Acer officials introduce a concept gaming laptop at IFA in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 4, 2024. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News 

MANILA — Acer remained the top choice for laptop buyers in the Philippines in 2024, with one of three consumers preferring the brand, according to market research firm GfK.

The Taiwanese tech giant grabbed a 35.7 percent market share of the combined consumer and gaming laptop markets, according to third-party survey data by GfK, which is a division of NIQ, formerly Nielsen.

Acer had a 34.2 market share in the consumer notebook category and a 40.7 percent market share in the gaming notebook category. These were the highest market shares for Acer since 2020 for both categories.

The market survey also showed that after surging in 2021 with over 1.1 million units sold, the laptop market has since gradually tapered to near levels seen in 2020, when the pandemic hit and sent consumers scrambling for laptops as work from home and online schooling became the norm.

From almost a million units shipped in 2022, laptop sales slipped to 824,244 units in 2023, and then 785,883 units in 2024.

The bright spot for notebook vendors was gaming laptops, which showed no signs of slowing down since the pandemic. From just 97,434 gaming laptops sold in 2020, sales had shot up to 172,590 in 2023, and 186,237 in 2024.

GfK showed that Acer had two out of every five gaming laptops sold in the Philippines. Acer's Predator brand is known to hold massive gaming events and sponsor esports teams. Acer said Predator has always focused on growing the esports community through events like the Asia Pacific Predator League.

“These initiatives have built stronger brand equity, resulting in customers recognizing and trusting Acer and its products. For 2025 and beyond, our consumers can only expect the best of what we can offer,” said Sue Ong-Lim, Acer Philippines Managing Director.

Acer also credited its strong nationwide presence for maintaining its market lead. The Taiwanese tech giant maintains concept stores and sells through authorized dealers as well as online stores in e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee.

IDC, another tech industry tracker, said that in 2024, PC vendors shipped 262.7 million units, up 1 percent from 2023.