India's PC, tablet market grew 5% to reach 19.6 million units in 2022

Despite a steep fall in the fourth quarter of 2022, last year was a successful one for the Indian PC market (desktops, notebooks and tablets), with shipments up 5 per cent to reach 19.6 million units, a new report has said.

While notebook shipments fell by 7 per cent to 11 million units, desktop and tablet shipments increased significantly by 37 per cent and 21 per cent to 3.2 million and 5.4 million units respectively, in 2022, reports market research firm Canalys.

HP led the Indian PC (excluding tablets) market, with more than 30 per cent market share in both Q4 and full-year 2022.

Lenovo took the second place but suffered a large shipment decline of 31 per cent in Q4 of 2022.

However, the total 2022 shipments for Lenovo were up by 3 per cent on 2021, with its commercial business gaining traction.

Dell and Acer took third and fourth place respectively, while Apple secured the final spot in the top five in Q4 2022, overtaking Asus.

Apple surpassed Samsung in Q4 2022 to take the lead in the Indian tablet market, said the report.

"Indian consumers spent on devices in the first half of 2022, but demand quickly tailed off, leading to a weak holiday season for vendors and retailers," said analyst Ashweej Aithal.

Looking ahead, Canalys anticipates that PC and tablet shipments in India will fall by 6 per cent in 2023, to 18 million units.

This represents a smaller drop than for the global market, which is expected to contract by 9 per cent.

While weakness in the global economy this year will affect India, GDP growth forecasts for the country remain relatively positive compared to other major markets.

"Education will be an important segment for PCs and tablets in India this year and beyond," said Aithal.