Smart Speaker Market Grows 187%; Google Tops Amazon

The global smart speaker market grew 187% in the second quarter with shipments of 17 million devices, according to the latest estimates by Canalys.

Google Home devices shipped totaled 5 million while Amazon Echo devices shipped 4 million.

For the quarter, Google had 32% market share, followed by Amazon (25%), Alibaba (18%) and Xiaomi (12%)

A forecast earlier this week by Strategy Analytics showed Amazon’s smart speaker market share shipments globally falling from 44% to 41% from the first quarter to the second. That study showed Google increasing its smart speaker market share from 16% last quarter to 28% in the second quarter. Alibaba finished third with Apple and JD.com completing the top five.

The Canalys forecast compares the second quarter to the same quarter last year.

In China, Alibaba maintained a market share of more than 50%, with 3 million shipments of its Tmall Genie speakers in the second quarter. Alibaba and Xiaomi account for nearly 90% of the entire Chinese market.

“Many players, including Amazon, are integrating smart speakers into verticals, such as hotels, retail, hospitals and other business establishments,” stated Jason Low, senior analyst at Canalys. “Vendors are experimenting with new form factors and functionalities with smart speakers. Looking ahead, the focus will be on uncovering the full potential of smart assistants, a direction set by Amazon and Google and echoed by many local market leaders. We will soon enter an era where smart assistants will require a new form of hardware medium more effective than speakers to advance further.”

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