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Apple continued to dominate tablet market but Samsung and Huawei fell in Q2 2019

By Joshua Swingle

Published: Aug 06, 2019, 11:11 AM

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Apple continued to dominate tablet market but Samsung and Huawei fell in Q2 2019

On average last quarter, just one tablet was purchased per every ten smartphones sold. It’s clear the format isn’t as popular as it used to be, but that doesn’t mean the segment isn’t important anymore. In fact, according to IDC’s latest figures, a considerable 32.2 million tablets were sold globally in Q2 2019.

iPad growth helped Apple solidify its number one position

To the surprise of few, it was Apple with its lineup of iPads who once again led the tablet market during the second quarter of 2019. The company sold a total of 12.3 million units throughout the quarter, representing a market share of 38.1% and year-on-year growth of 6.1%. Twelve months earlier, Apple reportedly sold 11.6 million units and held a 34.1% market share.

The launch of the new iPad Air towards the end of March reportedly boosted the company’s overall shipments significantly. It’s arrival also helped double the sales volume of Smart Keyboard-compatible tablets, which also includes the iPad Pro line, during the three months.

Combined, the remainder of Apple’s iPad lineup experienced a year-on-year sales decline of 7.5% which is likely down to the lack of an upgraded entry-level iPad model. Nevertheless, the launch of the fifth-generation iPad Mini probably helped halt the decline a little. IDC didn’t provide any sales guidance for the current quarter, but the overall expectation is that Apple’s new 10.2-inch iPad which will replace its 9.7-inch model should help boost sales significantly.

Samsung and Huawei experienced a slight shipment decline

Following in a distant second place was Samsung with shipments of 4.9 million units. The figure is down by 100,000 over the figures reported a year earlier and ultimately equates to growth of -3.1%, but not all is bad. Because the market declined at a faster pace than Samsung’s own tablet shipments, the South Korean giant actually grew its market share from 14.9% to 15.2%.

Per the data gathered by IDC, the majority of Samsung’s tablet shipments were comprised of cheaper Galaxy Tab A and Tab E models. The performance of the mid-range Galaxy Tab S5e wasn’t mentioned but Samsung’s premium sales should certainly receive a boost this quarter once the Galaxy Tab S6 is released.

Moving on to Huawei, IDC reports shipments of 3.3 million units for the quarter and a market share of 10.3%. These figures are down from the 3.5 million and 10.5% recorded a year earlier and therefore means the company’s tablet business shrunk by 6.5% year-on-year during the past quarter.

The performance doesn’t look too good on paper but Huawei still did pretty well considering the headwinds it faced because of the trade war between the US and China. Recent forecasts for the market suggest Huawei will return to growth this quarter as demand starts to grow again.

Amazon and Lenovo completed the top five

Rounding out the top five in fourth and fifth place respectively were Amazon and Lenovo. The former’s refreshed models helped sustain demand throughout the quarter and ultimately led to strong growth of 46.3% year-on-year. The retail giant sold a total of 2.4 million Kindle devices during the quarter and achieved a market share of 7.4%. Just twelve months earlier, for comparison, Amazon shipped just 1.6 million devices and accounted for 4.8% of the global market.

Regarding Lenovo, the Chinese company managed to ship a total of 1.9 million devices between April and June. It accounted for 5.8% of shipments throughout the quarter but did still experience a decline of 6.9% year-on-year, or 100,000 units. IDC did point out, however, that the brand saw solid growth in developed markets such as the US, Europe, and Japan.