Surging notebook sales, AI PCs up 185%, and a seven-quarter growth streak—India’s PC market saw an 8% rise YoY. Analysts warn that rising inventory may slow the momentum.
India’s traditional PC market—which includes desktops, notebooks, and workstations—grew 8.1% year-on-year (YoY) in the first quarter of 2025, according to recent data by International Data Corporation (IDC). Shipments reached 3.3 million units, marking the seventh straight quarter of growth.
Notebook shipments rose sharply by 13.8% YoY, while workstations saw a robust 30.4% increase. In contrast, desktop sales declined by 2.4% YoY. Premium notebooks (priced over US$1000) recorded an 8% YoY rise, meanwhile.
At the same time, AI notebooks, although tracked separately, saw significant momentum, climbing 185.1% YoY from a low base.
The consumer segment grew 8.9% YoY, driven by Republic Day offers in January and heavy March shipments. Online sales remained strong, with the e-tail channel growing 21.9% YoY.
Commercial PC shipments, too, increased 7.5% YoY, led by strong enterprise notebook demand. However, government spending on commercial desktops dropped sharply, causing a 2.5% YoY decline.
“The consumer PC market had one more upbeat quarter driven by e-tail channel and focused offline expansion,” noted Bharath Shenoy, Research Manager, IDC India & South Asia.
The report highlighted that the PC vendors are ensuring greater accessibility for customers across India by strengthening their offline presence with new brand stores, increasing LFR (large format retail) presence, and offering attractive discounts and cashback deals online.
But, while strong shipments indicate positive market momentum, the resulting increase in channel inventory poses a challenge in the near future.
Who were the top vendors of Q1? HP led with 29.1% market share, buoyed by a 60.6% YoY rise in commercial sales, despite a 1.4% decline in consumer shipments. Lenovo followed at 18.9%, with strong growth across both segments.
Dell came third with 15.6%, holding its enterprise strength but dropping in consumer rank. Acer (15.4%) and Asus (6%) completed the top five, both showing notable growth in consumer sales.
Navkendar Singh, Associate Vice President at IDC India, South Asia & ANZ, observed that enterprise demand continues to drive growth in the commercial PC segment. At the same time, he noted the cautious stance of the Indian IT/ITES sector, which focuses on optimising existing IT investments rather than making new ones.
“While enterprise orders continue to grow and drive commercial segment purchases,” Singh said, “the Indian IT/ITES sector has remained relatively subdued so far, reflecting a cautious approach and a focus on optimising existing IT investments.”
He further highlighted that the consumer segment is benefiting from strong interest in gaming notebooks, which continues to push growth. Moreover, the organisations are beginning to adopt AI-powered PCs more widely as part of their digital transformation efforts.
