Apple leads tablet market as global shipments rebound in 2025

The global tablet market continued its recovery in 2025, with shipments rising 9.8 per cent year-on-year to 162 million units, according to the latest research from Omdia.

Momentum was particularly strong in the holiday quarter, with Q4 2025 shipments reaching 44 million units, up 9.8 per cent year-on-year.

Central and Eastern Europe emerged as the fastest-growing region in 2025, followed closely by Asia Pacific, while all regions recorded double-digit growth during the year except North America, which saw a modest decline partly offset by a healthy holiday season supported by vendor and retail discounting.

“In 2025, the tablet market delivered its highest annual shipment volume since the pandemic-driven demand boom of 2020,” said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Omdia.

“Seasonal holiday demand, combined with vendor pre-build activity ahead of anticipated memory constraints, provided a meaningful uplift to shipments in the final quarter. However, tablet demand will come under increasing pressure in 2026,” Mukka added.

“Vendors will need to carefully balance competitiveness with profitability as further disruption in the memory market threatens supply availability and drives up prices,” Mukka said.

“Growth opportunities will be more selective, concentrated around premium and flagship model replacement cycles in developed markets alongside public-sector supported education demand in emerging markets,” she added.

On the product side, Mukka highlighted a shift in how tablets are positioned and marketed, with vendors framing them as ecosystem-centric devices in a more controlled demand environment.

This strategy includes the introduction of cross-OS functionality and a focus on AI-driven experiences, she said, citing Lenovo’s Qira, which operates across Windows and Android to deliver a seamless user experience and reduce friction between AI assistants.

Mukka also noted that the collaboration between Apple and Google to use Gemini for future Apple Intelligence features represents a positive step forward for the generative AI ecosystem across its device portfolio, including iPads.

In Q4 2025, the global tablet market grew 10 per cent year-on-year.

Apple maintained its lead as the top tablet vendor, delivering 19.6 million iPads, representing a 16.5 per cent increase, driven by strong demand for the iPad 11th Generation and the M5-powered iPad Pro lineup.

Samsung ranked second but faced broader market slowdown pressures, with shipments declining 9.2 per cent year-on-year to 6.4 million units.

Lenovo led growth among major vendors, shipping 3.9 million units, up 36 per cent year-on-year, supported by proactive shipment pull-in ahead of expected price increases.

Huawei placed fourth with shipments of 3 million units and 14.8 per cent growth, while Xiaomi completed the top five, shipping 2.8 million units, reflecting a 10.1 per cent year-on-year increase in Q4 2025, with full-year shipments growing 25 per cent compared to 2024.

Vendor rankings remained unchanged in the full-year results, confirming Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, Huawei, and Xiaomi as the leading players in the global tablet market.