Tablets find more takers in India than ever before

“My office-issued laptop suffices for any physical presentations that I have to host. But, for any other visual work, I can comfortably do that on my iPad—and that makes it convenient to travel with,” Sengupta said, who uses his iPad for both work and recreation on three out of five work days.

Sengupta is not an exception. Last year, sales of tablet devices to consumers grew to 2.6 million units—up 24% since 2023, as per data shared with Mint by market researcher International Data Corporation (IDC) India. Growth of tablet sales were driven by rising demand among consumers for a large-screen device that’s better-suited for both work and entertainment than smartphones.

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As a result, analysts expect tablets to outsell laptops in India for the first time ever—as more buyers find value in the sleek profile of tablets. This growth is without taking into account mass orders for entry-level tablets that government bodies place annually, largely for education projects in rural districts.

Tablet accessories

“The constant second gadget for most buyers so far was a laptop, after owning a smartphone. As tablets start launching with more features and accessories, buyers are prioritizing the easy portability of tablets and comparable usability—which is driving up tablet sales more than ever before,” said Navkendar Singh, associate vice-president at market researcher IDC India.

The easy availability of third-party accessories such as detachable keyboards and stylus pointers are further making tablets more alluring. Deals for tablet procurement from government agencies and enterprises are further propping this up.

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“2024 was a bumper year for tablets, with the Gujarat government placing a massive procurement of close to 1 million tablets. This was a key sales driver for tablets. But, the consumer market too saw strong double-digit growth of over 30%—this will help tablets grow further next year,” said Tarun Pathak, director of research and partner at Counterpoint India.

Data shared by IDC India exclusively with Mint said that laptop sales to consumers peaked to 6.2 million units in 2021—the year work-from-home mandates became universal due to the covid pandemic. Since then, sales have marginally declined—in 2024, 5.8 million laptops were sold, up by a measly 1.7%.

Tablet fever rising

Tablets, meanwhile, have been on a steady rise and reached their highest point ever last year, with 2.6 million units sold only to consumers. Government agencies procured a further 3.1 million units through bulk orders.

In the past six years since the pre-pandemic levels, tablet sales have grown at an annualized rate of 19%, while laptops have grown at about half its pace—at 9% per year. This is after accounting for a massive 41% jump in laptop sales in 2021 alone, which notably caused a supply crunch in the market, as chip factories and assembly plants worldwide were shut down due to the pandemic.

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The year 2024 is also the first year when tablet sales solely to consumers reached $1 billion, growing at 25% year-on-year. In comparison, laptop revenue from consumer sales rose by a slim 4% to $4.4 billion.

IDC’s Singh said that from ₹26,000 in 2023, the average price per tablet has increased by 15% in just one year to nearly ₹30,000 last year. In comparison, the average price of a laptop sold in India has remained broadly similar, marking a marginal 3% increase to ₹65,000 per device.

“It’s difficult to argue against a tablet today, whereas, for laptops, buyers are largely looking at them from a performance-first point of view. While laptops still make for a bigger market due to it being a legacy industry driven heavily by work, tablets can pose a threat in the long run. The likes of Samsung and Xiaomi are the biggest beneficiaries, as a result,” Singh added.

Samsung and Xiaomi had a particularly successful 2024—while Xiaomi’s tablet sales doubled since 2023, Samsung’s grew 54%.

Dinesh Nair, director of Lenovo’s consumer business in India, said the brand is “targeting India’s tablet market with devices tailored for learning, entertainment, and productivity—while exploring new categories like gaming and AI-powered tablets for future growth.”

Nair added that the company’s tablets are seeing a sharp pick-up on quick commerce platforms, too. “On Zepto, our Lenovo Tab M11 is the most-purchased tablet, and we’re optimistic about scaling this channel further to enhance accessibility and convenience for our customers. In the next six to 12 months, we foresee a continued rise in the demand for accessories, peripherals, tablets, and entry-level devices, given their lower ticket sizes and immediate replacement needs,” he said.

Samsung is yet to respond to Mint’s requests for comment until press time.

Anuj Sharma, chief marketing officer at Xiaomi India, said that tablets “are experiencing remarkable growth, driven by increasing demand for versatile, productivity-focused devices.”

“With a 92% surge in Xiaomi’s tablet sales, the segment is expanding rapidly,” he added. The year 2025 promises to be a milestone for innovation, deeper market penetration, and ecosystem growth in tablets. “With an expanded portfolio, we remain optimistic about the continued evolution of this space,” he added.

Laptop complications

For laptop brands, though, the story is more complicated. Bharath Shenoy, research manager at IDC India, said that 2025 is expected to see tablet sales grow 12% over 2024. Laptop sales, however, could be restricted to a very slim 1% growth.

“The branding efforts of ‘AI PCs’ are not finding buyers, and the entry segment is being cannibalized by tablets. While brands will still see buyers this year, the growth in laptop sales is likely to be restricted only to a single-digit percentage,” IDC’s Singh said.

Counterpoint’s Pathak also expected a high single-digit growth year for tablets in terms of sales, while the price per tablet sold may go higher as more buyers look for discretionary devices.

“Laptop sales will largely be driven by enterprise sales, since support for the older Windows 10 devices are ending this year. But, for consumers, tablet sales are expected to remain strong since a wider range of very good devices are coming to the market,” Pathak said.

Projection of market data suggests that in terms of revenue, the laptop market may see a very slim 2% growth, while tablet market revenue from consumers may grow at a strong 20% year-on-year. This would leave the laptop market still at a level lower than 2021, its best year ever—while tablets inch closer to sales of 3 million units per year.

IDC’s data pegged Samsung as the market leader in tablets in 2024, accounting for nearly 43% of the tablet market alone with 2.4 million units sold in the year. Apple, Lenovo and Xiaomi are third, fourth and fifth respectively, accounting for 9-11% of the market each. While Acer had the second-largest market share, its sales were largely driven by commercial agreements with enterprises and government deals.

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