4G Tablet shipments grew 62% in 1Q CY2019: CMR report

According to CyberMedia Research’s (CMR) Tablet PC Market Report Review for 1Q CY2019 released today, 4G Tablet shipments witnessed a 62% sequential growth in 1Q 2019. There was a 28% sequential increase in tablet shipments in the price band (INR 10000-20000).

The tablet market currently is being dominated by Lenovo, Samsung, and iBall. “Lenovo launched the new M series which is good for increasing the overall tablet market. Lenovo covers 90% market in 4G tablet. In the coming quarters, the market share for Samsung is potentially going to decline as there are no new launches of tablets slated from their end,” said Menka Kumari, Analyst -IIG, CMR. The overall tablet market saw a 11% decline in 1Q CY2019 compared to 4Q CY2018. Due to its shrinking Tablet business, DataWind has recently closed down its two manufacturing facilities in India.

“The onset of foldable smartphones in the near horizon is also likely to potentially challenge the future of the tablet market. While Samsung faced some initial hiccups with its Galaxy Fold, there are others such as Huawei and Motorola waiting in the wings with their foldable innovations,” added Menka.

According to Kanika Jain, Manager, New Initiatives, CMR, “Smartphones, as well as the Ultrabooks are also eating up tablet market. Tablets fit somewhere in between the Ultrabooks & smartphones. While the increased size of the screen and affordability of smartphone are primarily the main reasons behind the decline of the tablet market, Ultrabooks with better processors and RAM, are also posing stiff competition to tablets.” 

Future Outlook: 1Q 2019 saw healthy growth in terms of shipments. This trend is expected to continue with a combination of new trends and opportunities such as the shift from 3G to 4G. “In the coming quarters, the tablet market will increase because of the launch of new models by Lenovo in tablets. 4G Tablets have already captured the majority of the market while 2G has seen a continuous decline in India. It seems this scenario is not likely to change in the coming quarters also. The demand for SIM-enabled devices will continue to grow while WiFi-enabled devices will continue to see demand from the student community,” added Menka.