HYBRID DEVICES MARKET ANALYSIS

Hybrid devices combine the productivity, portability, flexibility of a keyboard, and touch interface in a single device. They are the combination of laptop computers and tablets, in which a laptop has a removable screen that transforms into a tablet when detached. Moreover, hybrid devices are designed to achieve improved or additional tablet functionality through the use of keyboards in order to meet consumer business and media-consumption needs.

The global hybrid devices market is estimated to be valued at US$ 30,685.00 million in 2021 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 17.7 % over the forecast period (2021-2028).

Recent Developments:

In September 2020, LG Corporation, a South Korea based consumer electronics company teased a new smartphone-tablet hybrid with slide-out display.

In July 2021, Lenovo Corporation, a China based consumer electronics company launched 2-in-1 laptops with detachable keyboards for India market.

Statistics:

Figure 1. Global Hybrid Devices Market Value (US$ Mn), by Region, 2020

North America held dominant position in the global hybrid devices market in 2020, accounting for 34.9% share in terms of value, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific respectively.

Market Dynamics- Drivers

1. High demand for devices with increased battery life is expected to drive growth of the global hybrid devices market during the forecast period

The battery life of electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, and tablets is a major concern for consumers. Hybrid devices fulfill the demand of these consumers for heightened battery life, given that they last longer in operation than conventional laptops. These devices are assembled with two batteries: a primary battery located in the screen and a secondary battery located in the dock itself. For example, Toshiba’s Portege Z20t offers up to 17 hours of battery life with the keyboard dock attached, and 9 hours of battery life in tablet mode. Moreover, convertible laptops often feature Intel Atom or low-power Intel Core processors, which lead to these devices having good battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad 10 falls under this category, running on an Intel Atom processor with 10 hours of battery life; this is more than most laptops, such as Lenovo’s IdeaPad and Essential series. Therefore, these factors are expected to drive growth of the global hybrid devices market during the forecast period.

2. Increasing use of the touchscreen for navigation is expected to propel the global hybrid devices market growth over the forecast period

Touchscreen technology is the uninterrupted control type of motion-based technology. A touchscreen display is an electronic visual display capable of ‘locating’ and effectively ‘detecting’ a touch over its display area. Touch screen displays are sensitive to the touch of passive objects like the stylus, hand pointed fingernail, and a human finger. Touchscreen technology used in hybrid devices makes interaction with the system faster, quicker, and more intuitive than using a touchpad or mouse. Additional inputs, such as stylus, make complex tasks such as drawing and taking notes easier in hybrid devices. Hence, these factors are expected to propel the global hybrid devices market growth over the forecast period.

Market Opportunity

1. Beaming hybrids to televisions using wireless display technology can present lucrative growth opportunities in the global hybrid devices market

Wireless display (WiDi) technology, industrialized by Intel, empowers users to stream movies, videos, photos, and music wirelessly from a compatible laptop or computer to a compatible HDTV. This technology could be used in connecting hybrid devices to the television. Moreover, enterprises are also moving towards wireless display technology in order to share laptop screens with the projector for hassle-free presentations in the conference room.

2. Switching operating system from Windows to Android can provide major business opportunities in the global hybrid devices market

One of the first hybrid laptops introduced in the market was the ASUS Transformer Book T100, featuring Windows 8 OS. Since then, only Windows operating systems were installed and operated in hybrid devices. As of 2014, there were no OS options available for hybrid devices other than Microsoft Windows. In Windows 8.1, the apps and the whole ecosystem including its new “Tiles” GUI were found to be less convenient and offered fewer quality applications than other operating systems, such as Google Android and Apple iOS.

Market Trends

1. Europe Trends

The hybrid device market in Europe is predicted to experience steady growth. In the region, the growth of the hybrid device market is mainly driven by increasing adoption of tablets and 2-in-1s for commercial purposes. This has led to greater adoption of these devices by business organizations in the region. Moreover, hybrid device sales in Europe are driven by owners seeking to replace older machines running Windows XP and Windows 7 with Windows 8 or the recently launched Windows 10 operating systems. France, the U.K., Nordic countries, and Germany remain at the front of this trend, as hybrid device adoption has become a part of digital strategies and mobility in the public as much as in the private sector.

2. Latin America Trends

Programs such as “One Laptop per Child (OLPC)” have increased the demand for hybrid devices driving the growth of this market in Latin America. “One Laptop per Child (OLPC)” was organized to direct the development of educational devices for use in the developing world. The term “One-to-One” refers to the ratio of digital devices per child so that each child is provided with a digital device, most often a laptop, to facilitate learning. Consequently, in 2009, Uruguay became the first country in the world to distribute a laptop to every primary school child in public education. Furthermore, the spending power of Latin America’s growing middle class for hybrid devices has increased a great deal in recent years and is expected to continue to do so in the future.

Figure 2. Global Hybrid Devices Market Share, By Screen Size, 2020

Key Takeaways of the Graph:

• The 12 inch to 15 inch (12”-15”) held dominant position in the market and accounted for 3% share in the global hybrid devices market in 2020. The segment is expected to reach US$ 45,431.95 million in 2028. This is owing to ease of operation and comfort offered by the 12 inch to 15 inch devices.

Market Dynamics- Restraints

1. High cost associated with hybrid devices is expected to restrain growth of the global hybrid devices market during the forecast period

Despite the dual functionality as tablets and laptops, high cost of hybrid devices is obstructing its adoption and productivity. For instance, the well-known and efficient Microsoft hybrid device Surface Pro 2 is available in the market at a cost of US$ 1,028 for the 64 GB configuration and US$ 1,128 for the 128 GB configuration. Meanwhile, the 11-inch MacBook Air starts at a price of US$ 999 for the 128 GB capacity variant. However, there are also some relatively affordable Ultrabook hybrids in the market; including the Yoga 2 Pro, which is packed with enhanced features and has a starting price of US$ 929. Therefore, these factors are expected to restrain growth of the global hybrid devices market during the forecast period.

2. Heavyweight of devices is expected to hinder the global hybrid devices market growth over the forecast period

For a hybrid device that needs to be an efficient product, it should primarily be a good tablet and a good laptop second. There are many slim, lightweight, and inexpensive laptops at present, so the only function that makes hybrid devices superior is their convertibility into tablets. However, these hybrid devices fail to fulfill their tablet functionality when it comes to their weight. Hybrid devices, especially convertible ones, are heavier than the average tablets. Moreover, some convertible hybrids, such as Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S, compromise by having the laptop keys exposed on the back of the tablet. Therefore, these factors are expected to hinder the global hybrid devices market growth over the forecast period.

Competitive Section

Major companies involved in the global hybrid devices market are LG Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Fujitsu Ltd, Lenovo Group, Toshiba Corporation, ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Dell Inc., Samsung Corporation, Acer Inc., and Hewlett-Packard Development Company.

Key Developments

1. In May 2020, Microsoft Corporation launched a new surface family of devices Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3.
2. In August 2020, Lenovo Group launched New Lenovo 100e 2^nd Gen and Lenovo 300e 2^nd Gen laptops powered by AMD for VR education.