India tablet shipments decline 24% in Q1 2020

There may be a 5-10% decline in the June quarter.

Samsung saw its market share decline 12% (QoQ). (Samsung via GSMArena)

The Covid-hit Indian tablet market saw 24% (quarter-on-quarter) decline in the March quarter owing to supply chain challenges in China and muted domestic demand owing to lockdown, a new report said on Wednesday.

In Q2 2020, with the lockdown in place and stunted economic conditions, tablet supply and consumer demand will be under pressure and there may be 5-10% decline in the June quarter.

Despite this, Lenovo with a massive 47% share continued to hold the first place and grow in Q1 2020, driven by opportunities in the healthcare and education sector.

Lenovo M series captured the overall tablet market. Its M10 (HD and FHD) series contributed up to 20% of Lenovo's market share, according to CMR's 'Tablet PC Market Report Review for 1Q CY2020'.

"The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the tablet market in India. Despite the gloomy market conditions, Lenovo continued to impress with its winning streak, on the back of the successful M series," said Menka Kumari, analyst with Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, "

Samsung saw its market share decline 12% (QoQ).

Samsung has not launched any new tablets this year and needs to launch new models with new good features to regain market share.

iBall regained the third position with 11% market share. However, its overall sale declined 26%.

Shipments of 6-7 inch display tablets constituted 28% of the overall shipments in the India market.

On the other hand, Tablets with 10-inch and above display contributed 45% of the shipments.

"Over the short- to mid-term, some tablet vendors will stand to benefit from the increased productivity demands in the new normal, including home learning and work from home requirements," said Kumari.