Apple and Samsung have a thing or two to learn from their thriving tablet rivals
Apple and Samsung might be the world's top two tablet vendors, but they're certainly not too big to emulate some of the strategies of their fast-growing Chinese rivals.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Do you tend to ignore the quarterly sales reports put together by research firms like Canalys, IDC, and Counterpoint for the global smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch markets? While I admit those are not always the most fascinating reads, one recent set of data collected between April and June 2025 definitely deserves your attention, especially if you're a devoted iPad or Galaxy Tab user.
Despite surpassing all their rivals to retain the first and second position in worldwide tablet shipments this Q2, Apple and Samsung surely cannot be happy with these latest results reported by Canalys. That's because the market as a whole is now officially expanding at a faster pace than iPad sales, while Galaxy tablets have actually gone down compared to last year's April-June timeframe.
That essentially makes Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi the big winners of the tablet market right now, and instead of shrugging off the amazing Q2 progress of the three China-based underdogs, Apple and Samsung should probably try to emulate some of their strategies.
Did anyone ask for a gaming-centric iPad?
Probably not... yet, but gaming tablets are clearly in style right now, as proven by the recent success of Xiaomi's Redmi K Pad, the Vivo Pad 5, and perhaps most notably, the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3.
That may look like a huge gap between Samsung and Huawei, but if Huawei maintains its recent growth pace, it's really not that big.
Will Apple ever devise a gaming-focused iPad family separate from the existing Pro, Air, or Mini lineups? Almost definitely not. But the Cupertino-based tech giant could certainly spend a little more time (and money) advertising the already impressive gaming credentials of the M4-powered iPad Pro (2024) duo.
Even better, the company would probably be wise to equip the next iPad Air edition with 120Hz display refresh rate technology to fend off those surprisingly affordable gaming powerhouses from brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, and Lenovo.
Samsung also needs to do a better job of promoting the raw speed of the existing Galaxy Tab S10 duo and the fast-approaching Galaxy Tab S11 family, and while it's almost surely too late for such changes, the company should ditch MediaTek and go back to using Qualcomm processors for its high-end slates.
The Legion Tab Gen 3 is one of the hugely popular gaming tablets Apple and Samsung have to do a better job of competing against. | Image Credit -- Lenovo
Yes, the Redmi K Pad and Vivo Pad 5 both come with Dimensity chips under their hood, but the Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra are likely to cost a small fortune (each) and they should really offer something special for their prices... in addition to built-in styluses and an outdated screen cutout.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Lite is a good idea, but...
It's probably going to cost too much and offer too little for its price. That seems to be the best way to describe Samsung's mid-end Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Tab S10 FE Plus, unfortunately, and while the Tab S10 Lite is likely to be cheaper, its bang for your buck is unlikely to rival the incredible value propositions of those aforementioned Xiaomi, Vivo, and Lenovo mid-rangers or something like the OnePlus Pad 3.
The Galaxy Tab S10 FE would have probably been a huge box-office hit if it was priced a little lower. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Apple also needs an "iPad Lite" of sorts (or maybe an iPad SE) to keep up with the budget-specialized Chinese underdogs, but... we all know that's never going to happen. I at least hope another iPad mini will happen sooner rather than later, and although I realize I'm asking for a lot, I can't help but wish for a lower price point than the 2024 generation.
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Clearly, both Apple and Samsung need to ramp up the diversity of their tablets, and that goes for everything from screen sizes to price tags, general specifications, and even designs.
What do Apple and Samsung need to do to fend off their tablet rivals?
Release better tablets
40%
Release cheaper tablets
40%
Expand the diversity of their tablet portfolios
0%
Focus more on gaming
20%
Nothing, their tablet lineups are already great
0%
Samsung, for instance, released a very interesting Galaxy Tab A9+ mid-ranger with Snapdragon power back in the fall of 2023, but aside from never marketing the affordable 11-incher particularly aggressively, the company also inexplicably left it without a sequel all this time, choosing instead to focus on the much costlier Tab S10 FE duo (among others) and thus reducing the global appeal of the entire Galaxy Tab family.
Now, I'm obviously not saying that Apple and Samsung should forget about their high-end tablets (which undoubtedly have the largest profit margins), but more attention may need to be paid to lower-cost iPads and Galaxy Tabs before it's too late to stop Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi from climbing the global ranks. Huawei has pulled that off once in the smartphone market, so it definitely can be done.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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