India’s tablet market expanded by 22 per cent in Q2 to 1.04 million units, bucking the downward trend in most markets, according to IDC.

Global tablet shipments fell 11 per cent year-on-year in H1 to 42.5 million units.

India-based iBall moved to the top spot during the quarter, with a 14.9 per cent share (see chart below, click to enlarge), as Samsung slipped to second (13.8 per cent) despite posting healthy double-digit growth. Datawind was third (13.5 per cent), followed by Micromax with a 12 per cent share and Xiaomi with a 9.5 per cent share.
IDC india tablets

Windows-based tablet shipments more than doubled over the previous quarter.

Almost three-quarters of tablets sold in India are connected tablets (2G/3G/4G enabled) due to limited access to WiFi hotspots in the country.

“With 4G now available from Airtel and more operators to join soon, it presents a positive picture for next-generation 4G connected tablets in India,” said IDC research manager Kiran Kumar.

But IDC noted that consumer demand is losing its sheen because the tablet category is struggling to justify its use case as it’s stuck between the larger smartphone and notebook PC segments.

While Q3 could see a decline in growth, IDC expects the market to expand by a single-digit figure over 2014.