The global tablet market extended its recovery momentum in 2025, with shipments rising 9.8 percent year on year to reach 162 million units, according to the latest research from Omdia. This marks the strongest annual performance since the pandemic-driven surge of 2020, supported by seasonal demand, vendor inventory strategies, and renewed interest in premium and education-focused devices.
Growth in the global tablet market was particularly pronounced in the holiday quarter, with Q4 2025 tablet shipments climbing to 44 million units, also up 9.8 percent year on year. Vendors benefited from strong consumer promotions and pre-build activity ahead of anticipated memory supply constraints, which helped lift volumes toward the end of the year, Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Omdia, said in the report.
Regional growth trends highlight emerging market strength
Central and Eastern Europe emerged as the fastest-growing tablet market in 2025, followed closely by Asia Pacific. Most regions recorded double-digit shipment growth during the year, underscoring broad-based recovery. North America was the only exception, posting an annual decline, although a solid holiday season supported by aggressive vendor and retail discounting helped soften the downturn.
According to Omdia, the regional performance reflects a mix of replacement demand, education-led procurement in emerging markets, and stronger positioning of tablets as complementary devices within broader digital ecosystems.
Apple leads as vendor rankings remain stable
Apple strengthened its position as the world’s leading tablet vendor in Q4 2025, shipping 19.6 million iPads, an increase of 16.5 percent. Strong demand for the iPad 11th Generation and the M5-powered iPad Pro lineup drove Apple’s performance, allowing the company to widen its lead over competitors.
Samsung retained second place globally but faced headwinds from a broader market slowdown, with Q4 shipments declining 9.2 percent to 6.4 million units.
Lenovo stood out as the fastest-growing major tablet vendor, shipping 3.9 million tablets in Q4 2025, representing growth of 36 percent year on year. The surge was largely driven by proactive shipment pull-ins ahead of expected component price increases.
Huawei ranked fourth with shipments of 3 million units and growth of 14.8 percent.
Xiaomi rounded out the top five, shipping 2.8 million units in the quarter, up 10.1 percent. Xiaomi’s full-year tablet shipments increased 25 percent compared to 2024. Despite shifts in quarterly performance, vendor rankings remained unchanged in the full-year 2025 results.
Tablet vendor ranking movements in 2025
Apple maintained its leadership position throughout 2025, steadily strengthening its market share from 37 percent in Q1 and Q2 to 38 percent in Q3, before surging to 45 percent in Q4. This consistent upward trajectory highlights Apple’s strong product demand and ecosystem advantage in the global tablet market.
Samsung remained the second-largest vendor across all four quarters, though its share showed a gradual decline, slipping from 18 percent in Q1 to 15 percent by Q4. Despite the softening trend, Samsung continued to hold a solid position, supported by its broad portfolio across price segments.
Lenovo showed modest improvement over the year, increasing its share from 7 percent in Q1 to 9 percent in both Q3 and Q4. This suggests steady momentum, likely driven by demand in education and commercial segments.
Huawei’s performance remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 7 percent and 8 percent through most of the year, before settling at 7 percent in Q4.
Xiaomi, meanwhile, experienced a slight decline, easing from 8 percent in Q1 and Q2 to 6 percent in the second half of the year.
The “Others” category declined from 23 percent in Q1 to 18 percent in Q4, indicating market consolidation in favor of leading brands, particularly Apple. Overall, 2025 was marked by Apple’s expanding dominance, mild pressure on Samsung, and incremental gains for Lenovo amid a tightening competitive landscape.
Vendors adjust strategies amid pricing and demand pressures
Omdia expects tablet demand to come under increasing pressure in 2026 as memory market disruptions threaten supply availability and push up component prices. Vendors are likely to face tougher decisions around balancing price competitiveness with profitability.
Growth opportunities are expected to become more selective, concentrating on premium and flagship model replacement cycles in developed markets, alongside public-sector supported education demand in emerging economies.
On the product and marketing front, tablet vendors are increasingly repositioning devices as ecosystem-centric platforms rather than standalone hardware. This includes greater emphasis on cross-operating system functionality and AI-driven user experiences.
Recent examples include Lenovo’s Qira, which operates across Windows and Android to reduce friction between AI assistants.
Another example is the collaboration between Apple and Google to integrate Gemini into future Apple Intelligence features, with implications for iPads and the broader device portfolio.
Lenovo Qira
Lenovo’s Qira highlights a push toward cross-platform AI interoperability by operating seamlessly across Windows and Android environments. The approach aims to reduce friction between AI assistants, enabling more consistent user experiences across devices and operating systems. By bridging traditionally separate ecosystems, Qira reflects Lenovo’s strategy to position AI as a unifying layer rather than a siloed feature. This integration supports smoother workflows, improves productivity, and signals a broader industry shift toward platform-agnostic AI assistants.
Apple and Google Gemini Collaboration
The collaboration between Apple and Google to integrate Gemini into future Apple Intelligence features signals a notable shift in Apple’s AI strategy. By leveraging Google’s AI models, Apple aims to enhance intelligence capabilities across iPads and its broader device portfolio. The partnership suggests a pragmatic approach to accelerating AI innovation while maintaining Apple’s ecosystem strengths.
RAJANI BABURAJAN
