With strong sales driven by promotions, back-to-school demand, and business IT spending, tablet deliveries worldwide reportedly surged 11% YoY in Q3 2024, reaching 37.4 million units.
Global tablet shipments grew 11% year-on-year (YoY) in Q3 2024, reaching 37.4 million units, marking the third consecutive quarter of growth, according to Canalys data. This surge in tablet sales was driven by strong demand across both consumer and commercial sectors.
Moreover, the report cited factors such as the tail end of back-to-school season sales, inventory buildup ahead of the holidays, and increased IT spending by businesses contributing to the positive performance of the tablet market.
In Q3 2024 Apple maintained its lead with 13.6 million units shipped, securing 36.3% of the market, slightly up from 40.1% in Q3 2023, with a modest YoY growth of 0.3%. Samsung followed in second with 6.9 million units shipped, achieving an 18.4% market share and a 12.4% YoY growth.
Lenovo shipped 2.97 million units in the third position, capturing 7.9% of the market and experiencing a 14.4% increase YoY. Huawei saw a strong performance, shipping 2.87 million units, a 28.8% annual growth, giving it a 7.7% market share.
Among the top five, Xiaomi showed the most impressive growth, with shipments increasing by 58.4% YoY, reaching 2.56 million units and securing 6.8% market share. The “Other” brands category, which includes smaller vendors, accounted for 8.55 million units, or 22.8% of the market, growing by 12.1% YoY.
“Bundling offers and aggressive promotions across various markets have helped drive tablet shipments in a challenging spending environment,” noted Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Canalys, looking at the market performance.
Furthermore, retailers prepared for the holiday season with early discounting, including major shopping events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Singles’ Day in China. These promotions and new product launches helped vendors attract consumers to upgrade older tablets.
Mukka stated that while inflation has dampened demand in some markets, business demand has increased, especially in sectors like education, healthcare, and retail, which are investing in tablets to support digital transformation initiatives. Despite modest overall growth, the tablet market’s performance indicates a healthy outlook for future demand.
