New Delhi: Samsung was the number one tablet brand in India in terms of shipments during the first quarter (January-March) of 2022, according to market research firm International Data Corp (IDC)’s worldwide quarterly PC device tracker Q1 22.
The South Korean company accounted for 40% of tablet shipment volumes in India during the quarter, growing 10% sequentially. According to IDC, the total number of tablets shipped across brands was close to 1.5 million units during the quarter.
In the premium segment ($500 and above), Samsung posted an 8.3% sequential growth on the back of new launches in the Galaxy Tab S8 series.
Sandeep Poswal, Business Head, New Computing Business, Samsung India, attributed the growth to the Galaxy Tab S8 series, especially the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra and Galaxy Tab A8 series.
Poswal said, “Our wide channel presence, availability of devices across price segments and engaging programs for consumers helped us consolidate our leadership.”
Samsung also launched financing schemes to reduce the cost of ownership and attract more buyers. For example, the Samsung Finance+ plan offers easy EMIs to buyers who have no previous credit history. Similarly, under Samsung Upgrade, buyers are allowed to exchange their old smartphone or tablet for a new Galaxy tablet.
The pandemic-led shift to hybrid work and online learning has fueled huge demand for laptops and tablets. According to a May report by Cybermedia Research (CMR), tablet shipments in India grew 68% year-on-year (YoY) during the March quarter, while 4G tablets grew 74% YoY.
Persistence with hybrid or remote work continues to drive adoption of tablets for work, e-learning and content consumption cases, said Maneka Kumari, Analyst, Industry Intelligence Group (IIG) at CMR.
However, in the CMR report, Lenovo was the leading tablet brand accounting for 36% of shipments during the quarter, while Apple and Samsung grabbed the second spot with 22% market share. CMR attributed Lenovo’s dominance to pressure in its commercial business and retail.