Global tablet shipments grew 15 per cent (year-on-year) in the second quarter (Q2) this year, despite a slow period historically, a report said on Tuesday. 

The market witnessed a return to form in Q2 2024 as tech giant Apple and Samsung had new releases compared to none the previous year, while other market players also displayed strong numbers, according to Counterpoint Research’s latest ‘Global Tablet Market Tracker’.

Research Associate Kevin Lee said the market leaders’ return to normal model release schedules signals an optimistic outlook for 2024 and is an indication of recovering consumer sentiment, due to fresh releases from Apple and Samsung.

“Other than Apple and Samsung, Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Huawei and Xiaomi also added to growth momentums offering an increasingly diverse range of model offerings in the tablet market, further stimulating demand,” Lee added.

The worldwide tablet market shipments look promising for the rest of this year, stacked with releases of the new Apple iPad and Apple iPad Mini, on top of Samsung’s flagship S series, both expected to be launched in the latter half of the year.

“As improving macroeconomic conditions continue to restore demand to healthy levels, we expect to see an increasing contribution from emerging market regions for 2024,” said Associate Director Liz Lee, commenting on the immediate outlook of the tablet market.

Huawei retained its position among the top three with continued model releases. Xiaomi almost doubled its shipments, led by growth in emerging markets, especially the APAC and MEA regions.

“The continued launches from Apple and Samsung will drive growth momentum in H2 (second half) 2024,” the Counterpoint report mentioned.