China’s tablet market contracted 22.3% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, according to IDC, as higher component costs contributed to price increases across the category. Huawei nonetheless retained the top position, ahead of Apple, Lenovo, Xiaomi, and Honor.
Huawei’s lead narrows as tablet pricing rises
Huawei captured a 24.1% share of China’s tablet market in Q3, down from 32.1% a year earlier—a decline of 8 percentage points. It remained the leader in both consumer and commercial tablets, even after raising prices on some MatePad models.
IDC attributed Huawei’s continued leadership to the HarmonyOS ecosystem, brand demand, and its broad sales network. The company introduced several new MatePad lines during the quarter and is preparing additional products, including the MatePad Mini 2.
- MatePad Pro series
- MatePad Air series
- MatePad Air Z series
Apple stays second while value tablets gain ground
- Apple ranked second with a 22.6% market share. Higher iPad prices affected the company’s competitiveness during the quarter.
- Lenovo moved into third place, posting 33.2% year-over-year growth supported by more affordable tablet models.
- Xiaomi took fourth place as interest in its Pad 9 lineup increased. The Pad 9 Pro Max, the first model equipped with Xiaomi’s XRING O3 processor, saw strong demand following its launch.
- Honor completed the top five, strengthening its position in 13-inch tablets with the X10 Pro and making progress in the education market.
The quarter shows how sharply rising costs can reshape tablet competition: Huawei’s ecosystem and commercial reach kept it in front, while Lenovo’s growth points to continuing demand for lower-priced options. These figures cover China’s market and do not establish U.S. availability or pricing for the models mentioned.
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