Global tablet shipments reached 151.9 million units in 2025, up 5% year over year, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker (2026). That capped six straight quarters of replacement-driven growth, but the recovery is already fading: IDC projects full-year 2026 shipments to fall 8.6% to roughly 138.9 million units. Apple alone shipped 17.1 million tablets in the fourth quarter for a 41.9% share, more than double its nearest rival Samsung. Omdia, using a broader definition, counted an even higher 162 million units shipped in 2025, up 9.8%. This analysis consolidates data from IDC, Omdia, Canalys, Statcounter, and 8 other primary sources covering shipments, vendor share, regional demand, form factors, and pricing.
TL;DR
- Global tablet shipments hit 151.9 million units in 2025, up 5% year over year (IDC, 2026).
- Omdia counted a higher 162 million units for 2025, up 9.8% (Omdia, 2026).
- IDC projects 2026 shipments to fall 8.6% to about 138.9 million units (IDC, 2026).
- Apple shipped 17.1 million tablets in Q4 2025 for a 41.9% share (IDC, 2026).
- Samsung’s Q4 2025 shipments fell 7.5% to 6.4 million units (IDC, 2026).
- Apple holds 55.69% of worldwide tablet web usage; Amazon 6.26%, Xiaomi 2.61% (Statcounter, June 2026).
- In the US, Apple commands 61.02% of tablet usage and Amazon 14.71% (Statcounter, June 2026).
- China shipped 33.76 million tablets in 2025, up 13.1% on national subsidies (IDC, 2026).
- India’s tablet market fell 21.7% to 4.49 million units in 2025 (IDC, 2026).
- iPadOS holds 55.69% of worldwide tablet OS usage versus Android’s 44.1% (Statcounter, June 2026).
- Lenovo’s Q4 2025 shipments jumped 35.3% year over year (IDC, 2026).
- Average tablet selling price rose from 527 to 583 US dollars in late 2025 (atom-insights, 2025).
1. Global Shipments: A Recovery That Is Already Cooling
The tablet rebound was real but short-lived. Shipments climbed for six consecutive quarters on pent-up replacement demand for pandemic-era devices, peaked with a strong holiday quarter, then rolled over. IDC’s forecast of an 8.6% decline in 2026, to about 138.9 million units, would erase most of 2025’s gains. The two big trackers disagree on the size of the recovery: IDC’s 151.9 million count trails Omdia’s 162 million, a gap that comes down to how each firm classifies low-cost and detachable devices. The clearest weak spot showed up in Q3 2025, when growth turned negative for the first time in eighteen months.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide shipments, full-year 2025 | 151.9M units, +5% YoY | IDC |
| Worldwide shipments, full-year 2025 (alt count) | 162M units, +9.8% YoY | Omdia |
| Q2 2025 shipments | 39M units, +9% YoY | Canalys |
| Q3 2025 shipments | 38M units, -4.4% YoY | IDC via The Register |
| Q4 2025 shipments | 40.9M units, +1.9% YoY | IDC |
| Forecast, full-year 2026 | 138.9M units, -8.6% YoY | IDC |
IDC also reported Q2 2025 up 13.1% year over year on its own definition, a stronger read than Canalys’s 9% for the same quarter. The trajectory mirrors the broader device slump detailed in our PC market statistics 2026.
2. Vendor Standings: Apple’s Grip, Samsung’s Slide
Apple is not just first; it is running away with the category. Apple’s 41.9% share in Q4 2025 was more than double Samsung’s, a lead far wider than Apple holds in smartphones. Samsung is the clear number two but is losing ground, with shipments down 7.5% year over year in the holiday quarter. The action underneath the top two belongs to Chinese vendors: Lenovo, Xiaomi, and Huawei all posted growth as smaller “other” brands got squeezed out. In Q3 2025, IDC noted that minor vendors’ combined shipments fell from 11.2 million to 8.3 million units, a sign of consolidation toward scaled players.
| Vendor | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Apple, Q4 2025 | 17.1M units, 41.9% share, +8% YoY | IDC |
| Samsung, Q4 2025 | 6.4M units, -7.5% YoY | IDC |
| Lenovo, Q4 2025 | 3.9M units, +35.3% YoY | IDC |
| Xiaomi, Q4 2025 | +15.8% YoY | IDC |
| Huawei, Q2 2025 | 3.2M units, +29% YoY | Canalys |
| Apple, Q3 2025 | 13.2M units, +5.2% YoY | IDC via The Register |
| Samsung, Q3 2025 | 6.9M units, -1.9% YoY | IDC via The Register |
Outlier note: Canalys ranked Q2 2025 as Apple 14.1M (+2%), Samsung 6.7M, Huawei 3.2M, Lenovo 3.1M, and Xiaomi 3.0M, showing Huawei edging past Lenovo for third. Apple’s tablet grip dwarfs its position in phones, which we break down in our smartphone market statistics 2026.
