India’s traditional PC market is off to a robust start in 2025, with notable growth across key segments and increased demand from both consumers and enterprises. According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, the Indian PC market (including desktops, notebooks, and workstations) recorded 8.1% year-over-year (YoY) growth in Q1 2025, shipping a total of 3.3 million units. This marks the seventh consecutive quarter of growth, reflecting a sustained recovery and evolving digital needs across sectors.

Key Highlights from Q1 2025

Notebook shipments rose sharply by 13.8% YoY, indicating strong consumer and commercial uptake.

Workstation shipments increased by a significant 30.4% YoY, driven by professional demand in design, engineering, and research fields.

Desktop shipments, however, fell slightly by 2.4% YoY, due to weaker demand from government and education sectors.

Premium notebooks priced above $1,000 saw 8% growth YoY, showing demand resilience in high-end segments.

AI-powered notebooks surged by 185.1% YoY, though from a small base, signaling the start of an AI-driven trend in personal computing.

Performance Across Market Segments

Consumer Segment

The consumer PC market posted an 8.9% YoY growth, largely fueled by promotional events like Republic Day sales and a surge in March-end shipments. Online retail, in particular, proved to be a major growth driver.

E-tail (online retail) grew 21.9% YoY, underscoring the continued shift in consumer buying patterns towards digital channels.

Offline retail expansion also contributed, as brands focused on opening new brand stores and enhancing visibility at large-format retail outlets.

Commercial Segment

The commercial PC market expanded 7.5% YoY, mainly due to strong enterprise notebook demand. However, within the segment:

Commercial desktops fell by 2.5% YoY, reflecting ongoing declines in traditional desktop usage.

The government sector posted a steep 27.4% YoY decline, affecting overall desktop numbers.

Expert Insight

According to Bharath Shenoy, Research Manager at IDC India & South Asia, the consumer PC segment benefited from channel expansion and promotional strategies, including cashback offers and discounts. However, he warned of growing inventory levels across channels, which may pose short-term challenges for vendors in the coming quarters.

Top 5 PC Companies in India – Q1 2025

HP Inc. – 29.1% Market Share

Led both consumer and commercial markets.

Commercial market share: 32.7%, driven by a 60.6% YoY surge in enterprise demand.

Consumer share declined 1.4% YoY, due to inventory recalibration.

Lenovo – 18.9% Market Share

Achieved strong growth in both consumer (36.4%) and commercial (33.8%) segments.

Driven by increased demand from SMBs and enterprises, along with robust e-tail and retail performance.

Dell Technologies – 15.6% Market Share

Held 22% share in the commercial segment, ranking second in that category.

Reduced consumer shipments to manage inventory, which resulted in falling behind Apple in the consumer space.

Acer Group – 15.4% Market Share

Saw 7.6% YoY growth overall.

Notable 95.5% YoY surge in the consumer segment due to aggressive online and offline campaigns.

Commercial shipments dropped by 21.1% YoY, especially in government and education.

Asus – 6% Market Share

Achieved 8.6% YoY growth, benefiting from a leaner inventory at the start of the quarter.

Noteworthy 41.1% YoY increase in commercial PCs, though from a smaller base.

Future Outlook

Navkendar Singh, Associate VP at IDC India, South Asia & ANZ, highlighted that enterprise demand remains steady, especially from sectors seeking enhanced productivity and automation through AI-powered PCs. While the IT/ITES industry continues to be cautious in new hardware investments, efforts to optimize existing IT infrastructure remain a priority.

Additionally, gaming notebooks are contributing to consumer market growth, while AI integration is being seen as a transformative tool for security, automation, and performance improvements in both commercial and consumer computing.

Conclusion

India’s PC market has entered 2025 with renewed momentum, buoyed by innovation, evolving usage patterns, and rising enterprise investments in next-gen technologies like AI. Despite macroeconomic challenges and sector-specific slowdowns, the broader trend suggests that India’s digital-first transition is firmly underway, setting the stage for sustained PC market expansion in the coming quarters. Brands that can balance innovation, affordability, and channel reach are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries in this evolving landscape.

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