Amidst trade war, Huawei tablet shipments grow in Q2 2019

Despite being placed on the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List in May, Huawei tablet shipments actually increased by 4% year-over-year. Windows demand continues to slide as the commercial refresh is favors lower-cost Notebook and Convertible PC form factors. As such,the global tablet market declined 7% year-on-year in Q2 2019. As the trade war rages on, this could foreshadow a shift in Android demand from a bruised Huawei brand to its fiercest competitors, Samsung and Lenovo.

The full report from Strategy Analytics’ Connected Computing Devices (CCD) service, Preliminary Global Tablet Shipments and Market Share: Q2 2019 Results, can be found here: https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/devices/tablets-and-pcs/connected-computing-devices/market-data/report-detail/preliminary-global-tablet-shipments-and-market-share-q2-2019-results-080819

Eric Smith, Director – Connected Computing said, “Samsung and Lenovo shipment growth exceeded market performance, yet still showed declines of -1% and -6%, respectively. Samsung has been stabilizing its tablet shipments over the last couple of quarters, but this is a big opportunity to regain some customers as we enter a period where Huawei will face significant headwinds outside of China. Lenovo also stands to benefit from this change in the competitive landscape, but I’m concerned that if the trade war widens, Lenovo could be among a group of Chinese companies that are targeted by the Trump administration.”

Chirag Upadhyay, Senior Research Analyst added, “Windows Detachable demand has hit a slump during the commercial refresh as commercial clients favor traditional Notebook PCs. Where needed for portability, inking, or style, Convertible form factors out-compete Detachables on price and performance. Microsoft continued to press its advantage and consolidated more Windows Detachable share as other vendors found difficulty competing in the crowded premium segment. This was the sixth straight quarter of year-on-year shipment and revenue gains for Microsoft.”

Eric Smith continued, “Apple iOS shipments (sell-in) fell 7% year-on-year to 10.7 million units in Q2 2019, maintaining a 29% worldwide market share of the Tablet market year-over-year. The new iPad Air and iPad mini devices pushed ASPs higher alongside continued strong demand for iPad Pro, boosting ASPs to $469 this quarter from $410 in Q2 2018. This move higher up the price tiers boosts Apple profits but it negatively impacts total shipments compared to previous quarters. Ultimately, Apple is using iPad Pro to cannibalize the PC market, so the number of boxes they ship probably aren’t as important as the product mix.”