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| The Dell 16 Premium |
If you’ve been considering buying a new laptop, AI PC, or tablet, industry analysts have a clear message: buy it now, or prepare to pay significantly more next year. A perfect storm of supply constraints and soaring component costs is set to push consumer computing prices to levels one executive says he’s “never seen.”
According to a new, exclusive report from leading market analytics firm TrendForce, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of sticker shock for tech buyers. The firm reveals that Dell is preparing to raise PC prices by a substantial 15-20 percent, with industry giant Lenovo poised to follow suit shortly after.
The Core Culprit: DRAM Prices Skyrocket
The primary driver behind this looming price surge is an unprecedented spike in memory costs. The industry has been grappling with tightening DDR5 supply, but the latest data is staggering. TrendForce reports year-on-year DRAM price surges of up to 70 percent, with certain critical components even witnessing increases as high as 170 percent.
This crunch is attributed to a combination of higher-than-expected demand and a strategic shift in supply. Major memory manufacturers like Micron are allocating more resources and production capacity to high-margin AI server products, squeezing the availability for consumer-grade DRAM and NAND flash.
The situation is so severe that Dell’s Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Clarke, made a rare public comment, stating he has “never seen memory-chip costs rise this fast.”
A Domino Effect Across the Industry
The ripple effects are immediate. Lenovo has reportedly been urging its corporate and channel customers to lock in orders before the New Year, warning that all current price quotes will expire on January 1, 2026. They are not alone in this defensive move. TrendForce indicates that other major players, including HP, Samsung, and LG, are actively reviewing the prices of their entire 2026 lineups.
The most affected devices will be at the cutting edge: AI PCs and premium tablets. In these categories, memory can account for roughly 18 percent of the total Bill of Materials (BOM), making them acutely vulnerable to these component swings.
For an in-depth look at the data driving these warnings, you can read the full exclusive report from TrendForce: Exclusive: Memory Crunch Hits PCs, Dell Hikes Prices 15-20% Mid-December, Lenovo from January 2026.
A Double Whammy: Higher Prices, Potentially Weaker Specs
Facing these rising production costs, TrendForce has taken a sharp pencil to its market forecasts. The firm has revised its 2026 notebook shipment forecast, shifting from a projected year-on-year growth of 1.7% to an expected decline of 2.4%. The reasoning is straightforward: higher BOM costs will dampen consumer demand.
This creates a difficult dilemma for PC makers. To maintain what they call “reasonable” retail pricing, brands may be forced to make tough decisions. Analysts warn that we could see a push toward lower-specced laptops and tablets—offering less RAM or storage at popular price points—as manufacturers try to balance affordability with unsustainable component costs.
What This Means for You
- For Businesses: If your company has a pending hardware refresh cycle, expediting purchases before year-end could result in significant savings.
- For Consumers: The traditional post-holiday sales and early-year promotions for 2025 models may represent the best value before the new pricing structures hit. For those set on the latest 2026 AI PC technology, budgeting 15-20% more is a prudent step.
- For the Market: The industry’s pivot toward AI-accelerated devices is hitting a supply chain speed bump. How companies navigate this cost crisis will test their pricing power and influence the pace of AI PC adoption in the critical years ahead.
One thing is clear: the era of steady or declining computing hardware prices is on pause. The memory market’s turbulence is flowing directly to the store shelf, setting the stage for a more expensive year in tech.