Global PC Shipments Up 6.7% YoY in Q1 2025 Amid US Tariff Anticipation

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Global PC Shipments Up 6.7% YoY in Q1 2025 Amid US Tariff Anticipation

Apr 22, 2025

• The global PC market’s shipments rose 6.7% YoY in Q1 2025, driven by pull-ins in anticipation of US tariffs and growing adoption of AI-enabled PCs.

• Apple and Lenovo, with over 10% YoY shipment growth, outperformed other brands, further consolidating the market around major brands.

• Global PC manufacturing footprint remains heavily concentrated in China, posing significant challenges for the industry in mitigating tariff risks in the near term

• US tariff policies have caused uncertainty in the PC industry, potentially dampening the growth momentum of AI PCs.

Seoul, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, San Diego, Taipei, Tokyo – April 22, 2025

Global PC shipments grew 6.7% YoY in Q1 2025 to reach 61.4 million units, according to Counterpoint Research’s preliminary data. The growth was mainly driven by PC vendors accelerating shipments ahead of US tariffs and the increasing adoption of AI-enabled PCs amid the end of Windows 10 support. However, this surge may be short-lived, as inventory levels are likely to stabilize in the next few weeks. The impact of the US tariffs is expected to dampen the growth momentum in 2025.

Apple and Lenovo delivered strong performances in the quarter, largely due to new product launches and market dynamics. Apple experienced 17% YoY growth in shipments, driven by its AI-capable M4-based MacBook series. Lenovo’s 11% growth reflected its expansion into AI-enabled PCs and its diversified product portfolio. Lenovo remained the brand with the largest market share during the quarter. HP and Dell, on the other hand, benefited from the US market pull-ins during the quarter, with 6% and 4% YoY growth respectively, and maintained their second and third places in Q1. We also found that the pull-ins happened for other major brands too ahead of the tariff uncertainty, leading to the market share further consolidating around major brands.

Senior Analyst William Li noted, “Going forward, competitive dynamics will be shaped by OEMs’ ability to diversify their supply chains and manufacturing bases, in addition to positioning themselves to offer the best AI PC experiences by striking key ecosystem partnerships, from silicon to software to model vendors.”

The global PC manufacturing landscape remains predominantly centered in China, posing significant challenges for the industry in mitigating tariff risks in the near term. Despite recent US exemptions removing tariffs on laptops, uncertainty persists as the Trump administration is planning to impose new duties on semiconductors and other tech products within the next quarter. We expect laptop ODMs (original design manufacturers) and EMS (electronics manufacturing services) will continue to accelerate the shifting of manufacturing from China to other countries, such as Vietnam, India and Mexico, despite these countries also facing different levels of tariffs. We believe the top priority for PC vendors is to shift manufacturing of all products destined for the US market to non-China manufacturing lines.

Overall, US tariff policies have caused uncertainty in the PC industry in 2025, with manufacturers facing escalating costs and potential supply and demand contraction. While temporary exemptions on certain electronic devices like smartphones and laptops have provided temporary relief, the expected US tariffs on semiconductors threaten to disrupt supply chains and dampen demand and investment in AI infrastructure and devices.

Associate Director David Naranjo said, “The US market remains the most important market for AI PCs to demonstrate their capabilities and the best market to sell advanced AI-enabled devices. High tariffs, or tariff policy uncertainties, will likely discourage consumers or enterprises from buying new devices with additional costs, which in turn will suppress growth and increase in penetration. The lingering global economic uncertainty will also pose a downside risk to our forecast of a mid-single-digit YoY shipment growth of the PC market in 2025.”

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Counterpoint Research is a tech market research firm providing market data, industry thought leadership and consulting across the technology ecosystem. We advise a diverse range of clients spanning smartphone OEMs to chipmakers, channel players to big brands and Big Tech through our offices which serve the major innovation hubs, manufacturing clusters and commercial centers globally. Our analyst team engages with C-suite through to strategy, AR, MI, BI, product and marketing professionals in the delivery of our research and services. Our key areas of coverage: AI, Autos, Consumer Electronics, Displays, eSIM, IoT, Location Platforms, Macroeconomics, Manufacturing, Networks & Infra, Semiconductors, Smartphones and Wearables.
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