The global tablet industry is segmented into seven basic categories based on functions and scenarios. Among them, consumer tablets for entertainment (i.e., iPad) account for 62% market share. As of 2023, the global shipment volume was 148 million units with an average selling price (ASP) of 380 US dollars. 2-in-1 productivity tablets (i.e., Microsoft Surface Pro) are increasing at 12% yearly. Their price range per device is wider ($400- $2,000), and the models with Intel Core i5 and above processors account for 34% of sales in this category. Specifically designed education-focused tablets (e.g., Amazon Fire Kids) account for 18% of global shipments. Companies such as Xiaotiancai from China (shipping 5 million devices per year) account for a 23% share in this category. The median battery time of the products is 10 hours, and the median count of pre-loaded educational applications is 85.
Industrial-class tablets (for example, Panasonic Toughpad) focus on sector-specific industries. In 2023, its market size was 4.7 billion US dollars. The percentage of products with a three-proof rating of IP68 increased to 41%. The operating temperature range was expanded to -20°C to 60°C, and the load capacity was up to 1.2 tons of pressure resistance. Clinical tablets (e.g., Getac ZX70) have reached records in such functions as body temperature measurement (accuracy ±0.1℃) and disinfection compatibility (alcohol wiping resistant ≥5000 times). The global annual shipment volume of medical tablets has been 1.2 million units, and the rate of products that are compliant with ISO 13485 certification is 65%.
E-readers such as Kindle, as a separate tablet category, saw sales fall to 18.6 million units in 2023 (an 8% year-over-year decline), although E-Ink screen devices still accounted for 92% of sales in this category with an average battery life of 4 weeks (1 hour of reading per day). Children’s safety tablets (e.g., VTech) have enhanced the parental control capability, with a content filtering accuracy of 98%. Their hardware capability is typically weak (RAM≤2GB, storage ≤32GB), and the unit price is clumped between 80 to 150 US dollars.
Foldable screen tablets (e.g., Samsung Galaxy Z Fold) are a new type. Shipments increased by 85% year-over-year to 5.2 million in 2023. Median screen size when opened is 8.3 inches, and hinge life is up to 200,000 folds (about 10 years if opened and closed 50 times a day). Military-grade tablets (e.g., DT Research LT series) are built to withstand extreme environments’ demands, and prices range up to $5,000 – $20,000. They have anti-electromagnetic pulse (EMP 50 kV/m) and bulletproof capabilities (MIL-STD-810H compliance), and their year-over-year growth is consistent at 6.5%.
From the perspective of technical parameters, types of tablets can be further classified by processor architecture: ARM architecture devices (such as iPadOS tablets) account for 73%, X86 architecture (Windows tablets) accounts for 25%, and emerging architectures such as RISC-V account for 2%. The screen technology differences are significant: LCD screen-to-body ratio is 58% (median cost $120), OLED screen-to-body ratio is 34% (color accuracy ΔE≤1.2), and Mini LED screen-to-body ratio is 8% (peak brightness 1600 nits). According to IDC data, the type distribution of tablet computers in 2023 presented a long-tail feature – the top three categories (consumer entertainment, 2-in-1, and education) accounted for 82% of the sales volume, and the remaining 18% were composed of types of tablets for medical, industrial, etc., reflecting the trends of market segmentation and technology specialization.