Samsung can’t bark at the big dogs in the PC market yet

For the past few years, Samsung has really tried to penetrate the PC market by releasing increasingly better and clever Windows laptops. They bear the Galaxy Book brand, offer good specifications, and can be excellent choices for Galaxy phone or tablet users looking for a lightweight Windows laptop that can enable cross-device features.

However, according to recent market insights (via Counterpoint Research), Samsung hasn't managed to challenge the established brands in the past couple of quarters. Despite its efforts, the company hasn't earned a spot in the global PC market's top five based on shipments.

In Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, Samsung seemingly held less than 6% of the global PC market in terms of shipments. Its exact market share is unspecified but should fall under 6%, as Asus, the 5th largest PC brand, captured exactly 6% of global PC shipments.

The top brand remains Lenovo, which had a 25% market share. HP and Dell captured 21% and 16%, respectively, and Apple holds 10% of the global PC market, mostly thanks to its latest MacBooks.

Samsung, on the other hand, fell into the “Others” category in terms of global shipments. For consumers, the upside is that Samsung could start offering unbeatable deals on Galaxy Book laptops more often.

The global PC market as a whole appears to have had a strong start in 2025. Shipments rose 6.7% year-on-year in Q1. Market watchers attribute this growth to pull-ins in anticipation of US tariffs and also greater interest in AI-enabled PCs now that support for Windows 10 is nearing its end.

In total, in the first quarter of 2025, all PC manufacturers combined shipped 61.4 million units globally, up from 57.5 million in Q4 2024. It isn't clear if Samsung's Galaxy laptop shipments also experienced an upward trajectory, but the global PC market appears to be in a healthy place based on shipments alone.

On the other hand, market watchers say that US tariff policies have caused uncertainty in the PC industry in 2025. As the USA remains the most important market for the emerging AI PC, there is a risk that high tariffs or policy uncertainties can discourage consumers or enterprises from making new purchases. Demand could decline by the end of 2025.