PC shipments dropped over 20 percent in Q3 due to RAM price hikes

Counterpoint Research says higher prices are tanking demand for new PCs.

Counterpoint Research says higher prices are tanking demand for new PCs.

Demand for new PCs took a hit after months of price hikes, with Counterpoint Research reporting global PC shipments fell 21 percent year-over-year in Q3 2026. That’s in line with earlier reports from IDC and Omdia. It’s not just PCs, either — that same quarter, smartphone shipments also hit a 14-year low .

Counterpoint linked the decline in PC shipments to higher component prices. Up until Q2 2026 , PC shipments had been growing for over two years straight. But over the last several months, RAM, SSDs , and chips from Intel , AMD , and Qualcomm have all gotten more expensive, leading to price hikes on everything from MacBooks to Raspberry Pis . Counterpoint senior analyst Minsoo Kang noted that some companies are shifting to “prioritize configurations that can better absorb component inflation,” leaving fewer affordable options for price-sensitive buyers. Some companies are even reviving older tech, like DDR4 RAM and 4GB GPUs , to help mitigate price hikes.

Counterpoint also says Q3 2025 included “purchases ahead of the Windows 10 support deadline and tariff-related inventory adjustments,” which added to the sharp year-over-year drop this past quarter. The PC market might not bounce back anytime soon, as Counterpoint associate director David Naranjo says, “With global shipments expected to plunge 27% in Q4 2026 and remain broadly flat in 2027, stabilization should not be mistaken for recovery.”

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