In summary:
- PCWorld reports that TrendForce predicts mainstream laptop prices could surge up to 40% by 2026 due to rising component costs.
- AI chip demand is tightening supply chains while memory and CPU costs may reach nearly 60% of total laptop expenses.
- Intel has already increased entry-level processor prices by over 15%, with memory costs potentially doubling their current cost share.
Laptop prices really need to chill.
TrendForce says mainstream laptops could cost up to 40 percent more in 2026, which is alarming but not totally unexpected. Still, ouch.
The reason mostly comes down to memory, namely RAM and storage. Supplies have tightened, prices are shooting up, and TrendForce says memory could go from 15 percent of a laptop’s cost to over 30 percent. That alone could push the price up 30 percent, if companies want to keep the same profit margins.
But that’s not even the whole story.
CPUs (basically the brain of your laptop) are getting more expensive, too. Intel has hiked prices on some entry-level chips by more than 15 percent, and it probably isn’t done yet. CPUs are already one of the biggest chunks of a laptop’s cost, so this just adds to the pain and misery.
A big part of the problem is… drumroll please… AI. Factories are prioritizing high-end chips for AI and data centers, leaving fewer chips for the rest of us regular folks. This tightens supply even further.
So… yeah. If you were thinking about buying a new laptop, you might want to steel yourself. TrendForce says memory and CPU could make up almost 60 percent of a laptop’s total cost, which usually means the extra costs will trickle down and land on you.
Author: Ashley Biancuzzo, Associate Editor, PCWorld
Ashley Biancuzzo manages all laptop and Chromebook coverage for PCWorld. She's been covering consumer tech since 2016, and her work has appeared on USA Today, Reviewed, Polygon, Kotaku, StarWars.com, and Nerdist. In her spare time, she enjoys playing video games, reading science fiction, and hanging out with her rescue greyhound.