Global Tablet Market Flat Q1 2026

The global tablet market remained largely flat in Q1 2026, with shipments increasing by a marginal 0.1% year on year to 37 million units, according to research by Omdia. This growth was primarily due to inventory build-up rather than genuine end-user demand, signaling a weaker demand outlook. Vendors are prioritizing notebooks, desktops, and smartphones over tablets due to better margins and overall value. The focus within the tablet space is shifting towards the premium segment, as the mass market faces challenges with limited promotional headroom and a lack of refresh catalysts. Chromebooks, in particular, experienced significant volume declines, with major vendors like Lenovo, HP Inc., and Dell Technologies seeing shipments fall. Supply constraints are also expected to delay the second phase of Japan's GIGA School Program 2.0. While Apple Inc. maintained its top position in tablets with a 7.9% growth, Samsung Electronics saw a 12.6% decline. Huawei and Lenovo recorded strong tablet shipment growth of 28% and 20% respectively. Asus was the only Chromebook vendor to report growth, up 3.5%.