Global PC shipments surge nearly five per cent in Q1 FY25

The uptick was pushed by Windows 11 replacements and US tariffs scare

Worldwide PC shipments totalled 58,947 million units in the first quarter of 2025, a 4.8 per cent increase from 56,272 million in Q1 FY24, according to preliminary results from Gartner.

Lenovo led the charge, shipping 15,275 million PCs in Q1 FY25, a 9.6 per cent increase compared to the same period last year (13,933 million).

The vendor was followed by HP and Dell, who saw Q1 increases of 5.9 per cent and 2.1 per cent respectively.

However, outside of the top three, Apple and ASUS went through tremendous year-on-year evolution in Q1, as shipments ascended seven per cent and 9.1 per cent respectively.

That increase in shipments was, according to Gartner, mainly driven by the demand from two countries: the US and Japan.

The countries’ appetites were fuelled by different reasons, explained Rish Padhi, research principal at the analyst house.

“In the US, the PC market experienced a surge in shipments as vendors increased inventory in anticipation of tariff announcements, resulting in 12.6 per cent year-on-year growth,” he said.

“In Japan, strong business PC demand driven by Windows 11 replacements, coupled with the adoption of Chromebooks, significantly contributed to shipment growth of 15.6 per cent.

“Vendors participating in the GIGA education Chromebook replacement programme capitalised on this opportunity by offering upgrades to older devices, thereby sustaining momentum in the market.”

In the US alone, 16,391 million units were shipped in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 14,559 the year prior.

Lenovo, HP, and Dell, once again made up the top three in the US, with this time HP at the top of the podium, with 4,116 million PCs shipped in Q1, a 13.1 per cent increase from 3,641 million last year.

Lenovo went through the most impressive growth in the country, climbing 20.7 per cent year-on-year, from 2,606 million PCs to 3,147 million.