Global tablet shipments are expected to hit the level of 40 million units in the third quarter of 2018, up from 37.08 million units in the second quarter, with the growth momentum to be partly generated by the launch of new models by Apple, Digitimes Research estimates.

Apple is expected to release two new iPad Pro models for 2018 in the third quarter, which is expected to drive up the firm's tablet shipments in the high season. In addition, Amazon's Prime Day global promotion campaigns in mid-July, Huawei's launch of two new budget-level tablets, as well as stable demand for white-box tablets will combine to push up the global tablet shipments in the quarter.

But global tablet shipments for the whole 2018 are forecast to reach 150 million units, down 4-5% on year.

Statistics from Digitimes Research show that the second-quarter global tablet shipments of 37.08 million units represented a sequential increase of 13.6% and an annual growth of 11%. The growth was mainly attributed to shipments of both Apple and non-Apple tablets not affected by low-season effects for the second quarter and those of white-box tablets performing better than expected due to increased demand from the customization market.

In terms of second-quarter shipment performances by brand vendors, both Samsung and Lenovo saw slight decreases in tablet shipments, Apple and Huawei enjoyed significant shipment increases, while Amazon registered a flat performance.

In the second quarter, 7.x-inch tablets saw a slowdown in shipment decline, thus still able to sustain a 15% share of the global tablet market. This indicates that low-end models still have their own market space.

As Apple is set to release new iPad Pro models in the third quarter, second-quarter shipments of 12-inch iPad Pro devices were relatively lower than expected, significantly dragging down the market shares for tablets sized 11.x-inch and above in the quarter.