Driven by education deals and strong consumer demand, India’s tablet market surged nearly 129% year-over-year in Q2 2024. Samsung led the market in all segments, followed by Acer and Apple.
In the second quarter of 2024, the Indian tablet market, including both detachable and slate tablets, saw shipments of 1.84 million units, marking a 128.8% year-over year (YoY) increase, according to an International Data Corporation (IDC) report.
The report stated that this growth was influenced by the completion of the Uttar Pradesh education deal and the previously low commercial segment shipments in 2Q 2023. The slate tablet segment experienced a 178.1% YoY increase, while detachable tablets grew by 23.6% YoY.
The consumer segment grew by 27.5% YoY, driven by strong vendor sales and high demand during the May e-tail summer sales. The commercial segment surged by 279.7% YoY, boosted by a 455.1% increase in the education segment, while the enterprise segment grew by 52.5% YoY.
“The consumer segment had a third consecutive quarter of YoY growth. There has been increased demand for tablets priced at US$200-US$300 as vendors are introducing products with good specifications in this relatively affordable price range. Discounts and cashbacks make the purchases more lucrative, leading to robust demand for consumer tablets, and this trend is expected to continue soon,” noted Priyansh Tiwari, Research Analyst, Devices Research, IDC India and South Asia.
In the case of brands, Samsung dominated the tablet market with a 48.7% share in 2Q24, leading both the commercial and consumer segments with 54.1% and 38% shares, respectively.
Samsung’s strong performance in the commercial sector was bolstered by its increased involvement in public-sector education projects. At the same time, its inventory push for online sales contributed to its success in the consumer segment.
Acer Group secured the second spot with a 23.6% market share, focusing primarily on the commercial segment and achieving a 35.5% share, mainly due to its involvement in the education sector.
Apple came in third with a 9.5% share, showing growth in both segments with 9.8% in commercial and 13.2% in consumer markets, driven by new product launches and price reductions.
It was followed by Lenovo, which came fourth with a 6.9% share and a 2.8% decline YoY, although it experienced notable growth of 46.4% in the consumer segment. Xiaomi ranked fifth with a 4.7% share and an 85.8% YoY increase, performing well in the consumer segment and focusing on entry-level market opportunities.
Looking at the next half of the year, Bharath Shenoy, Research Manager, Devices Research, IDC India and South Asia, commented, “With more education deals in the pipeline and high consumer demand expected during online sales in 2H24, IDC anticipates the tablets market in India to grow by high double digits in 2024.”
