Wired earphone sales soar by 20%: Are young people starting to reverse upgrade, all because of "fashion"?
Who could have thought that wired headphones suddenly became a huge hit in 2026?
The research firm Circana mentioned in a recent report that after five years of declining sales, wired headphones suddenly experienced growth. In 2025, the market share increased by 3% throughout the year, and in the first three months of 2026, sales soared by 20%. A decade ago, when AirPods first entered the market, everyone was asserting that TWS headphones would become the only major category in the future consumer - grade headphone market, and wired headphones that needed to be plugged into terminals such as players or mobile phones would completely disappear in a few years.
(Image source: circana)
Recent data has really slapped everyone in the face. Why have wired headphones suddenly become so popular? The answer is simple: the retro trend and the celebrity effect. Australian actor Jacob Elordi, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Frankenstein, was photographed using wired headphones at the airport. Actress Hailey Bieber showed off her wired headphones in street - style photos. Fashion magazine Vogue included wired headphones as part of the fashion styling when shooting the cover.
(Image source: Instagram)
Although a large number of street - style photos of celebrities wearing wired headphones can create a certain imitation effect, in fact, wireless headphones have already done a great job in noise cancellation, connection, and portability, and have occupied the market high - ground in the past few years. So why do young people still fall in love with this "headphone cable" that is troublesome and difficult to manage?
"Anti - digitalization", a new cultural wave among Generation Z
In the past two years, almost every two months, a batch of retro digital products became popular on the Internet, such as CCD cameras, MP3 players, flip phones, etc. In 2026, the protagonist of this wave has become wired headphones.
The resurgence of wired headphones is not due to any technological innovation, but purely because of "fashion". When hanging outside a sweatshirt, leather jacket, or shirt, a wired headphone is not just a tool for listening to music, but more like an accessory with a sense of era, a low - cost but highly recognizable styling component. That's why the UK's The Guardian defined stars like Lily - Rose Depp, Paul Mescal, Bella Hadid, and Apple Martin as the pioneers of the wired headphone retro wave.
Not only did the street - style photos of these stars start this trend, but fashion magazines also gave it a push. At the New York Fashion Week in 2025, Dove Cameron even wrapped Apple Earpods directly into her bun. Fashion magazine Vogue spread this look as a typical case of the wired headphone revival. For a while, almost all stylists around the world noticed that "wired headphones can be used for styling".
(Image source: byrdie)
Xiaohongshu, a lifestyle - oriented platform, released a report on trendy digital products as early as 2024. It mentioned that the platform has 180 million people in the digital industry. Young people's expectations for digital products have long since gone beyond just being useful, and have further shifted to "useful, fun, and good - looking". Wired headphones have already been proven to be practical, so the success rate of being recommended on Xiaohongshu is much higher than that of CCD cameras and MP3 players before.
Many people may wonder if these "electronic junk" hyped up under the guise of "retro" is just a huge marketing campaign. In fact, it's not. The group of young people born between 1995 and 2009 is collectively referred to as "Generation Z". These young people have been highly exposed to the Internet since birth, and computers, smartphones, and DSLR cameras have almost accompanied their growth.
(Image source: Xiaohongshu)
Therefore, Generation Z has been waving the flag of "anti - digitalization" in recent years. Those old mobile phones that should have exited the stage, such as the square sliding Nokia, the physical full - keyboard BlackBerry, and the Japanese flip - style Sharp, have become popular on Xiaohongshu and are called "Internet - abstaining phones" by Generation Z. CCD cameras with slow focusing, blurry imaging, and troublesome data reading are regarded as "photo - taking magic tools".
(Image source: Xiaohongshu)
That is to say, the core of this wave of resurgence of wired headphones is not just the headphones themselves, but the rise of a culture. Indeed, wireless headphones, smartphones, algorithmic recommendations, and seamless connections are efficient. But precisely because they are too efficient, many young people have started to get tired of this kind of life where "everything is arranged for you". Wired headphones can be used as both an ornament and a tool for listening to music. You can take them off and hang them around your neck when you don't want to listen, without having to pause the music specifically. It's this kind of "casualness" that hits the expression needs of Generation Z.
Are wireless headphones really that bad: easy to lose, poor sound quality, and overpriced?
