Tablet Sales Fall 11% in Q4 2023 – Huawei Breaks Records

In the last quarter of 2023, tablet sales experienced a notable decline. According to market research company Canalys, the sales figure decreased by 11% from the same period in the previous year. The downturn in tablet sales contributed to a total decline of 10% for the year, with only 135.3 million tablets shipped, marking the lowest figure since 2011.

“Even with holiday promotions and bundle deals, the tablet market couldn’t escape its slide,” said Himani Mukka, an analyst at Canalys.

She expects a rebound in 2024, helped along by things like better inventory management, government procurement initiatives, and the release of fresh tablet models by businesses like TCL and Lenovo.

Despite the overall decline, Apple retained its position as the leading seller, shipping 14.8 million iPads in the final quarter, although this marked a 24% decrease compared to 2022. Samsung followed closely in second place with 6.8 million units shipped, experiencing a 10.5% annual decline.

Huawei secured the third position, shipping 2.8 million units, marking a remarkable growth of 95.4% compared to Q4, 2022. Meanwhile, Lenovo experienced a healthy growth of 15%, shipping 2.6 million units to claim fourth place. Amazon concluded the top five with 2 million units shipped, although it suffered a significant annual decline of 43.9%.

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Analysts emphasize that innovation is crucial for reversing the tablet market’s fortunes. Kieran Jessop of Canalys highlights the gap between tablets and other personal computing devices, particularly in features such as on-device AI integration.

In contrast to the declining tablet market, projections indicate an 8% surge in PC shipments for 2024, with an estimated total of 267 million units. This anticipated growth is attributed to several factors, including the upcoming Windows refresh cycle and the increasing availability of AI-capable and Arm-based devices, which are expected to drive demand in the PC market.