Even though there are four iPads, an AI learning machine was still purchased.

Those born in the 1980s and 1990s, who used to press the "pronunciation" button on their Wenquxing electronic dictionaries in class to listen to English words, are now taking their children around shopping malls, comparing the performance and prices of various AI learning devices.

Over the past two or three decades, students' learning aids have evolved from electronic dictionaries and point-and-read pens to AI learning devices that can cost several thousand yuan or even over ten thousand yuan each.

Data from third-party institutions shows that the Chinese AI learning device market is experiencing explosive growth. A report released by Zhiyan Consulting in June this year indicates that in 2024, the total sales volume of the Chinese AI learning device market across all channels reached 5.923 million units, a year-on-year increase of 25.5%; the sales revenue was 19.06 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 37.6% compared to 2023. In the first quarter of 2025, the total sales volume of the Chinese AI learning device market across all channels was 1.265 million units, a year-on-year increase of 29.4%. In the future, the sales revenue of AI learning devices is expected to exceed 100 billion yuan.

Which companies are tapping into the 100-billion-yuan learning device market?

"Even with four iPads at home, I still bought a learning device"

As the new school year approaches, advertisements for learning devices can be seen at bus stops on the streets, in bustling subway stations, and at busy high-speed railway stations.

"Although there are four Apple iPads at home, I still chose a learning device," said Xu Qing (a pseudonym) from Tianjin in an interview.

Xu Qing said that due to her busy work schedule and lack of time to tutor her child, she spent more than 6,800 yuan on a learning device from Xueda Education during the Double Eleven shopping festival in 2023.

"I value the courses in the learning device. They are all recorded by offline teachers, which saves the time of taking the child to offline tutoring classes. In addition, it has functions like AI dictation and exercise correction. Previously, it took me half an hour to 40 minutes to help my child with dictation every day. Now, the learning device can handle it for me, and there are also video explanations by teachers for the wrong answers," Xu Qing said.

In Xu Qing's view, using an iPad requires downloading various apps, and many course resources need to be searched for online, which is quite troublesome. A learning device, on the other hand, integrates these functions, making it more efficient. It also allows parents to monitor their child's learning progress on their mobile phones in real-time. "It's especially suitable for parents like me who can't accompany their children every day," she added.

A learning device of a certain brand. Photo by Wei Wei for China News Service

Ms. Li, a 35-year-old teacher at a middle school in Hunan, bought a learning device with a 15.6-inch screen for her kindergarten son for 3,699 yuan a year ago, considering that the family's tablet computer had a small screen. Currently, the learning device is mainly used for online art classes and watching science experiment videos.

In her opinion, the large screen of the learning device is good for eye protection, and she can control the software and usage time through the background. Whether the built-in resources are rich is not the main consideration. "I've set the usage time to one hour a day. If the child needs more time, they have to apply for an extension," she said.

Ms. Li believes that since today's children are digital natives, it's normal for them to use electronic devices. Instead of banning them, it's better to guide them to use these devices reasonably through tools and limit their usage scenarios. For example, using the learning device to watch animations can reduce their desire for mobile phones.

She also mentioned that the middle school where she works has partnered with a learning device company, and now each student has a learning tablet. The software on these tablets is controlled by the background, allowing only the installation of schoolwork-related apps. The tablets can also be linked with the smart interactive whiteboard in the classroom to achieve functions such as screen mirroring and real-time access to students' answering status.

Yang Yang (a pseudonym), an 80s parent from Hefei, Anhui, used learning products like Wenquxing when she was in school. Five years ago, when her child was about four years old, she spent about 4,000 yuan on a Seewo W2 learning device. She told China News Service that the main reason for buying the learning device was to "ease the burden on parents," and it is currently mainly used for online classes.

Yang Yang's child using a learning device. Photo provided by the interviewee

Yang Yang said that the learning device is like a "monitor that parents can control" for her, and she rarely uses the built-in resources. This year, she spent nearly 3,000 yuan on a learning and practicing device from Xueda Education. "It has a similar function, but it's more portable," she said.

Qu Xia (a pseudonym), who works in Beijing, bought a learning device of a certain brand for her five-year-old child in 2024. "I mainly considered the eye protection function and the built-in resources. In addition, I can set the viewing time through a WeChat mini-program on my phone," Qu Xia said. Currently, her child mainly uses the learning device to watch videos from Banma Encyclopedia, and it's not used every day. The maximum usage time per day is 20 minutes.

However, the "control" function that parents and teachers value most doesn't always work for older children.

Ms. Li told China News Service that when she was a student using a Wenquxing, she spent more time playing the built-in games than looking up words. One of her friends who also used a Wenquxing downloaded novels into it to read secretly during evening self-study. As she understands it, some students nowadays try to find system loopholes (such as accessing the URL links in the contract through the power-on and -off interface) to bypass the control, obtaining full browser functionality and accessing other websites, turning the learning device into a "tablet without restrictions."

Some parents said that they are not considering buying a learning device for now. Some parents think that their children have too much homework and no time to use a learning device, while others are worried that using a learning device will affect their children's eyesight.

Which companies are involved?

Learning devices refer to electronic teaching products that assist in learning, including but not limited to language learning, subject practice, and intelligent grading.

In terms of product prices, learning devices cover a wide range. Information from e-commerce platforms shows that currently, there are "entry-level" learning devices priced between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan each, mid - to high - end learning devices priced between 3,000 and 5,000 yuan each, and high - end flagship learning devices that cost over ten thousand yuan each.

