4G enabled tablet shipments in India were up by 55% in Q3 2016 when compared to the previous quarter, accounting for nearly 25% of overall tablet shipments, research firm IDC said in a report. Comparatively, 4G tablet shipments accounted for only 15% of overall shipments during Q1 2016. Samsung led the 4G segment in this quarter with its newly launched J Max model, added IDC.
Also Read: 4G smartphone shipments in India grew 24% q-o-q in Q3 2016: IDC
Overall, the Indian tablet industry shipped 1.06 million units during Q3 2016, which is up 7.8% from previous quarter. This is the first time in this year that Indian tablet shipments crossed the 1 million mark. However on a year-on-year basis, shipment growth remained flat. Note that IDC includes slates and detachable laptops in their tablet shipment numbers.
What’s ahead for the Indian tablet industry
The research firm pointed out that shipments from commercial or enterprise segment continued to grow at a “healthier pace” accounting for 20% of over shipments Q3 2016. The spike in commercial segment was due to increased demand from educational institutions, government, and enterprise buyers. “Commercial segment also contributed to majority of detachable shipments in Q3 2016 driving the product category’s volume to almost double over previous quarter,” added IDC.
Forecast: IDC forecasts that tablet shipments would “drop sequentially in Q4 2016” during the festive season, impacting the overall year shipment numbers when compared to 2015. However, shipments from the detachable segment may account for over 5% of total tablet shipments in this year compared to 2.7% in last year.
Shipments by top manufacturers
–Datawind which makes the Akash brand tablets continues to lead Indian tablet market with 26.1% share of overall shipments Q3 2016. The vendor posted a 73% year-on-year growth after it opened its second manufacturing plant in India. It also upped offline retail presence and television promotion to supplement the growth.
–Samsung held the second position in this quarter accounting for 17.3% of total shipments in India. The company’s shipments were up 26.2% quarter-on-quarter.
–iBall took the third place with 13.6% market share in terms of shipments. Its shipments were up by 2.9% quarter-on-quarter, and down 7.5% year-on-year. iBall led the 4G tablet shipments amongst the Indian vendors.
–Lenovo held the fourth place with 12% market share during the quarter. Its shipments were up 15.5% quarter-on-quarter, and up 13.3% year-on-year. Lenovo’s commercial segment contributed to most of its shipments, while its consumer shipments grew by 50% during the quarter.
–Micromax captured the fifth position in terms of shipments for the quarter. The company’s shipments remained flat when compared to previous quarter. On a year-on-year basis Micromax’s shipments were down by 39%.
