Global tablet market rebounds with 8.5% growth as Apple’s iPad continues to dominate

Apple iPad

The tablet market is bouncing back. According to fresh data from Canalys (now under Omdia), global tablet shipments rose by 8.5% year-over-year in Q1 2025, totaling 36.8 million units. The growth was broadly distributed across regions, fueled by consumer and education refresh cycles — and in some cases, tariff and subsidy-driven import spikes.

According to Canalys, China led the surge, with the Lunar New Year and government-backed retail subsidies significantly boosting consumer demand. In the US, fear of incoming tariffs sent tablet imports soaring in January before cratering in February after the exemptions were extended, creating a sharp whiplash in volumes.

Apple retained its throne, shipping 13.7 million iPads — a 14% increase from a year ago — maintaining its dominant position despite mounting pressure from local brands. Samsung followed in second place with 6.6 million tablets shipped, but posted a 5.2% year-over-year decline. The most notable shake-up came from Xiaomi, which overtook Lenovo for the first time by shipping 3.1 million tablets — a massive 56% jump — gaining two points in market share. Lenovo landed in fourth with 2.5 million units (up 19%), while Huawei rounded out the top five with 2.4 million units and a 6.5% share.

“Vendors that timed their promos around subsidy windows reaped the rewards, making Greater China the fastest-growing major region,” said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Canalys. She added that while Apple remains the market leader, the gap is closing fast, thanks to Chinese OEMs that combine value pricing with robust IoT ecosystems.

Honor, Huawei, and Xiaomi are all gaining momentum in markets outside of China as well, pushing competitive pricing and broad device portfolios to tap into rising consumer demand — especially in entry and mid-tier segments, as per the report.