Is the Tablet Market Declining in Consumer Popularity
July. 16,2025
The global tablet market faced significant declines in early 2017, with decreased sales worldwide attributed to the rise of smartphones, stagnation in innovation, and longer upgrade cycles. While Apple maintained leadership, other brands like Samsung and Huawei experienced mixed results. Regions such as Africa and Europe still show potential for growth, but overall, tablets are losing consumer interest. The trend highlights the shifting landscape of portable device preferences and market dynamics.
Is the Tablet Market Declining in Consumer Popularity
Early 2017 revealed a challenging period for the global tablet industry. According to International Data Corporation, approximately 53 million tablets were sold worldwide in the first quarter, reflecting a 20% decrease from 66 million units during the same timeframe the previous year. The overall shipment volume also declined by 15.6%, reaching 174.8 million units annually. IDC analyst Ryan Reith noted that tablets lacking physical keyboards are losing favor among consumers globally.
Consequently, worldwide sales have been falling. Reith added that regions like Africa, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe still show signs of a viable market. Experts suggest the decline in tablet sales is driven by the rising popularity of smartphones, stagnation in tablet innovation, and extended upgrade cycles.
Apple continues to dominate the tablet sector, with strong iPad sales. However, the overall downward trend has impacted even major players. IDC reports a 19% drop in Apple’s tablet shipments, totaling 13 million units in the last quarter. The iPad Pro, with its physical keyboard, has yet to gain widespread consumer traction. Out of every ten iPads sold, one is an iPad Pro.
Samsung also experienced a decline, with tablet shipments falling 11% to 8 million units in the same period. Amazon ranks third, shipping 5.2 million tablets during the quarter, primarily focusing on promoting its Prime subscriptions rather than device sales. Huawei saw an impressive 44% growth, shipping 3.2 million tablets, mainly in Asian, Middle Eastern, and European markets. Its success is largely due to devices with built-in cellular connectivity. However, in the U.S., Huawei's market presence remains minimal.
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