Global tablet market drops 10 per cent as component shortages bite

Global tablet shipments fell by 10 per cent year on year to 36 million units in the second quarter of 2026, marking an expected downturn for the industry, according to the latest research published by technology analyst firm Omdia. The drop defied the typical seasonal pattern of sequentially higher second-quarter shipments usually driven by back-to-school demand, registering one of the steepest declines seen in the market over the past two years. “The past quarter saw one of the steepest declines in the tablet market over the past two years,” said Omdia research manager Himani Mukka. “While the slowdown was anticipated, the market had remained more resilient than expected in prior quarters,” she added. “Tablets have become an integral part of many households, and in several consumer use cases, detachable tablets are increasingly replacing traditional PCs for everyday computing,” Mukka explained. “Relative affordability, the growing availability of larger-screen models, and tablets’ established role in education and field-based commercial environments continue to support important pockets of demand despite the broader market weakness,” the analyst continued. “Looking ahead, vendors are unlikely to broadly prioritise the tablet category in the current component supply-constrained environment,” Mukka stated. “Instead, they will focus their limited resources on flagship and premium models, further shifting their portfolios toward premium devices.” Beyond hardware, vendors will increasingly rely on services, refined artificial intelligence strategies, and renewed go-to-market approaches to drive revenue and differentiate their offerings amid rising prices. The market decline forecast for the rest of 2026 reflects both the constrained availability of lower-priced tablets and consumers delaying purchases as prices rise. Despite an 8 per cent year-on-year decline in shipments, Apple retained its leading position, shipping 13.5 million iPads worldwide and capturing a 38 per cent market share in the second quarter of 2026. The standard iPad accounted for the majority of Apple’s shipments, while the Air and mini models contributed a smaller share of the total. Samsung remained the second-largest vendor, shipping nearly 6 million tablets despite a 13 per cent annual decline. As component supply constraints persist, Samsung is expected to dynamically adjust its product mix throughout the year by prioritising higher-margin models to protect profitability. Among the leading vendors, Lenovo was the only company to record shipment growth, with volumes increasing 27 per cent year on year. Part of Lenovo’s growth was driven by genuine end-user demand, but it was also supported by channel sell-in ahead of anticipated price increases and major retail promotional events. Xiaomi ranked fourth, shipping 2.8 million tablets and recording a relatively modest 7 per cent year-on-year decline. Xiaomi’s performance continued to be supported by strong domestic demand alongside steady momentum across the rest of the Asia Pacific region. Huawei rounded out the top five, shipping 2.7 million units, which represented a 16 per cent year-on-year decline during the quarter. The Chromebook market recorded yet another decline, becoming one of the hardest-hit device categories in the current supply-constrained environment. Memory now accounts for a disproportionately large share of the bill of materials for budget and education-tier devices, severely affecting production costs. Lenovo maintained its leadership position in Chromebooks, recording a comparatively modest 3 per cent year-on-year decline in shipments to 1.76 million units. Lenovo’s minor drop was largely driven by the completion of the first phase of Japan’s GIGA 2.0 School Program, for which it had been the primary supplier. Acer moved into second place, shipping 1.18 million units despite a 4 per cent year-on-year decline. Acer’s resilient performance was supported by steady demand in North America and incremental share gains from HP in the region. HP ranked third with 1.15 million units shipped, down 13 per cent year on year, as relatively weaker institutional demand in the education segment continued to impact shipments. Asus was the standout performer, with shipments growing 66 per cent year on year to 749,000 units, more than doubling its market share from 8 per cent to 16 per cent. The growth achieved by Asus was driven by its role as a key supplier for GIGA 2.0, the US K–12 education refresh cycle, and back-to-school inventory stocking. Dell recorded the second-steepest decline, with shipments falling 47 per cent year on year to 465,000 units. More broadly, the decline in Chromebooks can be attributed to vendors deprioritising the category due to its relatively low profitability. The decline was also exaggerated by comparison to elevated shipments in the second quarter of 2025, when education deployments were at their peak. Even pre-agreed Chromebook deployments have experienced delays this year, further weighing on shipment volumes.