Apple continued its dominance of the worldwide tablet market with a market share of 40.1%, according to a report from market intelligence firm Omdia.

According to their estimates, Apple shipped 14.8 million iPads last quarter, registering a 7.9% growth, year-over-year. Omdia notes strong performance of the iPad Air as a contributor for Apple, which makes sense as it was updated last quarter. Apple’s next closest competitor is Samsung, who sold an estimated 5.8 million units, for a 15.7% market share. Samsung’s sales declined 12.6% year-over-year in the face of strong gains from both Huawei and Lenovo.

The tablet market overall remained nearly flat in Q1, growing a meager 0.1%. Omdia attributes that growth more to inventory build-up than any increase in demand.

A Challenging Market for the Rest of 2026

The tablet market certainly isn’t immune to the supply constraints facing the rest of the consumer tech industry in 2026. Elevated pricing and availability are shifting the way manufacturers prioritize resources. Those companies that are more PC-focused are prioritizing laptops and desktops, while those more in the smartphone and tablet camp are focusing more on phones. This implies tablets will be less of a priority for both manufacturers and consumers in 2026.

According to the report, vendors will be prioritizing the premium end of the tablet market, where demand has held up better than the mass market segment.

From an Apple perspective, it will be interesting to see if the base iPad and iPad Mini will see price increases in 2026, as they are both rumored to get updates this year. The M4 iPad Air was able to maintain its pricing, but the iPad Mini is rumored to see a price increase as it gains an OLED display, the same way the iPad Pro did.

Link: Omdia: Global tablet market sees marginal growth at 0.1% in Q1 2026 as demand outlook weakens