Mint Explainer | Why computers, laptops and tablets are selling like hot cakes again
Both consumer and commercial PC shipments hit record highs in the September 2025 quarter. What's driving this growth and who's winning this race?
Sales of laptops, desktops and tablets had a largely bad time in India after a pandemic boom. But after some recovery in 2024, laptop and tablet makers are doing brisk business again. Shipments of all personal computers (PCs) reached a record high of 4.9 million units in the quarter ended September, according to research firm IDC.
What caused the turnaround and which companies stand to gain from this surge? Mint explains.
How did PC sales do this year in India?
Extremely well. According to IDC, all three kinds of personal computers – desktops, laptops and office workstations – grew 10 to 14% year on year in the quarter ended September as shipments hit a record high. Much of this growth came from small and medium businesses and big offices replacing older PCs.
Regular shoppers bought PCs too, and shipments this past quarter were at a record high of 2.8 million units. Notebooks made up the bulk of these consumer sales as students waited for festive season discounts to buy new devices.
Were sales like this throughout the year?
No. While PC sales had risen 5.7% year on year in the January-June period, consumer shipments declined by 3.9% in the June quarter. This is because retailers sold fewer premium notebooks (priced over $1,000) and focused on budget devices instead.
Online retailers used the summer months to clear out older inventory on discount and so, did not order new computers, hurting shipment volumes. Instead, they anticipated buyers would buy new PCs during Independence Day and other sales that run through the second half of the year. As IDC’s data shows, growth in consumer PCs moved to the second half of this year.
Which PC makers are winning in this consumer surge?
HP is the largest PC brand in India with 26% market share, but its consumer segment declined more than 10% year on year in the September quarter. IDC said in a note last week that HP faced stiff competition from new brands in the premium and entry-level segments.
Consumer sales at Lenovo, India’s second-largest PC brand overall, grew more than 14% during this period. But the big winner was Asus, now India’s second-largest consumer PC brand with an almost 6% share. Asus is known for high-end gaming laptops and accessories like headphones and keyboards designed for hardcore video game enthusiasts and professional players.
How will these trends shape the PC market?
Government contracts and office mandates are important to keep PC sales going. Consumers seem to buy PCs only if they are feature-rich (such as gaming laptops) or come with attractive festive season discounts.
In the long run, business in budget and student-focused laptops may become increasingly seasonal because retailers will keep inventory lean in the first half of the year and load up with new launches during festive and sale seasons.
What about competition from new kinds of devices, such as tablets?
iPads and tablets were once seen as viable alternatives to some PCs meant for everyday, light use. However, shipments of both detachable and slate tablets fell by about a third year on year in the January-June period, IDC said.
Regular buyers continue to pick up tablets, but offices, governments and other institutions have stopped buying them. Sales of Samsung tablets and Apple’s iPad fell by 38% and 14%, respectively, in this period, IDC data shows.
Analysts said another reason is that educational institutions – once a regular customer base – have stopped issuing tenders for tablets.
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