In the first half of the year, tablet shipments in India decreased 32.2% compared to the first half of 2024, down to 2.15 million units, according to a new report by IDC. Interestingly, the detachable tablet segment actually grew by 18.9% year-on-year (YoY), but it was the ‘slate tablet’ category underperforming by 44.4% YoY that drove the overall number down.
In the second quarter of this year (April to June), shipments were actually down even more – 42.1% compared to Q2 2024. In Q1 2025 the decline was ‘just’ 18.4% compared to Q1 2024.
All of this seems quite dire, but there’s a huge catch. The consumer tablet market actually grew by 20.5% YoY in the first half of this year. It was the commercial segment experiencing a dramatic 61.7% YoY decline that drove the overall numbers down, led by a 66.7% drop in the education segment and a 26.2% decline in the enterprise field. This stems from the cancellation or postponement of education tenders, cost optimization among small and medium businesses, and “a limited refresh cycle within large enterprises”.
For the consumer market, online channels outpaced offline growth, “driven by exclusive product launches, cashback incentives, and EMI options”, an IDC research analyst claims. He also identified “increased demand for larger screen sizes, stylus-supported models, and affordable entry-level devices”.
Samsung remained the king of the Indian tablet market in the first half of 2025, with 886,000 shipments for a 41.3% market share. However, its shipments were down 38.1% YoY. In second place, Lenovo shipped 264,000 units for a 12.3% market share, up 12.6% from last year.
Third-place Apple shipped 253,000 units for an 11.8% share, down 13.6% YoY. Xiaomi was in fourth with 244,000 shipments and 11.4% share, up 28.5% YoY. Acer is in fifth with 196,000 shipments, 9.1% market share and a dramatic 73.1% drop in sales compared to the first half of 2024.