IDC: Global tablet shipments fell to 33.61 million units in the second quarter, down 12.3% year-on-year

The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) “Global Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracking Report”, global tablet shipments fell to 33.61 million units in the second quarter of 2026, a decrease of 5.2% month-on-month and 12.3% year-on-year. This is the biggest year-on-year decline in the tablet market during this cycle.

The memory crisis affects the tablet market

As AI infrastructure construction continues to crowd out DRAM and NAND production capacity from the consumer electronics sector, the memory supercycle reshaping the PC and smartphone markets has now fully impacted the tablet market. Previously, IDC had warned of this trend in the tablet market forecast for two consecutive quarters, and indicated that the starting and falling rate in the second quarter of 2026 will expand markedly, and that the market's performance in the second quarter is basically in line with previous judgments.

Cost increases are rapidly being transferred to the selling price of end products. In April, Samsung raised the price of Galaxy Tab series products on a large scale, ranging from $40 to $280. Lenovo also raised the prices of the Tab One, Tab Plus, and Yoga Tab series in the same month, by $30 to $70. Subsequently, Apple raised the price of the entire tablet product line globally in June. Various models increased by 20% or more, and clearly stated that the price increase was due to memory costs, not tariffs or hardware upgrades. When the world's top three tablet manufacturers increase prices one after another in less than 10 weeks, consumer demand is unlikely to remain indifferent.

This is also true: shipments to the consumer market fell 13.5% year over year, and the commercial market was more resilient, down 5.9% year over year. The commercial and education markets usually follow a multi-year equipment renewal cycle and do not readjust procurement plans according to changes in a single quarter, so the impact is relatively small. The consumer market, on the other hand, is directly facing the rise in terminal prices, and the impact on demand is even more obvious.

US market: rising costs form a “clash” with additional tariffs

Looking at the regional market, the US market's performance was particularly weak. Although tablet shipments rebounded 7.1% month-on-month in the second quarter, they fell sharply by 31.6% year over year. The US market is facing rising memory costs and tariff pressure at the same time, and the market environment is more severe than in other regions. In addition, Amazon, one of the major manufacturers, has further shrunk its tablet business due to continued rising costs, which has also had a certain impact on the performance of the US market. As tariffs continue to increase supply chain pressure, manufacturers with production layouts outside of China, such as Samsung and Lenovo, are expected to be in a more favorable competitive position.

Even trickier than the cost shock is that tablet values are being revalued

Compared to the market decline in a single quarter, what is more noteworthy is the long-term changes in product positioning and user demand faced by the tablet market. Before the “memory crisis” occurred, tablets were already facing an even more serious problem: in the context of AI reshaping the entire terminal device landscape, how much value can tablets maintain?

On the one hand, AI PCs are further strengthening productivity attributes in an attempt to squeeze the productivity usage scenarios that tablets have been focusing on for a long time; on the other hand, smartphone screens continue to grow larger, folding screen phones are developing rapidly, and they are also diverting traditional tablet application scenarios such as light browsing and video entertainment. Among them, folding screen phones have begun to squeeze the demand for 8-inch to 10-inch tablets; at the same time, low-cost mini PCs and laptops are also competing for potential tablet consumers in the market under $200.

The current cost increase has had a phased impact, but the challenges faced by the tablet's own product value and usage scenarios are even more profound. Market recovery depends not only on when memory supply and prices improve, but also on whether manufacturers can further clarify the differentiated value of tablets compared to PCs and smartphones.

The positive signs that still exist in the market

The market data is not entirely pessimistic, and some of the highlights also point to the likely future development direction of the tablet:

The detachable tablet shows more toughness

In the second quarter of 2026, straight-plate tablet shipments fell 19.8% year on year. The decline was mainly concentrated in the low-end market, which was most clearly impacted by price increases. In contrast, detachable tablet shipments declined by only 6.1% year over year. Since the product is more aimed at commercial and production users and is less price sensitive, the overall performance is more resilient. This also means that the tablet market is shifting to a product structure with stronger PC attributes and productivity capabilities.

Lenovo (00992) has outstanding performance

Benefiting from a productivity-oriented product portfolio, Lenovo's second-quarter tablet shipments increased 26.2% year over year, the best performer among major manufacturers. Huawei and OPPO also achieved growth, with year-on-year increases of 9.1% and 10.5%, respectively.

Emerging markets continue to grow

The US and Western European (-13.3%) markets both declined sharply year over year. Meanwhile, the Asia Pacific (excluding China and Japan) market grew 2.6% year over year, the Middle East and Africa market grew 0.7%, and Japan grew 5.8%. Chinese manufacturers are stepping up their layout and shipping efforts to these markets. At the same time, since built-in tablets account for less material costs than smartphones, manufacturers still have a certain margin of profit and price adjustment under cost pressure, which helps them maintain their market share.

Emerging market growth supports the overall market

While the US and Western European markets declined sharply, the Asia Pacific (excluding China and Japan) market grew 2.6% year over year, the Middle East and Africa grew 0.7%, and Japan grew 5.8%. Among them, Chinese manufacturers are actively increasing their shipping efforts to these regions, which is one of the important forces driving the growth of emerging markets. Compared to smartphones, memory accounts for a lower share of tablet material costs, so manufacturers have more room to adjust under cost pressure, maintain product competitiveness and maintain market share through more flexible cost and pricing strategies.

Further increase in market concentration

In the second quarter, the five major manufacturers of Apple (AAPL.US), Samsung, Lenovo, Huawei and Xiaomi together accounted for about 79.8% of the global tablet market share, up from 77.9% in the first quarter. In the context of tight supply, large manufacturers have stronger procurement and bargaining power in terms of materials, so market share is also further concentrated on leading manufacturers.

Future market focus

Looking ahead to the next few quarters, the price increase for tablet products is expected to slow down, but supply-side improvements will not happen overnight, and terminal prices are likely to remain high for a long period of time. Compared to simply waiting for memory prices to fall, further enhancing the tablet's productivity tool attributes, AI functions, and enterprise-level applications will help manufacturers stand out after the end of this cycle, and also help the entire tablet market to re-establish product value and growth momentum.