On April 2, market research firm Omdia released its latest report on China's PC and tablet shipments. According to the data, China's PC market grew 6% in 2025, reaching a total of 42.1 million units. The growth was mainly supported by strong demand from businesses and government buyers, while consumer spending stayed relatively stable in the first half of the year.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, the momentum slowed noticeably. Total PC shipments came in at 11.5 million units, basically flat compared with the same period last year. Desktops performed strongly, surging 35% to 4 million units thanks to continued enterprise upgrades and government procurement projects. However, notebooks struggled - shipments dropped 13% to 7.5 million units. Even with government subsidies still in place, ordinary consumers appeared to be cutting back on purchases.
The tablet market, by contrast, remained one of the brighter spots. Tablet shipments grew 10% year-over-year to 9.1 million units in the fourth quarter.
For the whole of 2025, tablets clearly outperformed traditional PCs. Total tablet shipments increased 14% to 36 million units, helped by consumer subsidy policies and wider use in commercial settings.
Looking ahead to 2026, the outlook is more challenging. Omdia expects both markets to face headwinds as subsidies start to shrink and component costs - particularly memory prices - continue to rise. PC shipments are forecast to decline 10% to 37.9 million units, with the consumer segment likely to see a steeper 12% drop.
Tablet shipments are also expected to fall after last year's strong performance. Omdia predicts an 11% decline in 2026, bringing the total down to 32 million units.
It looks like the boost from subsidies and earlier upgrades is fading, and rising hardware costs are starting to weigh on the market. Both PC and tablet makers will need to prepare for a tougher year ahead.
