Amazon tablet sales have doubled, but they're still way behind Apple and Samsung

Key Takeaways

Amazon tablets saw a remarkable increase in shipments to 4.6 million units, boosting the company’s market share to 11.6%.
Apple still leads the tablet market with a 31.7% market share, while Samsung holds second place with 17.9%.
The global tablet market grew by 20.4% in Q3 2024, reaching 39.6 million units, with Huawei and Lenovo making it into the top five.

Amazon has made a name for itself with its high-profile, budget-friendly tablets. The Fire tablets are not only functional but also come in a range of memory options, bundles, and sizes. They’re pretty popular among folks looking for an entry-level device. However, Amazon still lags behind giants like Apple and Samsung when it comes to market share. In the third quarter of this year, Amazon doubled its tablet shipments but still couldn’t catch up with the top two.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra next to Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung holds onto the top spot by the skin of its teeth in latest smartphone sales figures

Apple is closing in on Samsung again

According to market intelligence firm IDC, Amazon grabbed the third spot in Q3 2024 with shipments hitting 4.6 million units, marking an impressive year-over-year growth of 111.3%. Just a year ago, in Q3 2023, Amazon shipped 2.2 million units and held a 6.6% market share, which has now jumped to 11.6%. This crazy growth is mainly fueled by Amazon’s Prime Day deals. The company had two Prime Days this year, slashing prices on almost all its models. Plus, by the end of the quarter, Amazon updated its Fire HD 8 model with some new AI features, which likely gave sales a nice boost.

Table showing top five tablet companies in Q3 2024

Source: IDC

Apple is still in the lead, shipping 12.6 million units and boasting a 31.7% market share. But it’s not all smooth sailing for the iPhone maker — its market share was 37.7% in the same quarter last year. Samsung came in second with 7.1 million shipments and a 17.9% market share. The Korean company saw a growth of 18.3% in shipments, but its market share dipped slightly from 18.2% a year ago.

The tablet market is looking healthy

The global tablet market is looking strong as we head into 2025. Overall, it grew by 20.4%, hitting 39.6 million units in Q3 2024. Along with big names like Apple, Samsung, and Amazon, China’s Huawei and Lenovo are also among the top five. Huawei’s growth is pretty impressive at 44.1%, now holding an 8.2% market share after shipping 3.3 million units — up from 2.3 million and a 6.9% share a year ago. Lenovo shipped 3 million units, snagging a 7.6% market share. That’s an increase from 2.6 million units in Q3 2023.