TabletDatawind beats Samsung, Micromax to become top tablet maker

Datawind beats Samsung, Micromax to become top tablet maker

Domestic manufacturer Datawind has beat out some serious competition from Samsung and Micromax to become the top tablet maker in India in Q4 of 2015. It’s managed to climb its way to the top even as shipments declined by 18.7% to 0.86 million between the months of October to December.

However, the tablet market in India has seen an overall growth of 8.2% thanks to 3.8 million units getting shipped over the course of 2015. As per the IDC report, Datawind has nearly doubled its year-on-year record in the fourth quarter thanks to its dedication towards the sub-$100 sector, capturing a share of 20.7% in the nation.

Datawind 7SC

IDC attributes Datawind’s success to Make in India manufacturing, free internet offers and a bigger presence online in Q4 2015. The brand is followed by Samsung at the second spot with its 15.8% share, a drop of 8.7% compared to its performance in Q3 2015. The silver lining for the South Korean vendor is that it’s the only one dominating the premium category in India.

This status quo could change in the next quarter thanks to the entry of the Apple iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface Pro. The third rank is taken up by Micromax which boasts of a 15.5% market share, down by a massive 45.2% only. IDC says the local manufacturer has played an important role in driving up shipments of detachables, contributing to nearly one-third of the sector’s volume.

Also See: DataWind PocketSurfer 2G4X, PocketSurfer 3G4Z released starting at Rs 2499

Lenovo lands fourth in the list, bucking the trend by actually growing by 5.7% over the previous quarter to register a share of 13.8%, its highest ever in India. It even managed to rise by 57.6% in 2015 overall. Finally, iBall finds itself at the number 5 spot, declining by 24.1% in Q4 2015. Meanwhile, IDC claims 7-inch tablets are increasingly feeling pressure from phablets.

Shipments of 8 to 9.9-inch devices did better in 2015, rising by 39.2% annually and capturing 15.9% of overall volume. IDC expects there to be marginal growth for tablets in 2016 as demand reaches a saturation point. The firm also predicts that the detachable tablet market will increase, though the migration from slate to hybrid gadgets will be gradual.

Related Articles

Latest Posts