PHL tablet shipments to drop further this year — IDC

THE PHILIPPINE tablet market is projected to decline further this year as more schools and institutions resume face-to-face setups, the International Data Corp. (IDC) said.

IDC sees an additional 1-5% drop in tablet shipments this year after the 39.8% decline seen in 2023.

“Shifting priorities among government agencies over procurement of tablets for educational purposes and as people returned to physical offices led the market to contract [in 2023],” IDC Philippines

Senior Market Analyst for Devices Research Angela Jenny V. Medez said in an e-mail last week.

IDC said there was commercial drop in procurements among local government units and the Department of Education for distance learning mode.

For this year, the firm expects tablet shipments to reach a 12-year low.

IDC estimates less than 700,000 tablet shipments to the country this year from the 750,300 units in 2023, based on its latest Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

It also expects Samsung and Cherry Mobile to retain their spot as top performers by market share.

Samsung led the Philippine market with a 29.5% share in 2023. Cherry Mobile followed with a 14.1% share, selling 105,600 units, while Huawei and Xiaomi held 11.8% and 10% shares, respectively, shipping 88,700 and 74,700 units. “Both vendors offer tablets that conform with the minimum technical specification requirements during procurements and biddings at competitive pricing leading them to win several bids,” Ms. Medez said.

Vendors will need to differentiate themselves from smartphones and personal computers through innovation and unique positioning to stay afloat amid the projected decline in shipments, she added.