Samsung Electronics Co. ranked behind Apple Inc. in the global tablet market last year in terms of shipments, industry data showed Wednesday, as the South Korean tech giant faces tough challenges from its US and Chinese rivals.

Samsung had a 13.6-percent share of the global tablet market last year, with shipments of 21.8 million tablets worldwide, according to data from market researcher Strategy Analytics.

US tech titan Apple Inc. ranked first by shipping 44.3 million tablets for a 27.7-percent market share, the data showed.

Another US tech firm, Amazon.com Inc., took the third spot with a 9.5-percent market share, followed by China's Huawei Technologies Co. with 9 percent and Lenovo Group Ltd. with 5.3 percent.

Global shipments of tablets reached 160.2 million units in 2019, down from 173.1 million units in 2018, according to Strategy Analytics, apparently hit by the U.S.-China trade dispute. Among the top five tablet vendors, only Amazon saw shipments increase in 2019, according to data. (Yonhap)