The global tablet market rose 8.5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, the Canalis reported. However, there were different reasons for the increase in shipments in different markets.
During the epidemics, there was a fast pace in the sale of tablets as people went from home to work/study. However, those slates are now 4-5 years old and require replacement-that is the one that pushes shipments in Q1 in the US.
The Trump administration announced a blanket tariff, but quickly exempted smartphones, tablets and chips, so that the needle could not be moved much. However, the tariff will still have an effect – as other things become more expensive, Canalis has predicted that the tablet upgrade bicycles will be long as they are a low priority item to upgrade than other things.
In China, the government offered consumer subsidy, which matched the traditional lunar New Year discount and the market saw an increase of double digits. Unlike the smartphone market, Apple holds the top positions in China, but Huawei and Xiaomi are growing (promoted by your smart device ecosystem), while seeing success in the honor value-oriented segment.
At the global level, Apple is a wide margin-leading tablet brand and sent 13.7 million units, 14% year-to-year growth. Samsung slipped 5.2% but retained second place. Meanwhile, Xiaomi is growing rapidly, but is still sent to the quarter (+56.1% yoy) with 3 million units behind Apple and Samsung. Xiaomi defeated Lenovo, which is now in fourth place. Huawei is still in the top 5, but despite doing well in China, its popularity is slipping on the global market (12.5%below).
| Tablet shipment (market share and annual growth) worldwide Canalis PC Market Pulse: Q1 2025 | |||||
| Seller | Q1 2025 shipment | Q1 2025 market share | Q1 2024 shipment | Q1 2024 market share | annual growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | 13,746 | 37.3% | 12,062 | 35.5% | 14.0% |
| Samsung | 6,633 | 18.0% | 7,000 | 20.6% | -5.2% |
| Xiaomi | 3,072 | 8.3% | 1,969 | 5.8% | 56.1% |
| Lenovo | 2,537 | 6.9% | 2,135 | 6.3% | 18.8% |
| Huawei | 2,394 | 6.5% | 2,735 | 8.1% | -12.5% |
| Other | 8,453 | 22.9% | 8,046 | 23.7% | 5.1% |
| Total | 36,834 | 100.0% | 33,947 | 100.0% | 8.5% |
| Note: Unit shipment in thousands. Due to rounding, percentage cannot add up to 100%. Source: Cell-in Shipment, Month 2025 | |||||
Tablets are purchased not only by consumers, but also by businesses and organizations (eg school). However, this market was stable in Q1. The government-led programs can buy a large amount of tablets for schools through the year-Perhaps not in the US, where the Education Department is under pressure from the Trump administration. Thailand announced multi-year funding for a large procurement program, however.
