India’s tablet market experienced 5% growth in the first quarter of 2026 despite the rising memory price pressure and the uncertain market conditions, according to Counterpoint Research Tablets tracker.
Apple ranks as the second-largest tablet vendor in India, holding a strong 20% to 22% market share. The company generally trails only Samsung, which leads the market with nearly 47% share, while competitors like Realme and Lenovo round out the top tier.
The key reasons for the recent tablet growth in India have been the evolution on both the demand and supply sides. Counterpoint says that, on the demand side, consumers continue to have a growing inclination towards the larger screen sizes, 5G capabilities and higher configurations. Adding to it is the strong demand momentum from earlier quarters, along with tablets being viewed as a value-efficient alternative to laptops and smartphones amid sharp memory price increases across categories.
On the supply side, domestic manufacturing has been growing strongly as more brands shift their portfolios towards localized products. Adding to the synergy is the expansion of the export market as more brands expand their operations, according to Counterpoint.
One of the key trends emerging over the quarters has been the consumer inclination towards larger screen sizes, adds the research group. The tablet screen size used to sit between a smartphone and a laptop; however, the lines between the categories keep getting blurred as each encroaches on the other’s defined landscape area. Strengthening the trend has been the Idea Tab series by Lenovo and the Samsung Ultra series, which have shown decent performance over the quarters.
The first quarter of 2026 was essentially the launch period for Apple and Xiaomi, both of which launched at least one product with a larger than 12-inch display, further supporting the larger screen trend.
On the supply side, domestic manufacturing expanded further, growing 61% year-over-year in volume terms, notes Counterpoint.
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