Omdia: India’s PC Market Growth Set To Reverse With 22% Decline Forecast In 2H26

Omdia India’s PC market growth set to reverse with 22% decline forecast in 2H26

By Emmanuel Oluebube, Bureau Chief, United Kingdom

India’s PC market is set for a 22 per cent decline in 2H26 as early buying and rising component costs weigh on demand, according to the latest research from Omdia. Purchases brought forward into the first half of the year to avoid higher prices are expected to weaken demand in the second half.

In 2Q26, India’s PC market grew 14 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to 4.1 million units, with notebook shipments up 13 per cent to 3.0 million units and desktop shipments up 15 per cent to 954,000 units. Separately, tablet shipments rose 11 per cent to 1.3 million units. PC growth partly reflected advanced purchases by vendors and channel partners seeking to secure inventory before expected price increases later in the year.

“The growth in Q2 looks strong on the surface, but much of it reflects purchases brought forward by both end customers and channel partners to secure PCs before the next round of price increases,” said Senior Analyst at Omdia Ashweej Aithal.

Commercial PCs led growth in 2Q26, with shipments up 19 per cent compared with 8 per cent for consumer PCs. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) were particularly active as they brought forward PC replacements to secure lower prices ahead of further anticipated increases in the second half of the year. Enterprise buying remained healthy, with companies continuing to replace existing PCs with higher-specification notebooks. Government-funded education procurement also added significant volume, with notebook shipments to the education sector up 191 per cent.

In the consumer market, online and retail promotions helped sustain purchases despite rising prices, while Apple’s notebook shipments almost doubled as its new Apple MacBook range, including the Neo, gained traction. AI-capable notebooks increased their share from 28 per cent to 44 per cent, showing a shift in shipments toward newer configurations.

For the full year, Omdia expects India’s PC market to reach 15.4 million units in 2026, down 2.6 per cent from 2025. Consumer shipments are expected to decline 6 per cent, while commercial shipments are forecast to fall 5 per cent. Education shipments are still expected to grow 63 per cent to 918,000 units, although growth should slow in H2 2026 as the current government-led procurement cycle winds down.

“Higher component costs will weigh most heavily on entry-level PCs, where budget-conscious consumers in India are particularly sensitive to price increases,” added Aithal. “Premium and gaming PCs should have more room to absorb higher costs, while enterprise buyers are likely to push ahead with necessary fleet refreshes. Meanwhile, smaller businesses are likely to be more caution and may delay upgrades or opt for models with lower specifications.”

Vendors are also adjusting configurations to maintain key price points and limit the cost increases passed on to buyers. The impact will also differ by platform, with Apple MacBook shipments expected to see a relatively smaller decline, supported by the platform’s premium positioning, tight hardware and software integration, and strong existing user base.

“The market is likely to become more divided, with higher-value PCs better able to absorb cost increases while entry-level demand faces greater pressure,” said Aithal.

India’s tablet market is undergoing a shift toward higher-value devices. In 2Q26, consumer shipments grew 12 per cent, supported by demand for premium and newer devices, while commercial shipments grew 11 per cent, led by strong SMB purchases. Enterprise demand was more stable. Apple’s shipments grew 35 per cent and Lenovo’s shipments nearly doubled, with both vendors gaining market share.

Indian tablet estimates and forecast, 2021–30

“The market is clearly shifting toward higher-value tablets, supported by demand for newer devices and higher specifications. However, the Q2 2026 increase needs to be viewed with some caution, as channel partners also stocked up ahead of expected price increases, so some purchases were brought forward,” said Aithal.

Education shipments fell 12 per cent as government tenders remained on hold and higher component costs continued to put pressure on entry-level tablets.

Omdia expects India’s tablet market to reach 5.1 million units in 2026, up 4.2 per cent YoY. This is a slower pace than the 11 per cent growth recorded in 2Q26, with growth expected to moderate over the rest of the year.

“The longer-term outlook for tablets in India is more positive. As larger displays, better specifications and productivity use become more common, tablets are moving closer to entry-level PCs in terms of user experience,” said Aithal.

India is also becoming a more important manufacturing and export base for tablets, with Samsung and Lenovo already using local production to serve overseas markets and other brands looking to expand their manufacturing footprints. This could give vendors more flexibility in managing supply and costs as the domestic market becomes more price-sensitive.