3. Usage and Installed Base: Who Actually Browses on a Tablet
Shipment share and real-world usage tell slightly different stories. Shipments measure this quarter’s sales; web-usage share reflects the entire installed base of devices people still use to browse. On that lived-in metric, Apple’s dominance is even starker: 55.69% of worldwide tablet web traffic and 61.02% in the United States, per Statcounter (June 2026). Because every Apple tablet runs iPadOS, Apple’s vendor share and the iOS/iPadOS operating-system share are effectively identical, which is why iPadOS sits at 55.69% against Android’s 44.1% globally. Amazon punches above its shipment weight in usage, especially in the US, where its cheap Fire tablets hold 14.71%.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Apple, worldwide tablet web usage | 55.69% | Statcounter |
| Samsung, worldwide tablet web usage | 20.55% | Statcounter |
| Amazon, worldwide tablet web usage | 6.26% | Statcounter |
| iPadOS/iOS vs Android, worldwide OS usage | 55.69% vs 44.1% | Statcounter |
| Apple, US tablet web usage | 61.02% | Statcounter |
| Amazon, US tablet web usage | 14.71% | Statcounter |
| Samsung, US tablet web usage | 13.14% | Statcounter |
Context: Statcounter figures are page-view based, so they weight toward devices in active daily use rather than units sold. Tablets remain a leading reading surface, a dynamic we cover in our ebook statistics 2026.
4. China and India: Subsidies Up, Government Orders Down
The two largest emerging markets diverged sharply in 2025. China grew 13.1% to 33.76 million units as national subsidies and an upgrade cycle pulled buyers forward, while India shrank 21.7% to 4.49 million units as government and education tenders stalled. In China, Huawei led at 29.2% share ahead of Apple at 24.5% and Xiaomi at 13.1%, with consumer shipments up 14.4% offsetting a 1.6% commercial dip. India inverted that pattern: consumer demand rose 19.7%, but a 55.1% collapse in commercial buying, tied to delayed government “manifesto” deals, dragged the whole market down.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| China shipments, 2025 | 33.76M units, +13.1% YoY | IDC via Yicai Global |
| China vendor leaders, 2025 | Huawei 29.2%, Apple 24.5%, Xiaomi 13.1% | IDC via Yicai Global |
| China consumer vs commercial, 2025 | +14.4% vs -1.6% YoY | IDC via Yicai Global |
| India shipments, 2025 | 4.49M units, -21.7% YoY | IDC via MarketScreener |
| India consumer vs commercial, 2025 | +19.7% vs -55.1% YoY | IDC via MarketScreener |
| India shipments, Q3 2025 | 1.33M units, -19.7% YoY | IDC via FoneArena |
Outlier note: India’s education segment fell 62.2% and government shipments 55.0% year over year in 2025, per IDC via MarketScreener, showing how dependent that market is on public-sector procurement.
5. Form Factors and Education: Detachables Win, Slates Fade
The tablet is quietly splitting into two products: cheap slates competing with phones, and keyboard-equipped detachables competing with laptops. In India, detachable shipments rose 20.1% in 2025 while traditional slates fell 34.6%, the clearest signal yet that productivity is where growth remains. IDC frames detachables bundled with keyboards and styluses as cost-effective alternatives as notebook prices rise. Education, long a tablet stronghold, is now contested: Chromebooks dominate K-12, and where tablets are deployed in US schools, iPads take just over half of the tablet slice.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| India detachable shipments, 2025 | +20.1% YoY | IDC via MarketScreener |
| India slate shipments, 2025 | -34.6% YoY | IDC via MarketScreener |
| Chromebook share of K-12 device market, 2025 | ~60.1% | AboutChromebooks |
| Tablet share of K-12 device market, 2025 | ~23% | AboutChromebooks |
| iPad share of US school-issued tablets | ~52% | AboutChromebooks |
| US households with children owning a tablet, 2023 | ~80% (four in five) | US Census Bureau |
Context: the US household figure is the most recent Census benchmark available (US Census Bureau, 2023) and predates the current refresh slowdown. Emerging markets across APeJC and MEA are where IDC still sees consumer demand strength through 2026.
