Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Tablets in Europe - statistics & facts
Is there a device between a smartphone and a laptop, a device that combines laptop capabilities and smartphone portability? That device exists, and it is the tablet. Since Apple launched their first tablet, the iPad, in 2010, the popularity of the device has dramatically grown all around the world, including Europe. In recent years, the tablet market revenue in Europe has fluctuated, reaching around just under 12 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. In the same year, around 25 million tablets were shipped throughout Western Europe.
As for brands, leading tablet vendors vary depending on the country. For instance, as of 2023, Apple is the tablet market leader in the UK, holding almost 60 percent of the UK tablet market, while Samsung leads the Spanish tablet market, occupying over 40 percent. However, tablet devices in Europe are not as widely used as in other regions. For instance, in the United States, the tablet penetration rate was forecast to reach over 66 percent in 2023, when around 222 million Americans were expected to use tablets.
Apple leads the European tablet market
After the iPad’s success, many other consumer electronics companies entered the tablet market, offering their version of the device and facing the likes of the American tech giant. Over the last decade, firms like Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Lenovo have occupied larger shares of the European tablet market, and yet Apple has always mantained its market leadership position, holding almost 50 percent of the market share in 2022. Samsung followed, occupying around one third of the market. In the same year, the two rivals shipped roughly 11 and five million units in Western Europe, respectively. By contrast, Huawei and Amazon occupied smaller shares. As for operating systems, iOS and Android have always been competing for the leading position. As of early 2023, the European tablet operating system market was almost split 50-50, with Android being slightly in advantage.Tablets popular among European consumers
Over the years, tablets have gained popularity in European countries, and today they are widely used within the region to perform several activities. In the United Kingdom, around 35 million people are forecast to be tablet users in 2023, whereas this number goes up to roughly 40 million in Germany. In southern Europe, the tablet penetration rate increased in recent years, amounting to 48 percent in France and almost 39 percent in Italy in 2023.As for brands, leading tablet vendors vary depending on the country. For instance, as of 2023, Apple is the tablet market leader in the UK, holding almost 60 percent of the UK tablet market, while Samsung leads the Spanish tablet market, occupying over 40 percent. However, tablet devices in Europe are not as widely used as in other regions. For instance, in the United States, the tablet penetration rate was forecast to reach over 66 percent in 2023, when around 222 million Americans were expected to use tablets.
