India's traditional PC market saw a revival in 2024, bouncing back with a healthy 3.8% year-over-year (YoY) growth, according to the latest data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. The total shipments—including desktops, notebooks, and workstations—reached 14.4 million units for the year, with signs of consistent recovery across both consumer and commercial segments.
This resurgence marks a significant comeback for a market that had shown signs of stagnation post-pandemic, driven by remote work fatigue and uncertain macroeconomic conditions. The combination of robust commercial demand, strong year-end online promotions, and government procurement momentum helped the PC ecosystem in India navigate through competition and consumer shifts.
Notebook and Workstation Segments Lead Growth
Among the three categories—desktops, notebooks, and workstations—notebooks remained the volume driver, with a YoY growth of 4.5%, underscoring their importance in both home and enterprise setups. Meanwhile, desktop shipments also posted modest growth of 1.8%, supported by demand from education and small businesses.
The real standout, however, was the workstation segment, which registered a 10.9% YoY growth, the highest among all categories. This suggests an increasing demand for high-performance machines among professionals in fields such as design, engineering, media production, and data-intensive roles.
4Q24 Ends Strong, Setting the Stage for 2025
The PC market closed the year on a strong note. In Q4 2024, shipments grew 6.9% YoY, driven by a 9.6% YoY increase in notebook shipments. Premium notebook models (priced above US$1,000) saw a particularly strong uptick of 13.8% YoY across the full year, signaling a shift in consumer behavior toward more powerful, future-ready devices.
Late December stocking by vendors in preparation for Republic Day sales in January 2025, coupled with high online promotions and cashback offers, created a surge in retail momentum, particularly in the consumer notebook segment.
Consumer Segment : Slow Growth, but eTailer Channels Shine
The consumer PC segment saw a modest 2.6% YoY growth in 2024 and a 2.2% increase in 4Q24, as consumer confidence remained cautious but stable. The real growth engine in this segment came from the eTailer channel, which grew by 21.7% YoY in 2024 and 29% YoY in the fourth quarter alone.
Online retail platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and brand-specific stores capitalized on demand spikes during major sale seasons. Brands that were agile in offering discounts and financing options gained traction, particularly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where affordability and value-for-money drive purchase decisions.
Commercial Segment: Government and Enterprise Demand Drives Momentum
The commercial segment posted 5.1% YoY growth in 2024 and an impressive 11.1% YoY growth in 4Q24, buoyed by procurement from global enterprises and government departments. The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) played a crucial role in boosting government buying activity, with both the enterprise and government verticals growing by 10.6% YoY each during the year. Notably, Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) also contributed significantly, especially in verticals like education, healthcare, and retail. Hybrid work models and the need for digital transformation kept demand steady across commercial verticals.
Top 5 Vendors: Market Share and Strategy Breakdown
1. HP Inc. – Leading from the Front
HP Inc. maintained its leadership position in the Indian PC market with a 30.1% share in 2024. The company led both the consumer and commercial segments. While its commercial performance was strong—14.7% YoY growth in the government sector and 14.3% in enterprise—its consumer business declined by 7.5%, largely due to increasing competition in the online retail space. HP’s success in commercial was attributed to a focused portfolio for education and government verticals, while its consumer performance showed the need for renewed pricing and channel strategies amid rising price sensitivity.
2. Lenovo – Consistent Growth Across Segments
Lenovo ranked second with a 17.2% market share, showcasing 7% growth in the consumer segment and 7.4% in commercial. Its success was driven by shipments to the enterprise segment and a well-managed eTailer channel strategy. Lenovo’s appeal across price bands and continued investment in local manufacturing helped it maintain steady momentum. The company remained strong in both urban and semi-urban markets and focused on hybrid work solutions, digital learning tools, and gaming PCs—all of which contributed to its all-round performance.
3. Dell Technologies – Commercial Strength, Consumer Challenge
Dell Technologies secured the third spot with a 16.1% market share. It retained the second position in the commercial segment with a 21% share, driven by strong performance in enterprise and SMB markets. However, Dell struggled in the consumer segment, slipping to fifth place due to stiff competition and limited traction in the value-conscious market. With just 3.9% YoY growth in the consumer space, the company’s challenge remains in balancing premium offerings with volume-driven affordability.
