Samsung has continued to lead the Android tablets market in India, registering 45 percent market share in the category in Q2 2021. The growth was fuelled by the company’s Android tablets shipment increasing by 220 percent year on year for the month of June 2021, a company spokesperson claimed. With this, Samsung has reportedly led the Indian tablets market for two quarters in a row, as per data released by market research firm, IDC.
According to Samsung, it is the only tablet manufacturer offering a large screen Android experience across a wide range of price segments, including under Rs 20,000, mid-range ones between Rs 20,000 and Rs 40,000, and premium Android tablets priced above Rs 40,000. At the sub-Rs 20,000 segment, Samsung had a market share of 49 percent based on IDC’s market data, while the company also claimed to be a “clear number one” in the mid-range segment as well.
The company has claimed that devices such as the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite in the budget Android tablets segment, and the Tab A7 and Tab S6 Lite in the mid-range segment, have continued to be among its bestsellers. The Tab S6 Lite also offers the S-Pen stylus bundled in the tablet’s retail box, hence pegging it as a strong seller. The company also sells premium Android tablets under its Galaxy Tab S7 range of products, as well.
The dominance of Samsung may be challenged by upcoming launches such as that of the Realme Pad. The latter is expected to feature the MediaTek Helio G80, along with a 2000 x 1200-pixel, 10.4-inch display, and uniform but thick bezels around it. All indications suggest that the tablet, which is tipped to feature up to 6GB RAM and a 7,100mAh battery powering both its Wi-Fi only and LTE variants, may be priced in the budget segment, which is a heavy mover in the value sensitive market of India.
With its launch, it will be interesting to see if Samsung continues to maintain its market share in the country. While tablets have been comparably slow movers in parallel to smartphones, the work from home era has revived interest in tablets as a hybrid work and entertainment device.
