Laptop prices set to go up in India soon? What analysts and major brands say

When you think about buying a new laptop, what is the first thing that comes to mind? If the answer is cost, you may want to pay attention. Multiple reports, in the last couple of days, have predicted a rise in laptop prices globally. This is thanks to, as you might have guessed, the rising cost of some key components like RAM and GPUs, which is increasing manufacturing costs for brands. 

But what does this mean for people in India? Will laptops become more expensive here as well? And will consumer behaviour change? To understand how the situation could unfold, we spoke with some analysts and laptop brands to get their perspective. Here is what they had to say.

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Laptops may become costlier in India soon

Analysts say that laptop prices are already moving up in India and the trend could continue through the year. 

Tarun Pathak from Counterpoint Research says that the overall laptop prices could surge by 8-10% this year. While speaking to Digit, he said, ‘Laptop prices in India could increase by around 8-10% in 2026, mainly due to rising component costs such as DRAM, NAND memory and GPUs. A growing share of global memory supply is currently being absorbed by AI data centres, which is tightening availability for consumer devices like laptops.’

Navkendar Singh from IDC, on the other hand, says that entry-level machines have started getting costlier already. Talking specifically about Notebooks, he explained, ‘Notebook prices have already risen by approximately 15-17% since December. Industry trends suggest that costs may further escalate by an additional 18-20% in the coming quarters, potentially extending through the end of the year.’

He also pointed out that supply issues are making entry-level laptops harder to find. 

‘The supply of entry-level processors has diminished, resulting in limited availability of entry level-specification notebooks. Coupled with rising memory costs and the appreciation of the US dollar, the overall prices of notebooks continue to escalate.’

Prabhu Ram, VP Industry Research Group at CyberMedia Research, also has a similar point of view. He says, ‘As we enter the AI-first era, the surge in component costs, including rising DRAM prices, escalating GPU expenses, and persistent shortages of entry-level processors, is likely to drive laptop prices higher across market segments.’

What categories will be impacted the most?

So will this price increase affect all segments in the same way? Not really. According to analysts, some laptop categories – entry-level and gaming – are more vulnerable to seeing a rise in prices.  

Counterpoint’s Pathak said that categories relying on higher performance components will see the most visible change. ‘Categories that rely on higher RAM, powerful processors and GPUs such as gaming laptops, premium thin-and-light devices and emerging AI PCs are likely to see the most noticeable price hike,’ he said. 

Speaking of entry-level laptops, he added, ‘Entry-level laptops are expected to be slightly more expensive. Since this segment operates on very thin margins, brands have limited ability to absorb component cost increases.’

CyberMedia Research’s Ram also explained why entry-level and gaming laptops may see the highest price surge.

He said, ‘Manufacturers in this segment operate on razor-thin margins with limited capacity to absorb rising component costs. Higher DRAM prices and constrained entry-level processor supply directly inflate bills of materials, compelling vendors to pass a meaningful share of these costs to consumers.’

In the case of gaming laptops, Ram added that they “could see sharper near-term price hikes.’ He added, ‘This stems from their heavy reliance on discrete GPUs and higher VRAM capacities, both facing significant cost inflation.’

Will manufacturers increase costs suddenly?

So does this mean that laptop costs would surge all of a sudden and the entire entry-level laptop market will witness a huge price jump? If we believe Pathak, that’s less likely. Manufacturers wouldn’t want to risk losing customers looking for affordability. So, they might instead offer lower configuration options to maintain an affordable price.

Explaining this, Pathak said, ’Instead of significant price hikes, manufacturers may respond by offering lower configurations to maintain affordability, however entry-level laptops will remain a critical segment, giving strong demand from students and first-time buyers.’

How can consumer behaviour change?

Now, a rise in price is often tied to changed consumer behaviour. And in a market like India, where price is a huge factor, analysts say that demand might also change. 

Singh believes that demand may stay strong in the short term because many buyers are rushing to purchase before prices climb further. He said, ‘The prices of PCs are expected to increase for at least 5-6 quarters. Hence, there has been messaging in the ecosystem that PC prices would further increase and would continue to become pricier with time. Hence, whoever is planning to buy PCs is postponing their purchases, which has led to strong demand in the market.”

But this may not last forever. Singh also added that the market could eventually slow down once these early buyers complete their purchases. He said, ‘This might eventually impact the demand from Q3/Q4 when most of the short-term buyers would have already purchased, and the prices would continue to rise upwards.’

According to Pathak, this can lead to changed buying habits in consumers. He says that higher prices could stretch the replacement cycle and push buyers towards more budget-friendly options. ‘Higher laptop prices could slightly impact the consumer demand, stretching the replacement cycle from 5-6 years to 6-7 years, while consumers may increasingly look for value-driven mid-range devices, festive discounts & financing options to manage the higher prices,’ he said.

Some buyers may also start exploring refurbished options. Pathak added, ‘some consumers may consider refurbished laptops or older processor models to keep costs lower while still meeting their basic usage needs.’

Prabhu Ram also echoes what Pathak and Singh feel. He says, ‘Over the near term, anticipated price increases could spur purchase deferrals, extended replacement cycles, and shifts to low-spec, prior-generation, or refurbished options. Financing, exchange programs, and festive discounts are likely to play a more prominent role in purchase decisions. Enterprise refresh cycles and emerging AI workloads may provide some demand support, partially offsetting softer consumer momentum.’

What are brands saying?

Now let’s talk about the ones actually making these products for the people- brands. Dell says they are preparing to deal with the situation. 

A spokesperson said, ‘Our scale, go-to-market model and long-standing supplier relationships differentiate us and provide tangible advantages in periods of disruption. We are managing this environment in real time, applying lessons from prior cycles, and continuing to offer customers value.’

This is a developing story and will be updated as and when we get more inputs

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