Global tablet shipments fell 10% in Q2 2026, marking a rare downturn driven by component shortages and shifting vendor priorities towards higher-margin, premium devices.
Global tablet shipments fell sharply in the second quarter of 2026, reinforcing signs that a market once supported by pandemic-era demand is now under pressure from slower consumer spending and tighter component supply. Omdia said worldwide shipments totalled about 36 million units, down 10% from a year earlier, a rare second-quarter decline at a time when vendors usually build stock for the back-to-school season in Europe and North America.
Apple remained the clear market leader, shipping about 13.5 million iPads for a 37.8% share, but even it posted a 7.5% year-on-year fall. Samsung held second place with roughly 5.8 million units and a 16.3% share, down 13% from the same period last year. Lenovo was the only major vendor to grow, rising 27.1% to about 3.9 million units and taking an 11.1% share. Xiaomi shipped around 2.8 million tablets, while Huawei delivered about 2.7 million units, with both brands declining year on year.
The latest figures follow a flat first quarter, when Omdia said the global tablet market edged up just 0.1% to 37 million units, largely because of inventory build-up rather than stronger end-user demand. The research firm has said tablets are now lower on many vendors’ priority lists for margins, volume and overall value, which helps explain why companies are focusing more heavily on premium models than on mass-market devices.
Omdia linked the weaker second-quarter showing to component shortages and rising costs, which are squeezing device makers and making them more selective about where they allocate engineering and supply. Even so, the firm said tablets still have a role in homes, schools, business use and detachable designs that can substitute for a laptop in some cases. That suggests the category is not disappearing, but is likely to become more concentrated around higher-priced products with stronger profit potential.
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