Following Counterpoint’s report that Apple dominated the market for tablets globally in Q1 2021 thanks to the 4th-generation iPad Air and 8th-generation iPad, IDC’s Q2 2021 report on the tablet market in the Philippines reveal that Samsung is the top-selling brand for tablets with a wide lead over Lenovo.
Looking through the Q2 2021 tablet market share in the Philippines, Samsung accounted for 45.4% of the market. That is a very big jump from only having 18.8% of the market share for the same quarter last year. Lenovo comes in at a distant second, accounting for 16.4% of the market share. Rounding up the top 5 are Cherry Mobile (9.1%), Huawei (6.5%), and Haier (6.5%).
Samsung has a solid lineup of tablets in the Philippines that comprises of the entry-level Galaxy Tab A series, mid-range Galaxy Tab S7 FE and S6 Lite, and top-end Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+.
IDC also explained in its report that the tablet market in the Philippines has doubled compared to last year with a 97.9% YoY growth and 15.7% QoQ growth. The higher tablet shipments in the Philippines is due to several LGUs providing tablets to public school students. While schooling still continues, face-to-face classes remain suspended, prompting a number of schools to shift to online learning.
“The surge in shipments during the second half of 2020 as shown in the chart is due to the huge tenders from the bigger LGUs when the 2020-2021 school year began in September of last year”, IDC Philippines Client Devices Market Analyst Angela Jenny Medez said.
Compared to laptops and desktops, LGUs choose tablets as a more affordable alternative. On top of that, a number of educational platforms, apps, and productivity tools run better on tablets compared to laptops and desktops.
“The tablet market’s performance for the rest of the year will still be driven mainly by the education segment due to procurements from other LGUs, as face-to-face classes have remained suspended until further notice due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases. However, we do not expect the same momentum compared to the previous year, as some local government units prioritize the roll-out of vaccinations. New procurements will be from other cities outside of Metro Manila,” Medez adds.
