In Europe, mobile phone shipments left us with a winner last March: Apple snatched the throne from Samsung thanks to the iPhone 15 that has been the center of attention since its release last fall. Despite this, smartphone sales continue to fall worldwide, and unlike in the old continent, Samsung reigns while Huawei experiences a great boost.
The scene in the tablet segment It was not very different: in 2023, historical lows were reached similar to those of 2011. And we are talking about the past because it seems that the industry is showing signs of recovery. Now, IDC brings good news regarding the sale of tablets that seem to change the paradigm.
The post-pandemic crisis is over. Tablets are back on the market
34.4 million units shipped: This is the number that marks the end of a downward trend in the global tablet market. It has allowed them to record a year-on-year growth of 22.1%, with a very favourable result compared to the same quarter last year.
According to the IDC report, this number is mainly due to product renewals by many of the firms present in this market, combined with a replacement cycle. The downward trend, similar to that of smartphones, is broken, reaching pre-pandemic levels. Remember that during this period, tablet shipments experienced somewhat anomalous results, being higher than those they had been marking in previous periods.
Now, the results of the second quarter of 2024 can be compared with those of the same period in 2019when 32.5 million units were shipped. Whatever the case, Apple is the queen with its iPad, distributing 12.3 million units. The Cupertino company has registered an 18.2% year-on-year growth, perhaps driven by the new iPad Air and iPad Pro.
Apple continues to rule the roost in tablets: this is its latest iPad Pro. Image by Iván Linares for Xataka
However, China is the exception for Apple deviceswhere local competition continues to gain ground with two booming representatives: Huawei and Xiaomi. After Apple, the Galaxy manufacturer is in second place with shipments of 6.9 million units, which means a year-on-year growth of 18.6% (higher than Apple).
Who completes the podium? Lenovo took third place this quarter, a firm that was one of the few to grow in the latest IDC reports. However, instead of the timid 0.6% it recorded in the third quarter of 2023, it rose like the rest to 16.7%. In shipments, 2.5 million units.
Huawei, on the other hand, is the bastion of China. We know that the firm is the hope of an entire country whose industry has turned to it, both in terms of chips and software. In the tablet market, the launch of the MatePad 11.5S has helped the firm achieve solid year-on-year growth: 40.3%. According to IDC, Huawei has shipped 2.3 million units.
Xiaomi completes the top 5 registering an unprecedented growth of 94.7% year-on-year, meaning 2 million units sold on the global market. Outside of its home country, it has sold well in places such as Russia, France, Italy and Spain, among other countries.
In any case, this market segment seems to be stabilising after a few chaotic years. This is confirmed by an IDC analyst, who provides some interpretation of the results: “The results for the second quarter of 2024 indicate that the market has overcome the pandemic. We expect the renewal cycle and the growth of emerging markets to continue to contribute to the recovery in the short term.” She also comments that the expansion of AI could be an important aspect for the distribution of this type of device.
Via | IDC
Cover image | Iván Linares for Xataka (with editing)