India's tablet market expanded 15 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2026, propelled by strong premiumisation and sustained demand across consumer, education, and enterprise segments, according to a report by CyberMedia Research (CMR) released on 27 August 2026. The findings point to a structural shift in buyer behaviour — away from entry-level devices and toward higher-specification hardware.

Premium Segment Dominates Shipments

Tablets priced above ₹20,000 grew 74 per cent YoY and accounted for 89 per cent of total market shipments in the period, the CMR report noted. Large-screen tablets measuring more than 10 inches represented nearly 91 per cent of all shipments, reflecting consumer appetite for devices that can serve as productivity and content-consumption tools simultaneously.

Apple strengthened its grip on the premium end, with the Apple iPad 11 series alone capturing nearly 23 per cent of premium tablet shipments in India during the half.

Connectivity and RAM Trends

Wi-Fi tablet shipments grew 30 per cent, while 5G tablets rose 8 per cent. In contrast, 4G shipments fell 19 per cent, signalling a decisive move away from cellular-only mid-tier devices. On the memory front, demand shifted sharply upward: 6GB RAM variants grew 73 per cent, while 12GB RAM tablets surged 422 per cent — underscoring the growing appetite for desktop-class performance in a tablet form factor.

What Industry Analysts Said

Menka Kumari, Senior Analyst at CyberMedia Research (CMR), said the market's trajectory reflects a maturing buyer base. 'The Indian tablet landscape is maturing, marked by a decisive shift toward higher-spec devices. Rising component costs, alongside consumer preference for larger screens, increased RAM, and robust Wi-Fi connectivity, are pushing average selling prices higher,' Kumari said.

She added that even as overall volume growth moderates, tablets remain 'deeply entrenched as companion devices for content creation, education, and enterprise productivity.'

H2 2026 Outlook: Headwinds Ahead

Despite the strong first-half performance, the CMR report forecast the Indian tablet market to decline 10–12 per cent for the full calendar year 2026. The projected contraction is attributed to rising component costs, memory supply constraints, and uncertainty around institutional procurement — factors expected to weigh on shipments through the second half.

'Supply-side pressures, including rising component costs, memory shortages, and delays in institutional procurement, are expected to impact shipments in H2 2026, though premium devices and AI-ready hardware will continue to anchor market value,' Kumari noted.

This comes amid a broader global trend of post-pandemic tablet demand normalisation, with India's market now bifurcating sharply between a shrinking low-end and an expanding premium tier. How institutional buyers — particularly in education and government — respond to supply-side pricing pressure will likely determine whether the full-year decline stays within the forecast band.