Tablet Market Levels Off in 3Q25 Following Six Quarters of Growth

Worldwide tablet shipments declined 4.4% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2025, totaling 38 million units, according to IDC. Following six consecutive quarters marked by several product refreshes and a replacement cycle upswing, the tablet market began to show signs of cooling.

Elevated inventory levels carried over from the first half of 2025, partly due to precautionary stockpiling amid tariff concerns, further weighed on sales during the quarter. Demand remained steady in emerging markets where education initiatives, government digitization programs, and smartphone vendors expanding their tablet offerings continue to drive shipment volumes.

Apple maintained its leadership in the market. It has shipped 13.2 million units and recorded a growth of 5.2% year over year in the quarter. Despite having had a strong 3Q24, when the iPad Pro and iPad Air 2024 models were refreshed, that could have resulted in a difficult yearly comparison, a strong performance of 10.9" iPad shipments made that comparison advantageous.

Samsung continued to secure its #2 position in the Top 5 and recorded a unit decline of 1.9% year over year with a shipment of 6.9 million units. The vendor performed well in the consumer segment, focusing on both high-value S10/S11 models while continuing to expand their affordable A series slate tablet lineup. However, the reduction in commercial projects compared to 3Q24 led to an overall decline.

Lenovo retained the third position and once again had an impressive quarter. The vendor’s sales grew by 22.6% year over year with 3.7 million shipment units. Huawei was back in the Top 5 this quarter and posted growth of 3.7% year-over-year with shipments totaling 3.4 million units. Despite declining in its home country, the vendor recorded growth in the quarter. Xiaomi rounded up in the fifth position once again with a shipment of 2.5 million units and year-over-year growth of 7.2%.

“The tablet market underscores a transition from pandemic-driven demand to steady, value-oriented growth,” said Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. “Shipments are stabilizing as replacement cycles lengthen, but innovation in AI-powered features, detachable form factors, and display technology is helping sustain engagement across both consumer and enterprise segments. The market’s near-term trajectory points to selective recovery led by productivity-centric and mid-premium devices.”