Global shipments of desktops, notebooks and workstations grew 7.4% to 67.6m units in the second quarter of 2025, according to Canalys research.
Notebook shipments (including mobile workstations) hit 53.9m units, up 7% compared with a year ago. Shipments of desktops (including desktop workstations) rose 9% to 13.7m.
Q2 volumes were driven by commercial PC deployments ahead of Windows 10 end-of-support, now only a few months away, said Canalys. Consumer demand was “weaker”, as customers globally face an “uncertain” macroeconomic future, added the analyst.
“The Trump administration’s ever-changing and unclear approach to tariffs continues to generate considerable uncertainty. While PCs were exempt from tariffs in Q2, indirect impacts threaten not only the US but the global PC market recovery,” it said.
Ben Yeh, principal analyst at Canalys, said: “US imports of PCs have dramatically shifted away from China toward Vietnam, as manufacturers seek to avoid potential tariffs, but the underlying uncertainty persists.”
The recent US-Vietnam trade deal establishes a 20% tariff on Vietnamese goods and a 40% tariff on transshipped items. “What began as straightforward China avoidance has evolved into a complex regulatory maze. The key question is whether PCs manufactured in Vietnam using Chinese components or through Chinese-controlled operations, will be classified as transshipments and face the 40% tariff,” Yeh said. “With enforcement criteria still undefined, market players face the reality that supply chain diversification alone may not provide the cost stability they initially sought.”
In Q2 2025, Lenovo retained its position as the global PC market leader, shipping 17m desktops and notebooks, a year-on-year increase of 15.2%. HP held second place with 14.1m units shipped, marking a 3.2% annual increase. Dell, in third, saw a 3% decline in shipments, totalling 9.8m units. Apple secured fourth place with “impressive” 21.3% growth, said Canalys, reaching 6.4m units and a 9.4% market share. Asus completed the top five with 18.4% growth, shipping 5m units.