6. Prices and Market Value: Premium Mix Meets Memory Squeeze
Even as unit volumes soften, revenue is holding up because buyers are trading up. Aggregator atom-insights estimated the average tablet selling price rose from 527 to 583 US dollars in late 2025, led by premium models that made up 43% of iPad sales in 2024. Memory shortages that are hammering the PC market are a lighter drag on tablets, where memory is a smaller share of the bill of materials, but they are still pushing prices higher. Apple raised iPad Pro pricing in June 2026. Revenue estimates diverge widely by scope: firms counting only tablet PCs land near 114 billion US dollars for 2026, while narrower definitions come in far lower.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average tablet selling price, late 2025 | 527 to 583 US dollars | atom-insights |
| Pro models as share of iPad sales, 2024 | 43% | atom-insights |
| iPad Pro 11-inch OLED starting price, June 2026 | 1,199 US dollars | MacRumors |
| Tablet PC market value, 2026 | ~114.36B US dollars, 5.78% CAGR | Mordor Intelligence |
| Tablet market value, 2025 to 2026 | 114.66B to 121.61B US dollars, 6.1% CAGR | The Business Research Company |
| Tablet market value by 2030 | 158.37B US dollars, 6.8% CAGR | The Business Research Company |
Outlier note: market-value estimates vary nearly twofold between firms (for example, Coherent Market Insights pegs 2026 at 59.88 billion US dollars) because each defines the “tablet market” differently. The memory squeeze itself is detailed in our semiconductor industry statistics 2026.
Summary: Tablet Market by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide shipments, 2025 | 151.9M units, +5% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| Worldwide shipments, 2025 (alt count) | 162M units, +9.8% YoY | Omdia, 2026 |
| Forecast shipments, 2026 | 138.9M units, -8.6% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| Q4 2025 shipments | 40.9M units, +1.9% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| Q3 2025 shipments | 38M units, -4.4% YoY | IDC, 2025 |
| Q2 2025 shipments | 39M units, +9% YoY | Canalys, 2025 |
| Apple, Q4 2025 | 17.1M units, 41.9% share, +8% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| Samsung, Q4 2025 | 6.4M units, -7.5% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| Lenovo, Q4 2025 | 3.9M units, +35.3% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| Apple, worldwide tablet web usage | 55.69% | Statcounter, June 2026 |
| iPadOS vs Android, worldwide OS usage | 55.69% vs 44.1% | Statcounter, June 2026 |
| Apple, US tablet web usage | 61.02% | Statcounter, June 2026 |
| Amazon, US tablet web usage | 14.71% | Statcounter, June 2026 |
| China shipments, 2025 | 33.76M units, +13.1% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| China leader (Huawei), 2025 | 29.2% share | IDC, 2026 |
| India shipments, 2025 | 4.49M units, -21.7% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| India commercial shipments, 2025 | -55.1% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| India detachables vs slates, 2025 | +20.1% vs -34.6% YoY | IDC, 2026 |
| Average tablet selling price, late 2025 | 527 to 583 US dollars | atom-insights, 2025 |
| Tablet PC market value, 2026 | ~114.36B US dollars | Mordor Intelligence, 2026 |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered from primary shipment trackers, usage-measurement platforms, regional market releases, and market-value research firms published in 2025 and 2026, prioritizing original press releases and cross-referencing global shipment and share figures across at least two independent sources. Every figure was verified against a search result or fetched page during research; no numbers are estimated or carried from memory.
Sources cited:
- IDC, Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker (2025-2026) - full-year 2025, quarterly, and 2026 forecast shipments and vendor share
- IDC, WW Personal Computing Device Market: Q1 2026 Performance and 2026 Outlook - 2026 forecast
- Omdia, Global tablet shipments grew 10% in 2025 (2026) - alternate full-year 2025 count
- Canalys, Q2 2025 tablet shipments (2025) - Q2 2025 vendor shipments
- Statcounter Global Stats, Tablet Vendor and OS Market Share (June 2026) - worldwide and US web-usage share
- The Register, IDC tablet market data (2025) - Q3 2025 vendor detail, tracing to IDC
- IDC via Yicai Global (2026) - China 2025 shipments and vendor share
- IDC via MarketScreener (2026) and FoneArena (2025) - India 2025 and Q3 2025 shipments, segments, form factors
- AboutChromebooks, Chromebook vs iPad adoption in schools (2026) - K-12 device and tablet share (aggregator)
- US Census Bureau, Tablets more common in households with children (2023) - US household tablet ownership
- atom-insights, Global Apple iPad Sales (2025) - average selling price and Pro mix (aggregator estimate)
- MacRumors, iPad deals and pricing (2026) - iPad Pro June 2026 pricing
- Mordor Intelligence, Tablet PC Market (2026) and The Business Research Company, Tablets Global Market Report (2026) - market-value estimates
Data watch: IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker and Omdia’s tablet tracker both issue quarterly updates, with Q2 2026 shipment figures expected in late July or August 2026 and full-year 2026 totals in early 2027. Statcounter refreshes vendor and OS usage share monthly. IDC’s China and India regional press releases follow a quarterly cadence. Market-value firms (Mordor Intelligence, The Business Research Company) typically revise annually.
Last updated: July 16, 2026. We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.