Amid shrinking commercial demand, India’s tablet market plunged in 1H25, with slates collapsing but consumer sales rising. Samsung led, as Apple, Lenovo, and Xiaomi gained ground.
India’s tablet market shipped 2.15 million units in the first half of 2025 (1H25), a year-on-year (YoY) decline of 32.2 per cent, according to a report by International Data Corporation (IDC).
The contraction was led by a steep fall in slate tablet shipments, which dropped 44.4 per cent YoY. Detachable tablets, however, bucked the trend with an 18.9 per cent increase. The slowdown intensified in the second quarter, when shipments slumped 42.1 per cent YoY, following an 18.4 per cent fall in the first quarter. The downturn was largely attributed to reduced commercial demand, especially the scaling back of government-funded education programmes.
Meanwhile, the consumer segment told a different story. Volumes grew 20.5 per cent YoY in 1H25, supported by e-commerce channels, offline retail, and seasonal events such as Amazon Prime Day and back-to-school promotions. Online platforms outpaced offline growth, driven by exclusive launches, cashback schemes, and EMI offers.
“The consumer tablet segment continues to show strong momentum in India,” said Priyansh Tiwari, research analyst, IDC India & South Asia. “Demand for larger screens, stylus-enabled models, and affordable entry-level devices added to the growth during the quarter,” he said.
In contrast, commercial shipments fell 61.7 per cent YoY. Education demand collapsed by 66.7 per cent as tenders were cancelled or delayed, while enterprise shipments dropped 26.2 per cent amid cost controls and limited refresh cycles.
Among the vendors, Samsung retained the top spot with 41.3 per cent market share in 1H25, leading both commercial (47.9 per cent) and consumer (37.6 per cent) segments. Lenovo ranked second at 12.3 per cent, boosted by SMB and enterprise demand and strong online sales.
Coming third, Apple followed with 11.8 per cent, holding 14.4 per cent in the consumer space and 20.1 per cent in the enterprise segment. Xiaomi secured fourth place with 11.4 per cent, its consumer shipments rising 28.5 per cent YoY. Acer, despite a 73.1 per cent YoY decline, held fifth spot at 9.1 per cent market share.
Looking ahead, Bharath Shenoy, research manager, IDC India & South Asia, warned: “With government and education demand softening due to longer refresh cycles, the commercial market is likely to face high double-digit declines.”