4. Acer Group – Fastest Growing Vendor
Acer had a breakout year, registering the highest growth among the top five vendors, finishing with a 15.1% share. It saw a staggering 48.4% YoY growth in the consumer segment, thanks to aggressive pricing, festive season promotions, and strategic channel stocking.
Acer also grew 16.6% YoY in commercial, supported by demand from SMBs and government orders. The company’s focus on affordability, especially in the sub-$500 segment, resonated well with cost-sensitive consumers and businesses alike.
5. Asus – Betting Big on Commercial
Asus rounded out the top five with a 7% market share, despite a 7.8% YoY decline in overall shipments. The vendor adopted a cautious approach in 2024, focusing on maintaining healthy inventory levels rather than overextending channel supplies. On the positive side, Asus recorded a noteworthy 18.4% YoY growth in the commercial segment, indicating a strategic shift toward enterprise and SMB accounts. With new commercial product lines and business-specific models, Asus appears to be laying the groundwork for long-term B2B growth.
Key Trends Defining India’s PC Market in 2024
1. Rise of Premium Devices
There was a clear shift toward premium notebooks, with units priced above US$1,000 growing 13.8% YoY. Professionals, gamers, and creators are increasingly opting for high-performance devices, driven by productivity, entertainment, and content creation needs.
2. eTailer-Led Sales Cycles
Online channels became a powerful force, especially in Tier 2/3 cities. Consumers responded strongly to cashback offers, exchange deals, and EMIs, creating an ongoing cycle of e-commerce-driven demand during festive seasons.
3. Government Digitization Initiatives
Projects under GeM, public sector education rollouts, and government office modernization played a pivotal role in commercial growth. Brands with strong government sales channels gained a clear edge.
4. Demand for Workstations and Creator PCs
With more creative professionals, engineers, and designers working remotely or in hybrid environments, demand for workstations and creator-centric devices grew rapidly. Expect this trend to continue in 2025 as more companies prioritize power and performance.
Looking Ahead: What to Expect in 2025
As India continues to digitize at scale, the PC market is poised for further evolution in 2025. Commercial demand will likely stay robust, aided by growing enterprise and government procurement. The consumer side could see greater fragmentation, with competition intensifying in the entry-to-mid tier segments and a growing focus on gaming, AI-integrated PCs, and hybrid work solutions.
As India’s PC market charts a course of steady growth, a significant disruption is on the horizon — the rise of AI PCs. Industry analysts believe 2025 will mark the beginning of a new computing era, where AI-enabled PCs equipped with on-device neural processing units (NPUs) will begin to replace traditional models. These machines will deliver improved performance, enhanced security, and superior energy efficiency, making them highly attractive for both enterprise and individual users.
With Make-in-India efforts gaining traction, local manufacturing will also play a key role in pricing competitiveness and supply chain resilience.
Key to success in 2025 will be a brand’s ability to align pricing, performance, and channel strength—especially in a market as diverse and fast-changing as India.
Leading global OEMs such as HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Acer have already started showcasing AI PC prototypes and announced roadmaps for broader availability in the second half of 2025. These AI PCs, powered by next-gen chips from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm, will support on-device generative AI capabilities like real-time transcription, intelligent summarization, image creation, and performance optimization — all without needing cloud connectivity. In the Indian context, adoption is expected to be gradual but promising. Large enterprises, IT services firms, design studios, and software developers are likely to be the first movers, leveraging AI PCs for faster workloads, local inference capabilities, and tighter data security. Moreover, government departments with sensitive workloads may also turn to AI PCs for localized processing without relying on external cloud services.
Consumer adoption could take slightly longer, as price sensitivity remains high in India. However, mid-to-premium notebook segments — particularly those in the ₹70,000-plus price bracket — may see early traction as brands bundle AI features for productivity, content creation, and personalized user experiences. According to IDC, the premium notebook segment (>US$1,000) already grew by 13.8% YoY in 2024, indicating a growing appetite for high-end machines.
Retailers and eTailers are expected to play a key role in building awareness around AI PCs, showcasing real-world use cases like video editing, AI-based learning tools, or adaptive performance in gaming. If coupled with bank offers and festive pricing, AI PCs could become an aspirational category by late 2025.
In sum, while 2024 was marked by stable recovery and growth in India’s PC market, 2025 could be a transformational year — not just in terms of volume, but in redefining what a PC is capable of. The race for AI PC leadership will test vendor agility, channel readiness, and most importantly, how well brands can align innovation with India’s diverse customer needs.
