Around 3.5 million tablet PCs were sold in India in 2016, which represents a decline of 18 percent compared to 2015. In the fourth quarter of 2026, tablet shipments declined 16 percent year-on-year, on account of lukewarm sales, according to a report from CMR. Total tablet sales reached 0.81 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to 0.97 million in the year-ago period.
Datawind maintained the top position with a 34 percent market share, followed by Samsung (18%), Pantel (12%) and Micromax (10%) in 2016. In terms of technology, 2G shipments showed a sharp decline of 92 percent in 2016 over 2015, 3G declined 71 percent and 4G rose by 6 percent.
As the price band shifts from INR 5-INR 10K to sub INR 5K levels, the Indian tablet manufacturers are expected to see this as an opportunity with a line of sub 5K products. The report also shows that the Indian tablet market is moving towards a consolidation phase and 2017 will see further decline with only 6-7 serious players remaining in the list. India saw 40 players exiting the market in the past 3-4 years. The market shrunk from 66 players in 2015 to 22 in 2016.
