After 3 years of dismal sales, the tablet market has finally recovered in 2024, with Apple emerging as the #1 brand of choice for consumers in 2024. But while the brand managed to elbow its other competitors at the top, it’s Xiaomi that managed to win big, posting a 73.1% YoY growth for their tabs last year.

Apple’s tablet success is attributed more to corporate customers upgrading to newer models rather than consumers. Tablets, like laptops and PCs, follow a longer upgrade cycle, with many users opting to hold onto to their slates for 4-5 years or even longer, unlike phone users who usually upgrade after 2 years or less.

Also included in the top 5 for global tablet sales is Samsung, followed by Huawei, then Lenovo, and finally Xiaomi.

2024 is the first year that tablet sales are finally in the green, following three years of contraction post-pandemic. Canalys, the research firm that compiled the data, says that tablet demand is expected to strengthen this year.

“As the PC market pivots toward a commercial refresh cycle, there is also a recovery in demand for tablets,” said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Canalys. “A recent Canalys survey of channel partners found that 52% of those that sell commercial tablets expect their shipments to increase in 2025, with 32% expecting flat performance and just 16% anticipating a decline. Refresh opportunities will remain abundant across a variety of industries and verticals as IT investment is expected to strengthen following an extended period of budget restrictions.”

Xiaomi’s surprising growth was fueled by its performance in its home market, bolstered by the demand for its new Pad 7 Pro launched in the last quarter of 2024. Demand for the company’s products allowed it to sell 9.2 million tablets worldwide last year.