Tablet sales in 2023 reached 33.4 million units, with Apple commanding worldwide shipments with an iron fist thanks to its unrivaled 42 percent market share. Last year, Huawei had a paltry 5 percent market share, signaling that the Chinese manufacturer was nowhere close to threatening its rivals Samsung and Apple. However, with Canalys’ Q1 2024 estimates, we have learned that Huawei experienced a 70 percent tablet sales growth during this quarter, eating into Apple’s market share but surprisingly leaving Samsung relatively unharmed.
Huawei’s market share reached 8 percent, with an estimated 2.7 million tablet shipments
In the Q1 2024 period, Apple’s market share reduced to 36 percent, whereas Samsung kept chugging along with a 20 percent market share in Q1 2023 and Q1 2024, respectively. Huawei turned out to be the biggest winner in this quarter, with a 70 percent annual growth. Overall, tablet sales reached 33.7 million units during this 12-month period, with Canalys Research Manager Himani Mukka providing his thoughts on the rebound.
“The tablet industry has had a positive start to 2024, and the rest of the year should bring further relief after a difficult 2023. Despite the extended period of cautious consumer spending on tablets, vendors have remained ambitious. New market entrants have kept investing in the category while the traditional heavyweights are delivering on innovation to excite customers and drive new use cases.”
With a 70 percent annual growth, Huawei secured third place in global tablet shipments, trailing behind Samsung and Apple. However, one should realize that its popularity largely depends on its home turf, China, where the lack of Google services compels consumers to purchase devices manufactured by local brands. Apple intends to put an end to this losing streak by announcing a new iPad Pro lineup powered by the M4 at its ‘Let Loose’ event scheduled to be held tomorrow.
Huawei intends to use better chipsets in the future to keep pace with its competition, but in terms of raw performance, its slates will likely lose to the new iPad Pro family comprehensively. The company’s Mate 70 range is said to launch in October with Huawei’s first 5nm Kirin SoC, meaning that the firm can re-purpose this technology and outfit it in future tablets, further denting Apple’s progress.
News Source: Canalys
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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