FRAMINGHAM, MA – Global tablet shipments rose 24.9% year-over-year to 47.6 million units, according to preliminary data from IDC.

Demand for affordable access to basic computing and larger screens to facilitate remote work, learning, and leisure due to Covid-19 restrictions drove the market. Consumer spending on technology has also been on the rise while other categories, such as dining, entertainment, and travel, have declined during the pandemic.

Apple shipped 13.9 million units to lead the tablet market once again. The vendor recorded year-over-year growth of 17.4%. As expected, the vendor performed well in the education segment and there was growth in the consumer segment after two quarters of decline. While the iPad (2019) was able to maintain the largest share of shipments, the latest iPad (2020) managed to record a notable volume of shipments despite its late launch during the quarter.

Samsung regained the second position with shipments of 9.4 million units and year-over-year growth of 89.2%. As demand for more mobile, portable computing solutions has increased, Samsung has focused on its Android detachable portfolio, which recorded solid growth in the quarter. Samsung also launched the Galaxy Tab S7+ in 3Q20 – the first 5G tablet to be available worldwide – making it one of the first tablet vendors to adopt 5G.

Amazon.com slipped to the third position with shipments totaling 5.4 million units. This was a decline of 1.2% year over year due to the 3Q19 comparison where Prime Day sales drove record shipments. The recently released 8-inch tablets captured the biggest share of shipments in 3Q20 while the 10.1-inch tablets were a close second. Amazon's Kids Edition tablets have also maintained strong momentum across both the 8-inch and 10-inch tablets.

Huawei shipped 4.9 million units for year-over-year growth of 32.9%, enabling the company to gain share in the market. Despite the sanctions from the US government, Huawei managed to grow across multiple geographies, including outside China. However, securing the right components for its tablet lineup will continue to be an issue along with the lack of Google's Mobile Services. As a result, the outlook for the company's tablet business remains uncertain.

Lenovo finished the quarter in the fifth position recording year-over-year growth of 62.4% and shipping 4.1 million units. Lenovo's slate tablets did exceptionally well, mainly driven by budget friendly tablets with larger screen sizes that help users to collaborate virtually and to view and interact with digital content, which is of paramount importance in the current situation.

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