iPad sales will grow strongly in 2025 - 2026 will be challenging

The latest iPad figures paint a mixed picture. Apple significantly increased its tablet sales and gained market share in the fourth quarter of 2025, while the global tablet market is recovering only slowly. At the same time, a new report warns of potential storage shortages that could noticeably impact sales in 2026. This is based on a recent analysis by the market research company Omdia, which evaluated both the fourth quarter of 2025 and the entire year.

Following the extraordinary surge in demand during the pandemic, the tablet market experienced several years of decline. 2025 now marks a turning point. Shipments have rebounded, even reaching their highest level since 2020. The iPad played a key role in this growth. At the same time, the report reveals that this growth is not evenly distributed and that structural risks are already becoming apparent.

iPad sales rose significantly in the fourth quarter of 2025

According to Omdia, Apple shipped 19.6 million iPads worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2025. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, this represents a growth of 16.5 percent. This placed Apple second in terms of sheer unit sales.

Lenovo led the quarterly shipments, delivering 3.9 million tablets and recording strong growth of 36.2 percent. Despite this momentum, Apple remained the clear market leader, as the iPad achieved a significantly higher market share than all its competitors.

Market share: Apple further extends its lead

In the fourth quarter of 2025, Apple achieved a market share of 44.9 percent. This represents an increase of 2.6 percentage points compared to the previous year. The iPad thus far outpaced the competition.

Samsung achieved a market share of 14.7 percent, Lenovo 8.8 percent, Huawei 6.9 percent, and Xiaomi 6.4 percent. Other tablet manufacturers combined accounted for 18.3 percent. Despite high growth rates among some competitors, Apple was thus able to further consolidate its dominant market position.

Reasons for the growth of the iPad

Omdia attributes Apple's strong performance primarily to robust demand. The 11th generation iPad and the iPad Pro models based on the new M5 chip were particularly popular. These product lines contributed significantly to the iPad's considerably better performance than the overall market in the fourth quarter of 2025.

This allowed Apple to further expand its role as a leading tablet provider and clearly differentiate itself from the competition.

Development of the entire tablet market

The global tablet market grew by approximately 10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year. This growth was slightly above the level of 2024 and indicates a slowdown in the previously multi-year decline. After three years of falling sales figures, this suggests a degree of stabilization.

At the same time, market growth remains moderate. The gap to the exceptionally high sales figures during the pandemic-induced boom is still significant.

Storage bottlenecks as a decisive factor for 2026

Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Omdia, puts the figures into a broader context. According to him, the tablet market reached its highest annual shipment volume in 2025 since the peak in demand in 2020. A key driver of this was the strong seasonal demand during the Christmas season.

In addition, manufacturers made targeted preparations for anticipated storage shortages. This led many companies to deliberately increase their shipments in the fourth quarter. However, these very shortages could prove to be a burden in 2026. According to Omdia, tablet demand is likely to come under increasing pressure this year if the supply of storage components worsens.

iPad benefits from strong quarter, 2026 will be more challenging

The iPad emerged from the fourth quarter of 2025 significantly stronger. Apple substantially increased shipments, gained market share, and further consolidated its leading position in the tablet market. At the same time, the Omdia report shows that the current growth was also boosted by one-off effects. Given potential storage shortages and declining demand, 2026 is likely to be considerably more challenging for the tablet market as a whole – and therefore also for the iPad. (Image: Shutterstock / Vladimka production)