There are many companies that have launched new tablets in recent months, such as Lenovo, Huawei, Redmi and even Apple itself. With so many devices, it seems that this niche market is experiencing a new spring . However, the numbers do not add up and it seems that the reality is very different.
The tablet market tanked in the third quarter of 2022 , heralding that we could be in for another long winter. Is the tablet party over again?
Tablet shipments fell from Q3 2021, but also from Q2 2022
International tablet shipments fell by 8.8% during the third quarter of 2022, according to a report presented by the International Data Corporation (IDC) . The firm ensures that manufacturers shipped 38.6 million units between July and September, down from 42.4 million in Q3 2021.
If compared to the results of Q2 2022 (April to June), the figures are not encouraging either . For the second quarter, the companies shipped 40.4 million tablets worldwide, up from Q3 this year.
Along with tablets, Chromebooks also had a negative period , but it was much more serious. Compared to Q3 2021, shipments were reduced by 34.4%. Meanwhile, in Q2 of 2022, 4.3 million more units were shipped.
This recession shows that the tablet market is still important and therefore new models continue to be launched. However, users are not renewing their devices as often , or simply prefer to be without a tablet at home.
The reasons? On the one hand, you have to remember that the global economy is in a recession , so many will not prioritize this kind of thing. On the other hand, tablets, Chromebooks, laptops and mobile phones are becoming more powerful, making their replacement unnecessary in a short time.
Apple iPads remain the undisputed kings of the tablet market, although they sold less than last year
Turning to how the tablet market share is distributed, there remains a clear leader: Apple. The Cupertino company is at the top of the list, with 37.5% of the market thanks to its iPads. Still, like almost every other manufacturer, their shipments were down. Apple shipped 1.1% fewer tablets in Q3 2022 compared to Q3 2021. In round numbers, the decrease was 200,000 units.
In second place is Samsung, with 18.4% market share and 7.1 million tablets sold in Q3 2022. Compared to Q3 2022, they sold 300,000 fewer units, equivalent to a 4% contraction . The podium is closed by Amazon with its Fire Tablets and a market share of 11.1%. The giant online store sold 400,000 fewer tablets than in Q3 2021, causing its growth to slow by 8.1%.
The most resounding drop in sales was that of Lenovo, which sold 36.6% fewer units than last year. Meanwhile, Huawei was the only one in the top 5 to have positive growth. They sold 2.4 million units in Q3 2022, 100,000 more than Q3 2021 for an increase equal to 2%.
Finally, IDC pointed out that brands such as Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo and Realme may not hold the places of honor, but they put up a tough fight in the mid and low range .
