China’s personal computer (PC) market is entering a transition phase after a strong performance in 2025, with new insights from Omdia indicating a slowdown ahead amid shifting policy support and rising costs.
The forecast for 2026 points to a decline in overall shipments, with the market expected to contract by 10 percent to 37.9 million units. This downturn in China PC market reflects a normalization after demand was pulled forward in 2025 due to aggressive government subsidies.
The consumer PC segment is anticipated to be hit the hardest, with shipments projected to fall 12 percent as buying momentum weakens.
Tablet shipments, which performed strongly in the previous year, are expected to decline by 11 percent to 32 million units, signaling a cooling across device categories, Emma Xu, Senior Analyst at Omdia, said in the report.
The challenges in the China PC market in 2026 are largely driven by structural and policy-related factors. Government subsidies that previously supported demand are being scaled back to around 15 percent, compared to 30 percent in 2025, while stricter implementation rules such as regional quotas and phased distribution are likely to limit purchasing surges.
At the same time, the China PC market is facing rising component costs, particularly in memory, which is increasing overall device production expenses. The combination of reduced incentives, cost inflation and earlier demand acceleration is expected to create a difficult operating environment for PC vendors and the wider ecosystem.
In contrast, 2025 marked a year of solid growth and resilience for China’s PC market. Total shipments increased 6 percent year over year to 42.1 million units, supported by strong commercial demand and steady consumer performance in the first half of the year.
Tablets emerged as the standout category, with shipments rising 14 percent to 36 million units, driven by subsidy programs and expanding enterprise adoption.
Desktop shipments also saw significant growth, particularly in the fourth quarter, where enterprise and government procurement pushed volumes higher. However, notebook shipments faced some pressure toward the end of the year, declining as consumer demand softened despite continued policy support.
China PC market in 2025 continued to be led by major global and domestic vendors. Lenovo retained its dominant position in China, benefiting from its strong presence in enterprise and government sectors.
HP and Dell Technologies maintained steady performance, particularly in commercial segments, while
Apple strengthened its position in the premium category with its ecosystem and performance-driven devices.
Huawei also gained traction as localization trends and domestic supply chain preferences became more prominent in enterprise and public sector procurement.
Lenovo strengthened its leadership, increasing shipments from 4.1 million to 4.6 million units and expanding market share from 35 percent to 40 percent.
Huawei posted solid gains, with shipments rising to 1.3 million units and share improving to 11 percent from 9 percent.
HP followed a similar trend, growing shipments to 1.2 million units and increasing share to 10 percent.
Apple recorded moderate growth, with shipments rising from 0.6 million to 0.7 million units and market share improving to 6 percent.
In contrast, iSoftStone experienced a decline, with shipments falling from 1.2 million to 0.9 million units and market share dropping from 10 percent to 8 percent.
The “Others” category saw the sharpest contraction, with shipments declining from 3.7 million to 2.9 million units and market share shrinking from 32 percent to 25 percent, indicating consolidation toward leading vendors.
Looking ahead, the China PC market is expected to remain under pressure in the short term, but long-term opportunities are emerging. The growing adoption of on-device artificial intelligence, increasing support for domestic operating systems and continued government initiatives to promote AI innovation are likely to shape future demand. Vendors that can balance cost pressures while delivering differentiated AI-enabled products will be better positioned to navigate the evolving market dynamics in 2026 and beyond.
RAJANI BABURAJAN
