Driven by product refreshes and replacement cycles, global tablet shipments rose 22.1% to 34.4 million units in Q2 2024, matching pre-pandemic levels and eyeing long-term success with innovations.
In the second quarter of 2024, global tablet shipments grew 22.1% year-over-year, reaching 34.4 million units, according to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC).
IDC stated that a favourable year-over-year comparison, product refreshes from major vendors, and a combination of replacement cycles and inventory replenishment supported this increase.
Despite this growth, the report mentioned that current shipments only match pre-pandemic levels and fall short of peak pandemic sales. Q2 2024 figures improved over Q2 2019 due to Apple’s new products and increased interest in detachable tablets from Samsung and Huawei.
Apple achieved notable growth in this second quarter by shipping 12.3 million units, reflecting an 18.2% year-over-year increase. The launch of the new 11″ and 13″ iPad Air and iPad Pro models contributed to this growth. Apple saw rising iPad volumes globally, except in China, where competition from local brands like Huawei and Xiaomi negatively impacted its performance.
Samsung secured the second spot with 6.9 million units shipped, marking an 18.6% increase YoY. The growth was driven by commercial deployments and a favourable comparison with Q2 2023 despite the absence of major product launches.
Lenovo followed in third place with 2.5 million units shipped and a 16.7% increase, driven by strong growth in detachable tablets (39.7%) compared to slate tablets (11.7%).
In fourth place, Huawei shipped 2.3 million units, achieving a 40.3% growth YoY, bolstered by the successful launch of the MatePad 11.5S and promotions in China. Xiaomi rounded out the top five with a substantial 94.7% growth, reaching 2 million units shipped and expanding its presence significantly in Europe.
According to Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers, “While new entrants to the market focus on their global expansion, long-term leaders continue to focus on improving technology (as in the case of OLED displays for iPad Pros), catering to the need for premium devices, and utilising the power of emerging technologies like AI.”
She observed that Q2 2024 results indicate a post-pandemic market recovery, driven by a refresh cycle and growth in emerging markets. Long-term success will depend on vendors’ innovation and differentiation in tablet design.
