The global laptop market is undergoing severe turbulence, with soaring prices of core components leading to significant increases in overall device costs. TrendForce has issued a warning, projecting a 14.8% decline in global laptop shipments by 2026. The primary driver of this price surge is the explosive growth in memory chip costs, with the price of 8Gb DDR4 chips skyrocketing from $3.2 in 2025 to $15 in 2026, marking an over 360% increase. The proportion of storage costs in the total device cost has risen from 15% to over 30%, directly driving up retail prices.
