A deep dive into the screen size trends highlights that there has been a growing acceptance for tablets with screen size of 8 < 9 inch. “The popularity of phablets has in fact crossed over the demand for 7 inch tablets. For a price conscious market like India, it is about owning a combination device, meeting the needs with one device instead of two.

Also, the return rates on low cost 7 inch tablets have been unexplainably large. First time users latching onto such devices are now looking to move to products that offer better experience in terms of life span and quality” said, Karan Thakkar, Senior Market Analyst with IDC.

Top Vendor Highlights:

Samsung: With 18.7% market share, Samsung outperformed its competitors with strong presence in 7 < 8 inch screen size. Despite a dominating presence, the vendor has scaled down its volumes owing to changing market dynamics.

Micromax: With 8.9% market share, Micromax retained its rank, primarily due to their value for money proposition and concerted marketing efforts

Figure I: source: IDC

Apple: With 7.5% market share, Apple has shown significant growth in 7 < 8 inch screen size despite its niche positioning. iPad Mini was noted to be well accepted by the market, supported by instalment payments for consumers.

Figure II