NEEDHAM, MA – Worldwide tablet shipments declined 17.4% year over year in the fourth quarter, totaling 36.8 million units, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

This is the largest decline in fourth quarter tablet shipments since 2016. For calendar year 2023, worldwide tablet shipments totaled 128.5 million units, a decline of 20.5% compared to 2022 and the lowest annual volume since 2011.

"With no significant improvements to the economy and consumers allocating their money to things beyond consumer electronics, tablets may not be very high on the priority list. Project delays and spending freezes have also led to purchase postponement through much of 2023," said Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. "2024 is expected to show some rebound opportunities, provided the year is more economically sound. However, overall challenges remain in the tablet market, and technological advances around AI will likely focus more on the PC and smartphone for the next two years, but tablets will increasingly become part of that conversation."

Apple managed to retain its top spot in the tablet market, despite a notable decline in shipments for both the fourth quarter (-29.3%) and the full year (-19.8%). While this caused some erosion in Apple's 4Q23 market share, its full-year share was stable at more than 37% of the market. Samsung remained in second place with somewhat better results and little change in its market share for the quarter and the year. Xiaomi and Huawei both saw solid growth in the fourth quarter – 35.0% and 21.2% respectively. Xiaomi’s aggressive marketing and expanding footprint worldwide helped the company to displace Amazon from the top 5 in 4Q23 while Huawei posted the best results among the top 5 companies for the full year, with shipments declining just 4.0% year over year.

Top Five Tablet Companies, Worldwide Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q4 2023 (Preliminary results, combined company view for the current quarter only, shipments in millions)

Company

4Q23 Unit Shipments

4Q23 Market Share

4Q22 Unit Shipments

4Q22 Market Share

Year-Over-Year Growth

1. Apple

14.9

40.6%

21.1

47.4%

-29.3%

2. Samsung

7.3

19.8%

7.8

17.5%

-6.6%

3. Huawei

2.8

7.6%

2.3

5.2%

21.2%

4. Lenovo

2.6

7.1%

2.3

5.2%

12.9%

5. Xiaomi

1.6

4.3%

1.2

2.6%

35.0%

Others

7.6

20.6%

9.8

22.1%

-22.7%

Total

36.8

100.0%

44.6

100.0%

-17.4%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, February 5, 2024

Top Five Tablet Companies, Worldwide Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Calendar Year 2023 (Preliminary results, combined company view for the current quarter only, shipments in millions)

Company

2023 Unit Shipments

2023 Market Share

2022 Unit Shipments

2022 Market Share

Year-Over-Year Growth

1. Apple

48.5

37.8%

60.5

37.4%

-19.8%

2. Samsung

26.2

20.4%

30.4

18.8%

-13.9%

3. Lenovo

9.3

7.2%

11.6

7.1%

-19.7%

4. Huawei

8.7

6.8%

9.1

5.6%

-4.0%

5. Amazon.com

5.5

4.2%

16.0

9.9%

-65.9%

Others

30.3

23.6%

34.1

21.1%

-11.1%

Total

128.5

100.0%

161.6

100.0%

-20.5%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, February 5, 2024

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