Surging shipments, looming deadlines, and tariff uncertainty reshape the PC market, with 67.6 million units shipped in Q2 2025, as businesses upgrade fast while consumers wait out global turbulence and future costs.
Global PC shipments rose 7.4% year-on-year (YoY) in Q2 2025 to 67.6 million units, according to the latest figures from Canalys, now part of Omdia. The uptick marks a notable recovery for the sector, fuelled by a sharp rise in commercial demand ahead of Microsoft’s October 2025 Windows 10 end-of-support deadline.
Notebook shipments, including mobile workstations, reached 53.9 million units, up 7% from Q2 2024. Desktop and desktop workstation shipments also improved, rising 9% to 13.7 million units. However, the report warned that consumer demand remained sluggish due to widespread macroeconomic uncertainty.
One of the key drivers of growth this quarter was accelerated enterprise PC refreshes, as organisations prepare for system upgrades. Yet, a murky global trade environment continues to cast a long shadow over long-term recovery prospects.
“The Trump administration’s shifting tariff stance is unsettling the PC supply chain,” said Ben Yeh, Principal Analyst at Canalys. “Manufacturers have increasingly rerouted production from China to Vietnam, but the recent US-Vietnam trade deal complicates this strategy.”
New tariffs—20% on Vietnamese goods and 40% on suspected transshipments—could expose vendors to unexpected costs if enforcement deems Chinese-influenced operations in Vietnam non-compliant.
Despite the pressure, analysts pointed to the Windows 10 support deadline as a stabilising factor. Kieren Jessop, Research Manager at Canalys, noted that commercial momentum is outpacing consumer trends. “Over half of our channel partners expect PC sales to grow in H2 2025, with nearly a third projecting over 10% growth,” he said.
The Q2 proved to benefit major vendors in different ways. Lenovo led the pack with a 15.2% growth and 25.1% market share. Apple saw the highest annual growth at 21.3%, while Dell saw a 3% decline. Asus also performed strongly, rising 18.4% YoY.
Looking ahead, analysts expect delayed consumer purchases to spill into 2026, coinciding with the replacement cycle of devices introduced during the pandemic.
