Tablet shipments in India fell sharply in Q1 compared with the same period of 2016, due mostly to a 28 per cent year-on-year decline in consumer segment shipments.

Figures from research company IDC show overall tablet shipments fell 18.6 per cent year-on-year to 701,000 units in Q1 2017. On a sequential basis, the figure was 2.2 per cent lower.

Celso Gomes, associate market analyst for client devices at IDC India, said the commercial segment, which accounted for a third of shipments in the opening quarter, is the key driver for offsetting declines in the consumer market.

“Due to growing digital proliferation across industries, commercial segment especially large enterprise, government and education sectors are expected to increase their demand for tablets,” Gomes said, noting this will drive vendors to focus aggressively on these sectors to gain market share.

Samsung was the market leader with a 21.3 per cent market share (see chart below, click to enlarge), following by Datawind with a 20.7 per cent share, Lenovo (20 per cent), iBall (17.2 per cent) and Apple (5.3 per cent).

Tablets with 4G connectivity accounted for 39 per cent of Q1 shipments, up from 15.3 per cent in the comparable 2016 quarter. Detachable units still accounted for a nominal share of the market.

The 10-inch segment experienced the fastest growth, increasing 43 per cent year-on-year and taking an 11.6 per cent share of overall shipments. The 7-inch to 7.9-inch segment accounted for 70 per cent.

Tablets sold through online channels accounted for 35 per cent of the total.