TrendForce: Global tablet shipments in Q2 2016 reached 33.54 million units, down 4.8% year-on-year

The latest tablet shipment report from global market research firm TrendForce shows that global tablet shipments in the second quarter of 2016 were 33.54 million units, a quarterly decline of 4.8% and a year-on-year decline of 8.8%.

TrendForce laptop analyst Wang Jingyi said that tablet brands launched few new models in the second quarter, and the promotional momentum was weak, and the overall market shipments continued to decline. Most brands such as Apple and Samsung have reduced their investment in tablet products due to weak tablet market demand and the dominance of low-priced products, which squeezed profits. TrendForce estimates that global tablet shipments may decline in the third quarter for the first time this year.

Apple iPad Pro series failed to be rescued , Amazon's affordable products are still hot

Apple remained the leader in the second quarter, with iPad shipments reaching 9.95 million units, a 2.9% decline from the previous quarter and a 9% decline from the same period last year. Wang Jingyi pointed out that the iPad Pro series is priced high and has little differentiation in appearance design. The low cost performance makes it difficult to stimulate consumer purchases. The sales of 12.9-inch products only lasted for two quarters, and the 9.7-inch products were unpopular after one quarter on the market, failing to drive the expected growth in shipments in the second quarter. On the other hand, iPad Air 2 saw a rebound in sales in the second quarter due to price cuts, supporting Apple's overall tablet sales.

Samsung remained in second place, shipping 6 million units in the second quarter, a 7.3% quarter-on-quarter decline and a 23.9% year-on-year decline. With few new models launched this year, high prices for OLED tablets, and little differentiated design to attract buyers, TrendForce predicts that Samsung's tablet shipments will decline quarter by quarter this year.

Lenovo shipped 2.4 million units in the second quarter, a 9.1% increase against the trend, surpassing Amazon and returning to third place. Wang Jingyi pointed out that unlike the top two tablet brands that have focused their resources on tablets, Lenovo continues to vigorously develop its tablet business and actively promotes sales in Europe and North America to boost shipments.

Amazon shipped 2.2 million tablets in the second quarter, the same as the previous quarter. Although it was surpassed by Lenovo in the ranking, its shipments still grew by 357% compared with the same period last year. Due to the dominance of low-priced products, Amazon was able to maintain a high annual growth rate and its shipments performed well in the first half of the year. TrendForce estimates that Amazon's tablet shipments in 2016 are expected to challenge 10 million units, depending on the intensity of the fourth quarter's holiday promotions.

Huawei's shipments in the second quarter reached 2.2 million units, a 10% increase against the trend, and successfully tied with Amazon for fourth place. Huawei's strategy of flooding the market with devices worked in the second quarter, with excellent shipment performance. Not only has it made great progress in emerging markets, it has also occupied a place in the Japanese market.