Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 2 hrs ago
Apple leads tablet market despite 27.5% drop in iPad shipments
Apple shipped 11.5 million iPads in Q3 2026, a 27.5% drop from the same quarter a year earlier.
The company still led the global tablet market, with 36% of all tablet shipments.
The market as a whole shrank 23%, to 32.2 million tablets, its lowest level in nearly three years.
Samsung ranked second with 16.9% of the market, followed by Lenovo, Xiaomi and Huawei.
Lenovo was the only top-five company to grow, with shipments up 11.9% year over year.
Omdia said supply constraints are limiting upgrades, while consumers may wait for bigger improvements before buying new tablets.
Apple remained the leading tablet vendor in the third quarter of 2026 despite a 27.5% year-over-year drop in iPad shipments.
Apple shipped 11.5 million iPads, accounting for 36% of global tablet shipments.
The global tablet market fell 23% year over year to 32.2 million units, its lowest level in nearly three years.
Samsung ranked second with a 16.9% market share, followed by Lenovo, Xiaomi and Huawei.
Omdia said supply constraints and consumers delaying purchases were factors affecting the market.
- Who
- Apple led the global tablet market. Samsung, Lenovo, Xiaomi and Huawei were the next-largest vendors.
- What
- Apple’s iPad shipments fell 27.5% year over year, but the company retained the largest market share.
- When
- The figures cover the third quarter of 2026. The report was published on November 6, 2026.
- Where
- The global tablet market.
- Why
- Omdia cited supply constraints that limited specification upgrades and said consumers were increasingly expected to delay purchases.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Global tablet shipments fell to 32.2 million units, while Apple shipped 11.5 million iPads.
9to5Mac reported Omdia’s tablet-market figures.
- Apple iPad shipments
- 11.5 million in Q3 2026
- Apple market share
- 36% in Q3 2026
- Apple shipment change
- Down 27.5% year over year
- Global tablet shipments
- 32.2 million in Q3 2026
- Global market change
- Down 23% year over year
What people are saying
limiting vendors’ ability to deliver meaningful specification upgrades, leaving fewer compelling differences between new models and their predecessors.
consumers are increasingly expected to delay purchases until more substantial improvements become available.