Tablet sales sail smooth on 5G wave; India market grows by 20% QoQ in April-June

Economic Times

a day ago

Synopsis
India's tablet market experienced a 20% growth in Q2 2025, fueled by 5G-enabled devices and vendor channel expansion. Apple dominated with a 30% market share, driven by strong iPad 11 series demand. Samsung, Lenovo, Xiaomi, and OnePlus followed, catering to diverse segments. CMR forecasts continued growth, while Canalys predicts a slight contraction for the year.
ETTelecom New Delhi: India's tablet market grew 20% quarter-on-quarter in the April-June quarter of 2025, driven by greater availability of fifth-generation (5G)-enabled devices and channel expansion by top vendors, according to a report released by CyberMedia Research (CMR).The report said 5G tablets remained the key growth catalyst, accounting for 95% of shipments year-on-year, as Indians adopt next-generation connectivity.
Apple led the tablet market with a 30% volume share as its shipments rose by 10% year-on-year in Q2 2025. The iPhone and iPad maker, however, had a 33% share in the corresponding quarter last year.Apple's performance was "supported by a 78% quarter-on-quarter and 10% year-on-year growth", CMR said, adding that its shipments were driven by a strong demand for the newly launched iPad 11 series, which accounted for 70% of Apple's total shipments during the quarter, alongside improved availability across both online and offline channels. Apple was followed by Samsung with a 27% share, Lenovo (16%), Xiaomi (15%) and OnePlus (6%), according to CMR.
For Samsung, its broad portfolio enabled it to sustain performance across both affordable and enterprise segments, while Lenovo benefited from demand in the education segment, and Xiaomi had competitive value-for-money tablet offerings combined with strategic expansion across online and offline retail channels."India's tablet market is advancing along two complementary growth paths-value-for-money and premium," said Menka Kumari, senior analyst-industry intelligence group (IIG), CMR. "The strong double-digit growth in the value-for-money segment highlights robust demand from students, gig workers and value-conscious users seeking reliable performance, and new compelling Android value-for-money tablets from brands, such as Xiaomi and OnePlus."She added that the premium segment, led by Apple and Samsung, is seeing heightened traction from professionals and "ecosystem loyalists who prioritise seamless integration, security and superior experience".The research firm has forecasted a 10-15% growth for the tablet market in 2025. Canalys has separately forecasted that tablet shipments are expected to contract by 8%."As we move into the festive quarter-a traditionally strong period for consumer electronics-CMR's analysis points to a sustained momentum and consistent growth, driven by demand from both urban centres and the expanding base of Aspirational India," Kumari said.