LONDON -- The global tablet market continued its recovery in 2025, with shipments rising 9.8% year on year to 162 million units according to the latest research from Omdia. Momentum was strongest in the holiday quarter, with Q4 2025 shipments reaching 44 million units, up 9.8% year on year.

Central & Eastern Europe emerged as the fastest-growing region in 2025, followed closely by Asia Pacific. All regions recorded double-digit growth during the year, except for North America, although a healthy holiday season supported by vendor and retail discounting helped moderate the annual decline.

“In 2025, the tablet market delivered its highest annual shipment volume since the pandemic-driven demand boom of 2020,” said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Omdia. “Seasonal holiday demand, combined with vendor pre-build activity ahead of anticipated memory constraints, provided a meaningful uplift to shipments in the final quarter. However, tablet demand will come under increasing pressure in 2026.”

Mukka added, “Vendors will need to carefully balance competitiveness with profitability as further disruption in the memory market threatens supply availability and drives up prices. Growth opportunities will be more selective, concentrated around premium and flagship model replacement cycles in developed markets alongside public-sector supported education demand in emerging markets.

On the product side, we expect a shift in how tablets are positioned and marketed, with vendors framing them as ecosystem-centric devices in a more controlled demand environment. This includes the introduction of cross-OS functionality and a focus on AI-driven experiences. Recent examples include Lenovo’s Qira, which operates across Windows and Android to deliver a more seamless user experience and reduce friction between AI assistants. In addition, the collaboration between Apple and Google to use Gemini for future Apple Intelligence features represents a positive step forward for the generative AI ecosystem across its device portfolio, including iPads.”

The global tablet market grew 10% year on year in Q4 2025. Apple had robust demand and grew their lead as the top tablet vendor, delivering 19.6 million iPads, representing a 16.5% increase, driven by strong demand for the iPad 11th Generation and the M5-powered iPad Pro lineup. Samsung ranked second but faced broader market slowdown pressures, with shipments declining 9.2% year on year to 6.4 million units. Lenovo led growth among major vendors, shipping 3.9 million units, up 36% year on year, supported by proactive shipment pull-in ahead of expected price increases. Huawei placed fourth with shipments of 3 million units and 14.8% growth, while Xiaomi completed the top five, shipping 2.8 million units, reflecting a 10.1% year-on-year increase in Q4 2025 while its full year shipments grew 25% compared to 2024. Vendor rankings remained unchanged in the full-year results.