In the first quarter of this year, global tablet shipments grew 0.5 per cent year-on-year reaching a total of 30.8 million units, after several consecutive quarterly declines over the last two years.
According to numbers shared by the International Data Corporation (IDC), the last time that this category saw growth was in Q2 2021.
Apple and Samsung are the two strongest contenders in this segment. Apple’s tablet sales declined 8.5 per cent year over year. However, Apple still managed to hold on to the number 1 position with 9.9 million units shipped in Q1 2024.
Samsung ranked second with tablet shipments of 6.7 million units in Q1 2024. Overall, it too faced a decline of 5.8 per cent year-on-year. IDC attributed this to promotions from competing brands in Europe and Asia/Pacific and the lack of new products from Samsung. However, the company is focused on improving its user experience by including AI capabilities in its latest product cycle and focusing on premium products going forward which might lead to a change in its fortunes over the course of this year.
Apple isn’t standing still either. Later today, it will hold its ‘Let Loose’ event where it is expected to focus on a new range of iPads – a category of hardware that it didn’t focus on at all in 2023.
A highlight will likely be the new 12.9-inch and 11-inch versions of the iPad Pro, and both are expected to receive the OLED display technology. Currently, the 12.-9-inch version of the existing Pro has a mini-LED screen, while the 11-inch has an LCD one. The new Pro models will definitely have an updated chip – although whether Apple will skip the M3 and instead go straight for the AI-capable M4 chip to challenge Samsung is not yet clear.
Beyond Apple and Samsung, the other three major players in the global tablet market at Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi.
In Q1 2024, Huawei retained the third position with year-over-year growth of 43.6 per cent and shipments of 2.9 million units.
Lenovo came in fourth this quarter with year-over-year growth of 13.2 per cent. Lenovo has been able to grow its detachable portfolio since the pandemic, with its Tab P series models driving shipments. However, slate tablets still represent nearly 80 per cent of Lenovo’s shipments, according to the IDC.
Xiaomi rounded off the top five this quarter with a handsome growth of 92.6 per cent year-over-year and shipments reaching 1.8 million units. Outside of China, which is its largest market, Xiaomi grew by triple digits across almost all regions where it ships.
“The tablet market started showing signs of recovery in the first quarter. The real gains will come from the next refresh cycle, followed by growth within commercial segments as more tablets are used in the education sector and the gig economy,” said Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers.
“However, these factors won’t suffice as the attrition driven by competition from PCs and smartphones will contribute to a lacklustre outlook for the tablet market. That said, there is potential upside driven by AI capabilities similar to what’s expected in other device types.”
