Laptop prices up 40%. This is the end of cheaper models
The personal computer market may survive in the near future serious price shock. According to analysts laptop prices will increase by up to 40%if producers and sellers want to maintain their current margins. The main reason is the rising cost of key components – including by deepening shortages of memory and data carriers.
This may significantly weaken Microsoft’s position
Experts point out that RAM and SSD prices have skyrocketed in recent monthswhich already constituted a significant part of the laptop production costs. Before the current crisis, memory and storage together accounted for about 15% of the material cost, while the processor accounted for another 30%. This meant that the three most important components accounted for approximately 45% of the device’s cost.
Currently, the situation is completely different – the share of these elements in the total production cost has increased to approximately 58%. However, the increase in component costs by 13 percentage points alone does not give the full picture. The final price is also influenced by the margins of producers, distributors and sellers, so the real price increase in stores may be much higher.
The main reason is the enormous demand from AI center operatorswho need huge amounts of fast memory and semiconductor media. Because they are ready to pay much more than individual customersmanufacturers naturally redirect their production capacity to more profitable market segments.
However, 2026 brought another unexpected turn. The boom in artificial intelligence has also started to affect the processor market. Both Intel and AMD report growing demand for their chips in China There were even shortages of server processors.
A potential increase in laptop prices is particularly bad news for Windows computer manufacturers. Many people today choose such devices because of their relatively low price. However, Apple has recently launched an offensive on the low segment, and the Cupertino giant has a better negotiating position with NAND and DRAM suppliers than other manufacturers.
