IDC's top ten tablet predictions: 5G tablets are coming to the market, but the initial market remains to be seen

IDC pointed out that 5G tablets will be officially launched in 2020, but the initial market remains to be seen. It is expected that only after 5G mobile phones become popular, 5G tablets will usher in a period of rapid growth, but it also depends on terminal prices and tariffs. In the future, the tablet market will still be dominated by Wi-Fi connections, and 5G tablets will grab more market share from 4G tablets.

The following are the top ten predictions for the Chinese tablet market:

Prediction 1: The consumer market will show a downward trend

2014 was the last peak period for tablet shipments. After four consecutive years of decline, tablets entered a replacement cycle in 2019. This year, the innovation of new product technology configurations by leading manufacturers also boosted market growth. However, in the long run, it is difficult for consumer market demand to increase significantly. It is expected to decline by 6% year-on-year in 2020, showing a downward trend. The decline will slow down thereafter, and it is expected to still decline by 3% year-on-year in 2023.

Prediction 2: The education industry will become the main driving force of the commercial market

Based on the guidance of the national "Education Modernization 2035" and the implementation of the "Education Informatization 2.0" plan, while attaching importance to platform construction, local education departments will continue to actively guide and encourage students to buy tablets for daily learning to improve learning efficiency; and the education informatization in the eastern coastal developed areas is becoming more and more perfect, and the national financial support will be mainly concentrated in the central and western regions in the future. It is expected that the education industry will grow by 5% year-on-year in 2020 and continue to maintain growth in the next 2-3 years, becoming the main driving force of the commercial market.

Prediction 3: Detachable (supports pluggable keyboard) tablets will grow rapidly

It is expected that detachable tablets (supporting pluggable keyboards) will continue to maintain a high growth trend in 2020, with a growth rate of nearly 60%. Under the guidance of leading manufacturers, more and more tablets will change their single entertainment attribute in the future. On the premise of supporting stylus and pluggable keyboards, they will enhance the collaborative experience with software applications, strengthen lightweight office scene applications and increase the frequency of daily use.

Prediction 4: AI voice will be more widely used on tablets

It is expected that more tablets will support AI voice technology in the future. In 2019, the proportion of tablets supporting AI voice reached 59%, and it is expected to reach 65% in 2020. With the advent of 5G and the Internet of Things era and the popularization of smart home devices, tablets equipped with voice platform technology will also become a carrier for linking and managing smart home devices.

Prediction 5: More tablets will be equipped with 3D hardware systems

It is expected that more tablets will be equipped with 3D hardware systems in the future, paving the way for more AR/VR devices or applications. Combined with AI voice, tablets will play a greater role in commercial markets such as games, education, and security.

It is predicted that the refresh rate of the six-screen will be further improved

It is expected that more tablets will use high refresh rate screens of 90Hz or 120Hz. With the popularization of full-screen and hole-punch screen technologies, in addition to the increasing size, screen-to-body ratio, and resolution of tablet screens in the future, the screen refresh rate will also be further improved, thereby improving fluency and experience.

Predictions: Tablet computing performance will continue to improve

Affected by the smartphone market, consumers' demand for high RAM and ROM storage will continue to increase. Tablets with 4GB/6GB+128GB combinations have the most obvious growth, with a year-on-year growth rate of more than 100% in 2019, and 6GB+256GB will also gain more market space. As more and more tablets begin to use the flagship chips of the year, tablet computing performance will continue to improve.

Prediction 8: More segmented usage scenarios

The use of tablets by users in the consumer market will be divided into scenarios such as audio-visual entertainment, education, games, and office work. The division of tablets according to different user needs will also become more obvious: low-end products are used for audio-visual entertainment and education, mid-range products are used for a combination of audio-visual games and light office work, and high-end products will become professional office and productivity tools. Consumers will choose different products according to their own needs.

It is predicted that 5G tablets will be launched soon, but the initial market remains to be seen

5G tablets will be officially launched in 2020, but the initial market remains to be seen. It is expected that only after 5G mobile phones become popular, 5G tablets will usher in a period of rapid growth, but it also depends on terminal prices and tariffs. In the future, the tablet market will still be dominated by Wi-Fi connections, and 5G tablets will grab more market share from 4G tablets.

Prediction 10: Tablet PC unit price continues to rise

The average unit price of the tablet market is expected to reach $324 in 2021, up 8.0% from 2018. With the improvement of product computing performance, the diversification of user needs and the promotion of 5G technology, the cost of tablets will also increase accordingly. In the absence of a significant increase in market demand, the increase in unit price will also effectively increase manufacturers' profits and facilitate the development and innovation of new generation products and technologies.