Global tablet shipments experienced a sharp downturn in the third quarter of 2026, falling 23% year-on-year to 32 million units, according to new research from Omdia.

The decline marks the lowest shipment level for the market in nearly three years, with the Middle East, China and Western Europe suffering the most severe contractions.

“Following a 10% decline last quarter, the tablet market recorded another double-digit contraction in Q3,” said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Omdia. “

As supply constraints intensify, tablets are increasingly taking a backseat in vendors’ strategic priorities for 2026 and 2027. With supply conditions expected to tighten further next year, a meaningful recovery in the tablet market is unlikely before 2028.”

Despite a 28% year-over-year drop in shipments, Apple maintained its position as market leader, capturing a 36% market share down from 38.2% the previous year. Samsung retained second place with 5.4 million units shipped – a 22% decrease – securing 16.9% of the market despite launching its flagship Galaxy Tab S12 series.

Lenovo emerged as the sole top-five vendor to achieve positive growth, increasing its shipments by 12% year-over-year to 4.1 million units. This performance pushed its market share to 12.7%, up from 8.7%, driven largely by slate tablet sales across most regions.

Xiaomi ranked fourth with 2.3 million units sold, down 11%, while Huawei rounded out the top five with 1.8 million units, marking the steepest decline among major vendors at 43% year-over-year.

Industry analysts note that a wave of prominent hardware launches, including Apple’s OLED-equipped iPad mini (pictured above) and Xiaomi’s Pad 9 series failed to stimulate consumer demand amidst challenging economic conditions and persistent supply chain bottlenecks.

“Persistent supply constraints are also limiting vendors’ ability to deliver meaningful specification upgrades, leaving fewer compelling differences between new models and their predecessors,” Mukka added. “As a result, consumers are increasingly expected to delay purchases until more substantial improvements become available.”

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