PC and smartphone prices are likely to rise next year due to consumer DRAM and NAND memory shortages. The supply imbalance is being driven by increasing demand for AI data centers, which are consuming an increasing share of high-bandwidth memory output.
market research firm IDC Warned that PC makers are already preparing to increase prices by up to eight percent due to rising memory costs. Even under current circumstances, IDC expects the PC market to decline further next year, which will limit supply and drive up prices for mainstream models.
Major PC vendors including Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus and Acer have confirmed that upcoming price adjustments will be directly linked to higher component costs. Analysts expect other OEMs to follow suit, meaning consumers are likely to see higher prices rather than isolated increases from some brands.
Time is unfavorable for buyers. Microsoft's push toward AI-enabled PCs, coupled with the end of mainstream Windows 10 support in October, is already pushing users toward a hardware upgrade. Rising memory prices add another cost pressure, especially for systems with larger RAM configurations.
Smartphones and tablets have also been affected. IDC estimates that average smartphone prices could increase by three to five percent under moderate conditions, and by as much as eight percent if shortages increase. Manufacturers may attempt to recoup costs by reducing base storage or memory rather than increasing core prices.
Apple and Samsung are partially untouched in the short term, they have secured memory supply contracts for the next 18 to 24 months. Smaller manufacturers do not have the same buffer and are more sensitive to spot-market pricing.
IDC expects the memory shortage to persist through 2027, ending a long period of cheap RAM and SSD upgrades. If the shortage continues, prices for standalone memory kits and consumer SSDs are also likely to remain high.
