Consumer-refresh boosts worldwide tablet market by 9% in Q1 2025

According to the latest data from Canalys (now part of Omdia), worldwide tablet shipments grew by 8.5% year-over-year in Q1 2025, reaching 36.8 million. Growth was seen across all regions and was primarily driven by consumer and education-led refresh cycles. Greater China experienced a surge in consumer demand during the Lunar New Year supported by government retail subsidies. In the United States, uncertainty about tariffs led tablet imports to grow spike in January, before collapsing double-digits month-on-month in February after the exemptions were announced.

“The Chinese government’s consumer subsidies, paired with Lunar New Year discounts, triggered a double-digit growth in Q1 tablet shipments,” said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Canalys (now part of Omdia). “Vendors that aligned promotions with subsidy windows saw significant sequential uplifts, turning Greater China into the fastest-growing major region. Apple defended its market share, but domestic brands increasingly threaten their top position. Huawei and Xiaomi leveraged their comprehensive tablet portfolios and extensive IoT ecosystems to appeal to a wide consumer base, while HONOR gained traction with its value-for-money offerings. These brands were also among the fastest growing vendors in consumer shipments across most regions outside China.” 

“The United States’ tablet market performed in line with seasonal expectations,” said Kieren Jessop, Research Manager at Canalys (now part of Omdia). “The Trump administration’s tariff announcements did not lead to significant demand pull-in, as several days later many personal electronic products were made exempt. Rather, the primary driver of US tablet shipments was demand from a consumer refresh of pandemic-era tablets that are now hitting four to five years in their lifecycle, further supported by new product introductions. Throughout 2025, some consumers will refresh these aging devices for newer silicon. However, even if electronics remain exempted from US tariffs, we expect average lifespans to extend, and tablets will experience a relegation in spending priority as discretionary income is squeezed in other categories. The tablet market will see slower growth, but premium demand is expected to remain robust.” 

“In the commercial tablet market, shipments remained muted in Q1 2025. However, opportunities for commercial deployments remain in place, particularly within education segments,” said Jessop. “Which will be driven by government initiatives and large-scale public tenders throughout the year. Some are continuing from previous successes, like Japan’s GIGA program, or state- and central-government initiatives in India. While the Thai government recently announced significant funding for a multi-year program. While the US market is under threat after the Department of Education has been gutted, threatening future procurement budgets,” added Jessop. 

A recent Canalys (now part of Omdia) poll revealed that over 50% of B2B channel partners that sell tablets anticipate growth in business in 2025 compared to 2024. Tablets are also seeing some traction as practical computing alternatives in workplace settings. In a separate poll, more than 20% of respondents indicated plans to equip their customers’ mobile workforce with tablets, while nearly 17% identified tablets as a cost-effective replacement for traditional PCs for certain employee roles. However, 30% of respondents answered that they do not see significant demand. Indicating that business-procurement of tablets is often seen as discretionary. Particularly when a majority of workers who want or need a tablet bring their own personal device. 

In Q1 2025, Apple maintained its leadership in the tablet market, posting a 14% year-on-year growth with 13.7 million iPads shipped. Samsung secured second place with 6.6 million units shipped, declining 5.2%. Xiaomi surpassed Lenovo for the first time, driven by strong performance in its home market, achieving 56% annual growth with 3.1 million units shipped and gaining two percentage points in market share compared to Q1 2024. Lenovo followed in fourth place, posting 19% growth and shipping 2.5 million units. Huawei rounded the top five, claiming a 6.5% market share and shipping 2.4 million units worldwide. 

For more information, please contact:

Himani Mukka (Singapore): himani_mukka@canalys.com
Kieren Jessop (UK): kieren_jessop@canalys.com
Ishan Dutt (Singapore): ishan_dutt@canalys.com

About PC Analysis

Canalys’ PC Analysis service (now part of Omdia) provides quarterly updated shipment data to help with accurate market sizing, competitive analysis and identifying growth opportunities. Canalys PC shipment data is granular, guided by a strict methodology, and is broken down by market, vendor and channel, as well as additional splits, such as GPU, CPU, storage and memory. In addition, quarterly forecasts are published to help better understand the future trajectory and changing landscape of the PC industry.

About Canalys

Canalys, now part of Omdia, is a leading global technology market analyst firm with a distinct channel focus. We strive to guide clients on the future of the technology industry and to think beyond the business models of the past. We’ve delivered market analysis and custom solutions to technology vendors worldwide for over 25 years. Our research covers emerging, enterprise, mobile and smart technologies. Understanding channels is at the heart of everything we do. Our insightful reports, data and forecasts inform our clients’ strategies, while the Canalys Forums and Candefero online community give the channel feedback opportunities. We stake our reputation on the quality of our data, our innovative use of technology and our high level of customer service.

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