Product Refreshes and Inventory Pull-In Ahead of Tariffs Led to Growth in Tablet Market by 13.1% in Q2

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Worldwide tablet shipments grew 13.1% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2025 (2Q25), totaling 38.3 million units, according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. Growth continued from the first quarter with product refreshes, replacement cycles, active education projects and subsidies in China driving the shipment volume. Growth continued from the first quarter with product refreshes, replacement cycles, active education projects and subsidies in China driving the shipment volume.

Vendor pre-stocking activity in anticipation of tariffs led to better-than-expected performance in the U.S. Growth in emerging markets is largely driven by demand within education and increased product offerings with affordable pricing. Innovation, especially with AI-powered features that enhance user experience, productivity and performance optimization increase tablets’ capabilities which in turn has generated good interest in the premium segment as well.

2Q25 Company Highlights

Apple led the market and shipped 12.7 million units and recorded a growth of 2.4% year-over-year in the quarter. The iPad 10.9-inch model, released after three years, bolstered growth for the vendor in the quarter. The 11- and 13-inch iPad Air were also refreshed within less than a year, but it still added to the growth volume.

Samsung continued to secure its second position in the top five and grew by 4.2% year-over-year with a shipment of 7.2 million units. Along with projects in Latin America that added to the volume, Samsung has been aggressively pushing shipments in the Middle East and in Europe, in order to compete with other top vendors.

Lenovo retained the third position in 2Q25 this quarter and its sales grew by 25% year-over-year with 3.1 million shipment units. There was an increased uptake in channels as Lenovo also continued to push aggressively with its Tab M Series models. The PRC subsidies also helped drive growth with their Y700 and Xiaoxin Pad Pro models being the main drivers.

Amazon was back in the top five this quarter and secured the fourth position. The vendor recorded a growth of 205% year-over-year, recording shipments of 3.1 million units. Growth can be attributed to the timing of Prime Day which was right before the next big tariff announcement (which eventually didn’t happen) which could have led to Amazon pulling in extra inventory in 2Q25.

Xiaomi rounded up in the fifth position with a shipment of 2.8 million units and year-over-year growth of 42%. The vendor continues to sustain high growth even in Q2 with the Pad 7 and Redmi Pad SE driving the shipment volume. The vendor also launched three new tablets — Pad 7 Ultra, Pad 7S Pro and the Redmi K Pad that further boosted sales.

“It is evident from tablet market performance in 2Q25 that a significant number of consumers are value-driven and that price drops from promotions and subsidies can significantly change buying behavior. Tablets often function as secondary devices, so many times consumers are willing to wait for deals rather than pay full price for the device. Even for top vendors like Samsung, it is their aggressive promotions that led to high volume sales in many regions and for Apple, volume is still driven by their lower range iPads,” said Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. "However, premium buyers definitely exist but are brand selective; along with innovation, the brand ecosystem, reputation and user trust are essential to justify the price, something that only a few, top vendors can achieve .”