This wave AI Grab it allmemoryThe impact of a sharp increase in prices is really huge. except previouslyPhison CEO says many companies will go bankrupt in the second half of the yearIn addition, the latest report from market research organization Gartner recently pointed out that consumers and businesses may face higher costs and fewer choices when upgrading computers in the future. It is expected that after 2028, low prices below $500 will be impossible to find. PC。
Image source: Tom’s Hardware
Memory prices are skyrocketing, and PC costs are rising across the board! Gartner predicts low-priced PCs may disappear by 2028
according toForeign media Tom’s Hardware reportedAccording to Gartner’s latest report, by the end of 2026, the combined price of DRAM and solid-state drives (SSDs) is expected to increase by 130% compared with 2025, which will increase the average price of personal computers by about 17% compared with 2025. This will lead to global PC shipments expected to decline by 10.4% compared with 2025, setting the largest annual decline in more than a decade.
The report added that the proportion of memory-related parts in the total PC bill of materials (BOM) will increase from 16% in 2025 to 23% in 2026. Ranjit Atwal, a senior analyst at Gartner, said: “This wave of sharp growth has prevented manufacturers from absorbing costs, and low-margin entry-level notebooks will become unviable. We expect the entry-level PC market below $500 to completely disappear by 2028.” He also mentioned that this is the most serious contraction in device shipments in the past decade, and users will also extend the use of old machines, fundamentally changing the upgrade cycle.
In addition, the market penetration rate of AI PC is also due to the increase in demand for high-end memory, and the penetration rate of 50% will be delayed to 2028.
Not only Gartner, but international data company IDC also predicts that global PC shipments will decline by about 11.3% in 2026, with average selling prices rising due to rising memory costs, and noted that memory shortages may continue until 2027.
For consumers, this means that the cost of purchasing new computers will increase in the future. The originally low-priced entry-level model may cost more than NT$15,000. This is really bad news. Now that entry-level models have gone up, let alone mid- to high-end models.
Of course, this refers to complete computers and notebooks. For DIYers, if the hardware you need to upgrade does not use memory, it should not be affected by the price increase. If not, the price may be reduced due to weakening buying sentiment.
Image source: VideoCardz
In addition to PCs, Gartner also predicts that entry-level smartphones will also have an impact. Consumers may turn to buying refurbished or second-hand phones, or extend the replacement cycle. High-end mobile phones will be less affected because of their higher gross margins. Overall, smartphone shipments will decline 8.4% in 2026.
I personally feel that there is no need to be too pessimistic. There may be no solution in the short term, but when new production capacity is opened, these problems will be gradually solved. At the same time, major memory manufacturers should not completely crush the consumer market for the sake of AI demand.
Source: KOCPC Chinese