For most ordinary people, using a wired headphone to set off their fashionable outfits doesn't seem that important. The real reason for them to "return to the basics" is actually simpler: wired headphones are cheaper and more practical.
Circana mentioned in the report that many users who insist on using wired headphones said in interviews that wireless headphones (referring to AirPods) are too expensive, and they are not willing to pay for functions other than listening to music. This is indeed true. Taking Apple as an example, on the official website, EarPods USB - C is now sold for 149 yuan, while AirPods 4 costs 999 yuan. If you want active noise cancellation, then AirPods 4 with ANC costs 1399 yuan.
The price of a basic wired EarPods is only about one - seventh of AirPods 4, and even less than one - ninth of the noise - cancelling version. More importantly, many consumers believe that the extra money is actually for other functions of the headphones, such as wireless connection, charging case, noise cancellation, finding function, sensors, and ecological synergy.
(Image source: techradar)
For those who just want to listen to music quietly, watch videos, or make phone calls, they may not be willing to pay an extra fee for these additional experiences. Of course, there is a more fatal problem: the battery life and anti - loss performance of wireless headphones.
The biggest controversy surrounding TWS headphones since their birth has been battery life. For example, AirPods 4 has a maximum single - charge battery life of 5 hours, and Sony WF - C510 has a maximum of 11 hours. Although it doesn't sound too bad, these are ideal conditions. After long - term use, the battery capacity will decline, and the battery life will only get shorter. Wired headphones don't have a built - in battery, so as long as the player has power, they can be used continuously.
(Image source: Apple)
True wireless headphones have become smaller, lighter, and more unnoticeable over the years, but they are also easier to lose. What if you lose one? According to Apple's official support page, if you can't find a lost AirPod or charging case, you can buy a replacement separately. SoundGuys sorted out Apple's repair policy. Replacing an ordinary AirPods earbud out of warranty costs 69 US dollars, and an AirPods Pro costs 89 US dollars. If you lose the charging case, the price will be even more shocking.
In fact, these problems with TWS headphones have existed for a long time. The reason why they have sold so well in the past few years and squeezed the living space of wired headphones is that TWS has brought a completely different experience to some consumers. With the advent of AI, TWS headphones are no longer just an audio - playing tool, but can even be used as an AI device. However, there are also reasons for a small number of consumers to firmly choose wired headphones. They don't have battery - life anxiety, are cheap, and you won't feel bad if you lose them. Coupled with the rise of the retro trend, they can also be used as accessories.
The headphone market is divided into two camps: wired and wireless
This wave of resurgence of wired headphones doesn't mean that they are better than wireless headphones. They also have their own problems.
A decade ago, most people assumed that wired headphones were 3.5mm and could be used as soon as they were plugged in. But today, many mobile phones, tablets, and thin - and - light laptops have removed the 3.5mm headphone jack and instead use USB - C for audio output. The problem is that when USB - C is used as an audio interface, some only support charging, while others can transmit data and audio. Whether the adapter has a built - in DAC will also directly affect compatibility and sound performance.
Since both wired and wireless headphones have obvious advantages and disadvantages, it shows that consumers are not making choices based on "which is better". Instead, people are no longer superstitious about the conventional purchasing logic of digital products that "new is always better and old should be eliminated".
(Image source: Instagram)
In fact, digital products should be like this. Why do people say that digital products in recent years are no longer as interesting as before? Everyone is making similar products and competing on the same parameters, and consumers are forced to compare within the cage of cost - performance. However, lifestyle platforms like Xiaohongshu present a completely different consumption pattern. A camera doesn't have to be sharp and clear to be popular, a music player doesn't have to have more functions to be good, and wired headphones can also bring different experiences.
Of course, this wave of resurgence of wired headphones at least proves that the previous view that wireless headphones would dominate the entire market is wrong. In the long run, both wired and wireless headphones will coexist. Wired headphones can well balance professionalism and become a retro - fashion accessory for outfits; wireless headphones will continue to move towards being unnoticeable and AI - enabled, and at the same time, they will evolve into more forms to provide different choices for more people.
This article is from the WeChat official account "Lei Keji". Author: Lei Keji. Republished by 36Kr with permission.