Khaberni - Despite the fierce competition in the smartphone market, "Apple" still maintains a sweeping superiority in the tablet market, increasingly outpacing its main competitor "Samsung".
But the real surprise in the fourth quarter of 2025 came from "Lenovo", which achieved a notable leap in sales that made it the undisputed star of the period.
The tablet market experienced unprecedented growth with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, when millions of users around the world were forced to work and study from home.
But this momentum gradually declined with the return to traditional work patterns, before the market saw a new resurgence in 2025, where global shipments rose by about 10% compared to 2024.
The fourth quarter of last year was a decisive factor in this growth, driven mainly by "Apple's" strong performance, according to a report published by "phonearena" and seen by "Al Arabiya Business".
In the fourth quarter of 2025, "Apple" shipped about 19.6 million iPad devices worldwide, compared to 16.8 million units in the same period of 2024.
As a result, its market share rose to 44.9%, almost half of the global tablet market.
This performance was helped by the launch of the iPad (11th generation) with the A16 Bionic processor, along with two iPad Pro versions sized 11 and 13 inches equipped with the Apple M5 processor, which enhanced the company's appeal in various price categories.
It is noteworthy that "Apple's" share in the fourth quarter was the highest during 2025, exceeding its results in the first three quarters, at a time when it faced no real threat to its market throne.
In contrast, "Samsung's" Galaxy Tab devices recorded a worrying decline of 9.2% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, and although the company retained second place, the gap between it and "Apple" continues to widen.
As for "Lenovo", it was the most remarkable story in 2025, after achieving a huge annual growth of 36.2% in the fourth quarter, reaching third place globally, advancing on "Huawei", and clearly outperforming "Xiaomi", which only grew by 10.1% during the same period.
Although "Samsung" still leads "Lenovo" by about 6% in market share, the pace of growth of the Chinese company opens the door to potential changes in the competitive landscape, although this seems difficult given the expected downturn in the overall tablet market in 2026.
With the upcoming launch of the first foldable iPhone, many are questioning the future of traditional tablets.
But reality indicates that iPads and budget tablets will remain an attractive option for years, thanks to their reasonable prices and diverse uses in education, work, and entertainment.
And if foldable phones have not yet managed to displace Galaxy Tab devices, it is unlikely that tablets will disappear in the near future.
However, upcoming shifts may force some companies – led by "Samsung" – to reconsider their strategies, especially with the rising prices of their flagship devices compared to competitors.
In conclusion, "Apple" continues to impose its control over the global tablet market, while "Lenovo" confirms that it is a rising player with potential, and the surprises of the coming years may be bigger than we expect.
