Declining Tablet Shipments in India: Samsung’s Market Supremacy

Indian Tablet Market Down by 24.9% Samsung Leads the Market

Whenever we go to purchase any electronic gadget we often need clarification about which brand is worth purchasing. Especially when it comes to buying tablets or mobile phones we usually prefer to buy iPhones or Samsung. Many brands offer a variety of features that are slightly different from other brands as per the pricing. However, over the last few years, buyers are likely buying One Plus or iPhone, but the latest data showed that people are interested in purchasing Samsung products, particularly tablets. The purchasing of Samsung tablets has badly affected the Indian tablet market.

According to the reports in 2023, the tablet market of India reported a huge fall in shipments. In 2023, around 40.1 lakh tablets shipped in the country which pointed out the declining percentage of 24.9%, which is highly different from the shipment of 2022. The reports state that the Indian market is not the sole market registering the decline in tablet shipments, the worldwide market has faced the same situation. In 2023. The worldwide market of tablet shipments downturn in 2023 to hit a 12-year low. The International Data Corporation (IDC) also shared its report which shows that there was a small increase of 1.9 per cent in shipments in the consumer segment but in the commercial segment the shipments have faced a huge downfall. 

Speaking about the supremacy of Samsung tablets in the Indian market, it has reported 39.5 shares. According to the reports, in 2023, the commercial segment reduced by 42.3 per cent, the reason for this reduction was due to cancellations and delays in government deals. There is another factor that is responsible for the decline in shipments of tablets and that is the education segment. In lockdown, the classes were held online which affected the purchase of tablets but in 2023 the shipment declined by 53.7 percent because the online classes were changed into offline mode and the education segment got back to normal state. 

Senior Research Analyst of IDC India, Bharath Shenoy states that “With options under $300 (approx. ₹24,800), with bigger screens, and increased usage of tablets for on-the-go productivity and entertainment, the consumer segment grew despite challenging market conditions. Despite the decline in shipments in the Indian market, Samsung has led the market. As per the data, approximately 15.86 lakh units shipped in 2023 while 24.31 lakh in 2022. The reports also show the shipment of other brands:- 

• Lenovo: 5.75 lakh (2023 Units) and 9.36 lakh (2022 Units)
• Apple: 5.59 lakh (2023 Units) and 6.28 lakh (2022 Units)
• Acer: 2.93 lakh (2023 Units) and 5.41 lakh (2022 Units)
• Realme: 2.71 lakh (2023 Units) and 2.48 lakh (2022 Units)

Above mentioned data shows a sharp decline in shipments last year but Acer was affected more and reported the highest decline in 2023. Samsung led the Indian tablet market with a market share of 39.5 per cent. In the commercial and consumer segments, the corporation held 46.6% and 33.4% of the market share, respectively. However, in 2023, there was a notable fall of 34.7 per cent year over year.