The global tablet market has increased by 8.5% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2025, reports the research firm Canalys. Apple remains the most popular brand, with its iPad product line shipping 13.7 million units in the first three months of the year. Samsung is in second place, having shipped 6 million Galaxy tablets, and Xiaomi is in third place, with 3 million shipped. What is surprising is that Amazon is not on the list this year; their popular Fire devices are clearly on the downward trend.
“As the PC market pivots toward a commercial refresh cycle, there is also a recovery in demand for tablets,” said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Canalys. “A recent Canalys survey of channel partners found that 52% of those who sell commercial tablets expect their shipments to increase in 2025, with 32% expecting flat performance and just 16% anticipating a decline. Refresh opportunities will remain abundant across a variety of industries and verticals as IT investment is expected to strengthen following an extended period of budget restrictions.”
Consumer tablets are set for a more constrained performance this year, but there will be pockets of opportunity for vendors to target,” said Mukka. “Even in China, where government subsidies have significantly bolstered electronics sales, tablet shipments saw only single-digit growth in the fourth quarter of 2024. But the subsidy program is set to extend into 2025, providing vendors with additional scope to drive consumer interest. In Japan, government-led initiatives, such as ‘Society 5.0’, and the next wave of the education-focused GIGA project present digital transformation funding to help fuel tablet sales.”
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
