Worldwide tablet shipments fell 23% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, to 32 million units, according to data that research firm Omdia published on 05/11/2026 (November 5, 2026). It’s the lowest quarterly volume in nearly three years, and it follows a second quarter that had already closed with a 10% decline. The Middle East, China, and Western Europe were the regions with steeper drops than the rest of the market.
The tablet market slump in 30 seconds
- Omdia puts tablet shipments at 32.2 million units between July and September 2026, down from 41.8 million a year earlier.
- Apple remains first with 11.6 million units, down 27.5%, and its share slips to 36%.
- Lenovo is the only top-five maker that grew: up 11.9%, to 4.1 million units.
- Huawei posted the steepest decline among the major vendors, at 43%.
- Omdia attributes the pullback to supply constraints and doesn’t expect a significant recovery before 2028.
“After last quarter’s 10% decline, the tablet market has posted another double-digit contraction in the third quarter,” said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Omdia, in the firm’s note. The analyst adds that as supply constraints intensify, tablets are losing priority in vendors’ strategic plans for 2026 and 2027. And since supply is expected to tighten even further next year, she considers “a significant recovery of the tablet market unlikely before 2028.”
It’s worth keeping in mind what this figure actually measures. Omdia counts channel shipments (sell-in) — that is, the units vendors place with distributors and retailers, not sales to end consumers. Even so, the shift is clear: the firm’s quarterly chart shows the market posted year-over-year growth throughout 2025, with the trend reversal arriving over the course of 2026.
Apple holds the lead, Lenovo is the exception
Apple kept the lead with 11.6 million iPads, but its shipments fell 27.5% from nearly 16 million in the same quarter of 2025. Since it fell more than the market as a whole, its share dropped from 38.2% to 36%. Samsung held onto second place with 5.4 million units, down 21.7%, and a 16.9% share, slightly above the 16.6% of a year earlier. According to Omdia, component constraints weighed on its volumes despite new launches.
Lenovo repeated what it already did in the second quarter: it was the only one of the top five to grow. It shipped 4.1 million tablets, up 11.9%, and its share rose from 8.7% to 12.7%, the biggest gain of the quarter. The firm explains that its detachable models (with a snap-on keyboard) fell sharply, while conventional slate-style tablets drove the result, with more channel shipments across every region except Europe and Latin America.
Xiaomi was fourth with 2.3 million units, down 10.6%, though its share rose from 6.3% to 7.3% thanks to a strong quarter in Latin America. Huawei closed out the top five with 1.8 million units and the steepest drop among the major vendors, 43%, which left its share at 5.7%. Omdia notes, however, that the brand kept growing in CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) and APAC (Asia-Pacific).
| Vendor | Q3 2026 shipments (million) | YoY change | Q3 2026 share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | 11.58 | -27.5% | 36.0% |
| Samsung | 5.43 | -21.7% | 16.9% |
| Lenovo | 4.09 | +11.9% | 12.7% |
| Xiaomi | 2.35 | -10.6% | 7.3% |
| Huawei | 1.85 | -43.0% | 5.7% |
| Others | 6.90 | -26.5% | 21.4% |
| Total | 32.19 | -23.0% | 100% |
The figures in the table come from the detailed breakdown that accompanies Omdia’s note, which rounds some of the variations in its text (28% for Apple, 22% for Samsung, and 12% for Lenovo). Based on a calculation by this outlet using that data, the top five vendors accounted for 78.6% of shipments, one point more than a year earlier, because the “others” group fell faster than the average.
Memory is behind the supply constraints
Omdia’s note mentions supply and component constraints but doesn’t specify which ones. The industry backdrop points to memory. In early July 2026, TrendForce forecast that DRAM contract prices would rise between 13% and 18% quarter over quarter in the third quarter, and NAND prices between 10% and 15%, with mobile LPDRAM supply still tight because of AI server demand. The firm also anticipated phone price hikes to offset that cost. The price increases have already shown up in other products, such as graphics cards, and in vendors’ financial outlooks.
Major memory makers keep shifting capacity toward higher-value data center products such as HBM, and preparing new generations, as seen in Micron’s roadmap for its upcoming DRAM and NAND nodes. In that reshuffling, tablets are a consumer product with tighter margins and, according to Mukka, take a back seat.
The analyst also notes that second-half launches haven’t reignited demand. She cites Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12 lineup, Apple’s OLED (organic light-emitting diode) iPad mini, and Xiaomi’s Pad 9 series, along with recent models from Huawei, HONOR, OnePlus, and realme. In her view, supply constraints limit vendors’ ability to introduce meaningful spec upgrades, which narrows the gap with previous models — and that’s why Omdia expects more and more consumers to delay purchases until more substantial changes arrive.
IDC shows a somewhat steeper drop in the second quarter
Research firms don’t always agree on market size. For the second quarter of 2026, Omdia calculated 36 million tablets and a 10% decline, while IDC, in data released in mid-August, put shipments at 33.6 million and the drop at 12.3%. The difference comes down to different methodologies and scopes, but both firms describe the same trend and link it to the tightening DRAM and NAND supply. IDC added that the consumer segment fell 13.5% year over year, versus 5.9% for commercial.
As of this article’s publication, no IDC or Canalys figures for the third quarter of 2026 had surfaced, so Omdia’s number is, for now, the only reference available for the July-to-September period.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablets shipped in the third quarter of 2026?
According to Omdia, 32.2 million units, down 23% from 41.8 million in the third quarter of 2025. It’s the lowest level in nearly three years.
Which vendor leads the tablet market?
Apple, with 11.6 million iPads and a 36% share, even though its shipments fell 27.5%. Samsung, Lenovo, Xiaomi, and Huawei follow.
Why are tablet sales falling?
Omdia attributes it to component supply constraints that are leading vendors to deprioritize tablets. The industry is also seeing sharp increases in DRAM and NAND memory prices driven by AI server demand.
When will the tablet market recover?
Omdia considers a significant recovery unlikely before 2028, since it expects supply to tighten even further in 2027.
Sources:
- Omdia: Global tablet shipments fall 23% to 32 million in Q3 2026 (11/05/2026)
- Omdia: Supply pressures weigh on global tablet market as shipments decline 10% in Q2 2026 (08/06/2026)
- TrendForce, via I-Connect007: AI server demand keeps memory prices up in 3Q26, but gains moderate (July 2026)
- TelecomLead: IDC data on tablet shipments in the second quarter of 2026 (August 2026)
This article is also available in Spanish: «Las tabletas se hunden un 23 %: 32 millones de envíos en el tercer trimestre», on revistacloud.com.
