Tablet Shipments Up for Sixth Consecutive Quarter in 2Q25

Worldwide tablet shipments reached 39 million units in Q2 2025, growing 9% annually and 5% sequentially, according to Canalys. This strong performance was primarily driven by healthy demand in China and EMEA.

Meanwhile, the Chromebook market enjoyed a significant boost from the ongoing refresh of education devices under Japan’s GIGA School Program, which helped propel shipments to 11 million units in the first half of the year. In addition to Japan’s program, public sector funding for education devices from several different markets will support elevated Chromebook shipments throughout 2025 and beyond.

“The global tablet market continued its remarkable growth trajectory in the second quarter, supported by consumer subsidies in China and a ramp-up in commercial tenders around the world,” said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Canalys. “The market also benefited from a wave of new product launches, particularly in the gaming segment. Growing consumer interest in this use case has seen gaming tablets emerge as a niche growth category, especially in Asia. Vendors are also making tablets a key element as they advance their connected ecosystem strategies.”

In the tablet market, Apple retained its leading position, shipping 14.1 million iPads in 2Q25, marking 2% growth year on year. Samsung held onto second place with 6.7 million units shipped during the quarter. The next three vendors saw strong annual growth, driven largely by demand in Mainland China. Huawei overtook Lenovo to rank third, with 3.2 million tablets and a healthy 29% growth, while Lenovo and Xiaomi rounded out the top five with 3.1 million and 3 million units shipped, respectively.

Meanwhile, Chromebooks are experiencing a period of revitalization, driven by the ongoing GIGA School Program refresh in Japan. Shipments to Japan grew more than twentyfold year on year, as government-funded procurement began to pick up momentum. This renewed demand is expected to continue through mid-2026. “Japan’s education ecosystem has been especially active in recent months, with vendors, distributors, and EdTech partners ramping up awareness efforts through campaigns and expos to secure a larger share of the ongoing refresh cycle,” said Kieren Jessop, Research Manager at Canalys.

In the first half of 2025, Lenovo led the global Chromebook market, bolstered by its strong role in Japan’s GIGA School Program. The vendor shipped 3.5 million units, marking a 27% year-on-year growth. HP followed in second place, though it ceded share to Lenovo and posted a modest 4% annual decline. Acer, a key brand across Asian markets, recorded a healthy 10% increase, shipping 2.2 million units. Dell ranked fourth with 1.5 million units, down 5% from the previous year. ASUS completed the top five, benefiting from GIGA-related demand to post a significant 43% growth, with shipments reaching 0.8 million units.