High-Performance Small Tablets Market Rising: Expected Output to Reach 4.6 Million Units by 2025
According to a report from Sigmaintell, high-performance small tablets are gradually becoming a new emerging product category in the market. Data shows that the global output of high-performance small tablets reached approximately 3.2 million units in 2024. With the support of national subsidies and the increasing demand for gaming and office applications, it is expected that the output will reach 4.6 million units by 2025, representing a year-on-year growth of 45%. In 2025, the domestic market is expected to account for approximately 230 million units, representing a year-on-year growth of 116%.
From the perspective of high-performance small tablets' output structure, the North American market accounted for approximately 60% in 2024, mainly driven by iPad Mini, with users mainly comprising high-end consumers. The Chinese mainland market accounted for approximately 28%, excluding iPad Mini, and has formed a stable fan base for Lenovo's Y700 series, pushing local brands to continue their follow-up efforts.
In terms of brands, Apple (AAPL.US) remains the dominant player in the small tablet market due to its early layout and iPad OS ecosystem advantages. However, starting from 2025, Android/Huawei camp will accelerate the change in brand dynamics: Lenovo's Y700 series continues to update, forming a "gaming+audio" dual-scene orientation; Xiaomi (01810) and Redmi focus on gaming high-performance routes, emphasizing SoC, cooling, and refresh rate selling points; Huawei also has related new product plans, which may join the "portable office" dimension competition. Overall, future brand competition will show a trend of differentiation: Apple focuses on ecology and lightweight office; Lenovo, Redmi, and Xiaomi focus on gaming and extreme performance; and Huawei may leverage HarmonyOS to build a scenario force.
Supply Chain Revaluation, Focusing on Four Major Modules: Panel, Communication, Battery, and Chip
As the market for high-performance small tablets rises, manufacturers are driving the supply chain from "cost-driven" to "value-driven" upgrades. Compared to traditional 11-inch+ entry-level tablets, new small-sized flagship products not only require higher panel quality but also demand better communication connectivity, battery design, and processor performance, which will drive up the value of entire high-end component supply chains.
Panel: OLED Trend Accelerates, Small-Sized Price Gap Narrows
From a panel perspective, display specifications have become one of the key identifying features of high-performance small tablets. For example, Apple's iPad Mini (A17 Pro) uses a 60Hz refresh rate LCD screen, which cannot meet gamers' demands for high refresh rates and low latency. Android camp has been earlier in introducing high-refresh configurations in 8-9-inch products, such as Lenovo Y700 series and Redmi K Pad, establishing "small-screen flagship" performance advantages and market recognition.
However, starting from 2025, some brands have begun to introduce OLED panels in 8-9-inch products. Redmi has released an OLED version of its new small-sized flagship tablet, while other brands are planning similar moves. With the natural fit of self-emitting, high contrast, and lightweight design advantages, OLED technology is well-suited for mobile gaming and lightweight industrial design.
Additionally, unlike the long-standing high price of OLED panels in 12-inch+ large-sized tablets, the premium pressure on small-sized products is relatively controllable, allowing manufacturers to test high-end panel upgrades on key models. Sigmaintell predicts that starting from 2026, with iPad Mini's official transition to OLED screens, Android camp will accelerate its follow-up pace, and OLED may become the mainstream display configuration for high-performance small tablets.
Communication: Portable Connection Becomes a "Productivity Keystone"
Next, communication capabilities have become an important differentiator for this size segment. Unlike traditional 11-inch+ Wi-Fi-based household scenarios, 8-9-inch tablets are more portable and users tend to use them as "pocket productivity tools" or gaming handhelds, making strong connectivity a key feature.
Battery System: Borrowing from Flagship Phone Pathways, Upgrades Are Inevitable
The battery system upgrade is also an important ring in the overall product power. With high-refresh OLED screens, cellular data transmission, and flagship-level SoC simultaneously running, traditional 5000-6000mAh capacity seems inadequate. Therefore, it is expected that starting from 2026, high-performance small tablets will borrow from flagship phone evolution paths to upgrade to larger capacities, graphite materials, and fast charging.
Processor Chip: Flagship SoC Becomes a Benchmark, Performance Release Headed Toward High-End Smartphones
High-performance small tablets generally feature flagship-level mobile processors, which have become an important identifier for this product category. This trend is full-scale benchmarking high-end smartphones, supporting high-frame gaming, AI processing, and multi-task lightweight office applications.
Overall, 8-9-inch high-performance small tablets are gradually moving out of the traditional "entertainment" positioning and extending toward "gaming enhancement" and "portable office" directions, driven by market competition. However, Sigmaintell believes that this emerging market still has uncertainty: on one hand, foldable phone screens may break through in terms of portability and performance experience, potentially replacing high-end users' demand for small tablets; on the other hand, traditional smartphones also pose a competitive threat to their lower-priced products.