Tablet shipments rose 9.2% worldwide in 2024, reversing three-year slump

The big picture: Smartphones weren’t the only consumer tech category to see a rebound in 2024. According to the latest report from Canalys, global tablet shipments rose to 147.6 million units last year – up 9.2 percent compared to 2023. The growth, which was observed in every region except North America, reversed three consecutive years of decline and is expected to continue.

Apple led all other manufacturers in 2024 with nearly 57 million iPads shipped – good for a 38.6 percent market share. The company’s most recent release, the iPad mini 7th gen, debuted in late October and features the A17 Pro processor.

Samsung finished in second place with 27.8 million tablets shipped and an 18.8 percent slice of the pie, while Huawei rounded out the top three with 10.7 million slates shipped.

It was a strong year for Chinese vendors. Xiaomi ranked fifth overall, shipping 9.2 million tablets – an impressive 73.1 percent year-over-year growth. Meanwhile, Huawei, the other Chinese tablet maker in the top five, saw nearly 30 percent annual growth.

Other Chinese brands outside the top five are working to expand beyond their home market. Honor, for example, is focusing on growing its footprint in Indonesia and recently introduced new bundles in the UK following the launch of its Magic7 Pro smartphone in Q4.

The future looks bright as well. Canalys research manager Himani Mukka pointed to a recent channel survey in which 52 percent of partners that sell tablets expect shipments to increase in 2025. Only 16 percent of those surveyed anticipate a decline – the remaining 32 percent expect shipments will be flat year over year.

Related reading: Global smartphone market grew seven percent in 2024 as vendors brace for a challenging 2025

As for Mukka’s opinion, the manager believes the consumer tablet market is in for a more constrained performance this year but “there will be pockets of opportunity for vendors to target.”

Where do you stand with tablets? Are they part of your tech repertoire, or do you mostly rely on a smartphone / laptop for portable computing?