The shipment of 4G tablets grew 62% in India in the first quarter of 2019 which was led by Lenovo, a new report said on Wednesday. According to CyberMedia Research's (CMR) "Tablet PC Market Report Review for 1Q CY2019", there was a 28% sequential increase in tablet shipments in the Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 price segment. Lenovo with 26% led the market, followed by Samsung at 17% and iBall also at 17%. Apple was fourth with a 9% market share. "Lenovo covers 90% market in the 4G tablet market. 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, an analyst with IIG-CMR.
The overall tablet market saw an 11% decline in the first quarter compared to the fourth quarter last year. "The onset of foldable smartphones 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 Kumari.
Smartphones, as well as the ultrabooks, are also eating up the tablet market.
"Tablets fits somewhere in between the ultrabooks and smartphones. While the increased size of 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,' said Kanika Jain, manager, New Initiatives, CMR.
Due to its shrinking Tablet business, DataWind has recently closed down its two manufacturing facilities in India.
The trend in the first quarter 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," said Kumari.
