Gartner: Memory Costs Will Push PC Prices Up 17% This Year

Gartner estimates combined DRAM and SSD prices will climb roughly 130% by the end of 2026 against 2025 levels, pushing PC prices up about 17% and smartphone prices up about 13%. The knock-on effect is shrinking demand: worldwide PC shipments are forecast to fall 10.4% and smartphone shipments 8.4% this year. Entry-level devices take the hardest hit, because memory is a bigger slice of a cheap device’s bill of materials — pushing buyers toward refurbished handsets or simply holding on longer. Gartner expects average PC lifetime to stretch 15% for business buyers and 20% for consumers. AI data centre demand is now visible in retail pricing.