Apple retains top position in India's tablet market, thanks to bumper iPad sales

Apple has maintained its lead in the Indian tablet market with a market share of 34 per cent, driven by a surge in 10th-generation iPad sales that accounted for 60 per cent of the total device shipments. The iPad maker registered a year-over-year growth of 95 per cent and a quarter-over-quarter jump of 79 per cent in the September quarter this year, according to a new report by market analysis firm, CyberMedia Research.

The demand for Apple's advanced tablets, especially in the premium category, led to a 46 per cent YoY increase and a 79 per cent QoQ jump in the overall Indian market. The firm said in its report that the demand for 5G tablets rose, while the market saw the launch of more premium tablets during the quarter.

"The tablet market is on the growth include, steered by a surge in 5G tablet adoption and a clear ongoing trend towards premiumisation during the festive season sales," said Menka Kumari, Analyst - Industry Intelligence Group (IIG) at CyberMedia Research. "India's value-conscious consumers are prioritising better-specced tablets for work, learn, and play," he added.

Samsung captured the second spot on the list, registering a 70 per cent YoY jump to corner a 25 per cent market share. According to the report, the Samsung Galaxy A9 Plus 5G was the company's most-selling tablet, making up 52 per cent of the total shipments in the September quarter. Xiaomi secured the third position with a 146 per cent YoY growth, driven by the Redmi Pad and Redmi Pad SE Wi-Fi sales, which contributed 37 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively, to the company's total shipments.

OnePlus also showed a bumper YoY growth of 97 per cent, thanks to high demand for the OnePlus Pad Go Wi-Fi series, which accounted for 57 per cent of the company's total shipments. Lenovo, however, marked a decline of 13 per cent in shipments but saw high demand for the Lenovo Tab M11 4G + Wi-Fi and Lenovo Tab Plus, which made up 28 per cent and 16 per cent of the brand's total shipments in the quarter.

According to the firm, while 5G tablets were in high demand, the Wi-Fi tablets continued to lead the segment with a 62 per cent share. On the other hand, 5G tablets secured a 19 per cent share.