The wearables market saw unit volumes jump by 14% in the second quarter, according to the latest estimates from IDC. While the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt discretionary spending, it's also driven heightened interest in being able to track health data. Hearables -- wearable audio gadgets that include additional functionalities -- continued to be the largest product category. Apple expanded its leadership in the market even as the overall market grew. Image source: Apple. Most wearables are hearables Worldwide wearables shipments were 86.2 million in the second quarter, and hearables represented 60% of all wearables. Watches and wristbands accounted for just under 40%, with other nascent categories like rings or connected clothing being little more than a rounding error following a 59% year-over-year decline. Here were the top five vendors in the second quarter. Vendor Q2 2020 Shipments Q2 2020 Market Share Growth (YOY) Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) 29.4 million 34.2% 25.3% Huawei 10.9 million 12.6% 58% Xiaomi 10.1 million 11.8% 13.5% Samsung 7.1 million 8.3% 0.9% Fitbit (NYSE: FIT) 2.5 million 2.9% (29.2%) Others 26.1 million 30.3% 1.6% Total 86.2 million 100% 14.1% Data source: IDC. YOY = year over year. The majority of Apple's shipments were hearables. The Mac maker shipped an estimated 23.7 million AirPods and Beats products, representing over 80% of the Cupertino tech giant's total volumes. IDC says that demand for earworn wearables was bolstered by the ongoing shift to remote work and remote learning. Additionally, AirPods are more affordable than Apple Watch, and Apple launched its annual back-to-school promotion near the end of the quarter that included free AirPods with qualifying hardware purchases. Wristbands and other wrist-worn wearables like smartwatches saw units decline by 4.4%. IDC notes that Fitbit has made progress in strengthening its brand by investing in different ways to detect disease. Last week, Fitbit unveiled its 2020 product lineup, including a new Sense smartwatch that will soon be able to take ECGs while utilizing an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor to measure stress and anxiety levels. The company had already reported its 29% drop in shipments to 2.5 million when it announced earnings earlier this month. China's Huawei continues to climb the rankings, posting the strongest growth (46%) in the wrist-worn category. Huawei launched its Watch GT last year and is expected to release a higher-end Watch GT 2 Pro as early as next month. Xiaomi continues to hold its own in wristbands thanks to its affordable Mi Band fitness trackers. Apple Watch shipments increased 14% to an estimated 5.8 million. The older Apple Watch Series 3 continues to sell well at its lower price point, and the company is expected to unveil the Apple Watch Series 6 alongside the iPhone 12 soon. Apple is also reportedly working on third-generation AirPods that are scheduled to launch in early 2021. 10 stocks we like better than AppleWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Apple wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of August 1, 2020 Evan Niu, CFA owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple and Fitbit. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source