On September 4th, China News Service visited a digital store in Beijing and saw learning devices from brands like Seewo and Zuoyebang on display. The store owner said that learning devices sold well during the three - month summer vacation. The main reason is that the summer vacation is long, and parents think learning devices can help their children study. The owner also said that currently, two learning devices from Zuoyebang are eligible for government subsidies. The original price of one of the learning devices is 5,999 yuan, and after using the subsidy, it costs 5,499 yuan.

A research report released by CICC in May last year divided the learning device market into three major camps: the traditional camp, the technology camp, and the education and training camp. Products in the traditional camp have a high degree of standardization, and users mainly pay for the hardware. Through years of in - depth development of offline channels and a mature supply chain system, these companies have accumulated a large amount of user data. The technology camp is equipped with large models and leads in areas such as AI - powered precise learning, composition grading, and oral English evaluation, enhancing the interactive experience of learning devices. The education and training camp is represented by K12 education and training enterprises, with their self - developed teaching teams and full - subject question banks as their core competitiveness.

The aforementioned report from Zhiyan Consulting shows that in the first quarter of 2025, the Chinese AI learning device market presented a highly concentrated competitive landscape. Six major brands, including Zuoyebang, Xueda Education, iFlytek, BBK, Xiaoyuan, and Xiaodu, collectively accounted for 74.4% of the market share. Zuoyebang led the market with a sales volume share of nearly 30%; Xueda Education maintained a 13% share thanks to its advantages in online channels; iFlytek occupied 12% of the market with its mature offline agency system.

A learning device from Zuoyebang. Photo by Wei Wei for China News Service

iFlytek's semi - annual report for 2025 shows that in the first half of this year, the company's smart education business achieved an operating income of 3.531 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 23.47%. Its proportion in the total revenue increased from 30.66% in the same period last year to 32.36%. In addition, the semi - annual report also revealed that the revenue of iFlytek's AI learning devices continued to double in the first half of 2025.

On July 31st, TAL Education Group (formerly Xueda Education) released its unaudited financial report for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, ending on May 31, 2025. The financial data shows that the net revenue in the current period increased from 414 million US dollars in the same period last year to 575 million US dollars. The net profit attributable to TAL Education was 31.282 million US dollars, compared with 11.402 million US dollars in the same period last year.

An offline store of Xueda Education's learning devices. Photo by Wei Wei for China News Service

Peng Zhuangzhuang, President and Chief Financial Officer of TAL Education, said: "In this quarter, our revenue achieved year - on - year growth, mainly due to the steady growth of our learning services and AI - powered smart hardware business. The newly launched P4, T4, and S4 smart hardware products have helped our products reach a wider user base."

Public information shows that Seewo is an education technology brand under Guangzhou Shirui Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., which is affiliated with listed company CVTE Electronics Co., Ltd.

CVTE's semi - annual report for 2025 shows that in the field of intelligent terminals and applications, looking at different scenarios, benefiting from the continuous in - depth development of the education scenario and a multi - product strategy, the company's domestic education business achieved revenue of approximately 1.727 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 13.79%. The revenue of software and hardware products such as Seewo's recording devices and learning devices all maintained good growth.

Zhang Yi, CEO and Chief Analyst of iiMedia Research Group, told China News Service that in recent years, major manufacturers have focused on the learning device market, driven by several factors. Firstly, there has been a significant change in market demand. Since the implementation of the "Double Reduction" policy, subject - based training has gradually withdrawn from the mainstream market, but parents' rigid demand for improving their children's grades and learning assistance remains, which has promoted learning devices to become an important alternative. Secondly, the wide application of artificial intelligence technology, especially large - model products, has provided a solid technological foundation and industrial environment for the development of learning devices.

How will learning devices develop in the future?

Zhang Yi believes that in the future, competition in the learning device industry will be more concentrated on the in - depth application of large models and AI technology and service differentiation. At the same time, the quality and richness of content, such as the size of the question bank and the design of the course system, will also become key competitive points. In terms of product form, learning devices will further evolve towards being more portable, having longer battery life, and being more eye - friendly, and will provide more accurate personalized customization.

The aforementioned research report from CICC pointed out that currently, learning devices have made breakthroughs in content retrieval and language learning, but there is still room for improvement in terms of interaction and personalization. In the long run, through cooperation with more software suppliers, the underlying large models are expected to train more large models in specific fields. The agency predicts that the enabling effect will shift towards content generation, creative emergence, and inspiration indexing. This trend will also affect the business logic. The improvement of the software capabilities of learning devices and the increasing awareness of user payment may lead to a transformation of the business model from hardware - driven payment to content - as - a - service (SaaS) payment.

Xiong Bingqi, the dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, warned that some learning devices are on the verge of violating regulations by providing online subject - based training, and some induce students to consume during the learning process. In addition, the quality of learning devices varies. Problems include the failure to update course resources in a timely manner, exaggerated advertising of so - called famous teachers' question - solving videos, and students using learning devices to replace doing homework instead of improving learning efficiency. The so - called "easing the burden on parents" is just a marketing gimmick, and in some cases, parents may worry more after their children use learning devices.

He suggested that regulatory authorities should strengthen supervision over the currently "hot" learning device education hardware products and strictly investigate violations on the verge of regulations. Parents should also consider their children's actual situations, compare the services provided by different learning devices, make rational choices, and avoid blind comparisons.

The views in this article are for reference only and do not constitute investment advice. Investment involves risks, and please be cautious when entering the market.

This article is from the WeChat official account "China News Service" (ID: jwview). Author: Luo Kun, Wei Wei. Editor: Li Xiaoxuan. Responsible Editors: Chang Tao, Li Zhongyuan. Republished by 36Kr with permission.