to build its success, though. In fact, the company's co-founder and chief executive Gary Hsieh has said this model is not sustainable. The company is trying to build brand awareness and wants to expand to the US in 2016. 1More has told Sina that while it already manufactures to international standards, it also recognizes the US as a more mature market where consumers are not as price-sensitive as in China. For this reason, the company wants to rely less on price as a strategy and more on features. Much of its success so far has been by offering "premium quality audio devices at midrange prices," according to Hsieh. "We want to be the Lexus in the global audio market, not Toyota or BMW," he told WSJ.

When Xiaomi's latest headphones were released in November, a reviewer at the Verge said he would not say the sound is as good as headphones that cost more than $100, but they do beat out other variants in the sub-$50 market. Comments online, though, have said sound quality is equal to much more expensive headphones. That would not be surprising since China manufacturers have become increasingly good at delivering excellent sound in inexpensive headphones. In June, Wired called the Mrice E300 headphones "$15 buds that outperform some name brand models costing ten times as much." It seems the days of bad, cheap headphones are mostly coming to an end. Fortunately, the China market is up to the task of delivering great, less expensive headphones, and they are selling by the millions.

See a comparison table of wired headphone suppliers on GlobalSources.com