By 2028, there may be no more budget laptops priced at up to $500. According to the analytical firm Gartner, the main reason will be a sharp increase in the cost of RAM (DRAM) and SSD drives, whose share in the cost of materials will grow to 23% by 2026. Overall PC prices are expected to rise by 17%. This will make it unprofitable for brands to produce cheap models. This means that users will change devices less often, and the introduction of computers with artificial intelligence in the budget segment may slow down significantly.
By 2028, personal computers that cost up to $500 (about 21,800 hryvnia) may become unprofitable. This is because the price of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and solid-state drives (SSD) has increased a lot. By 2026, memory will account for 23% of the total cost of materials. This could make entry-level laptops unprofitable for brands. This information was reported by Notebookcheck, which cites the analytical firm Gartner.
According to experts, prices for DRAM and SSDs will increase significantly by 2026. Because of this, computers might cost 17% more in 2025 than they do now.
Cheap laptops don’t make much money. Because of this, the analytics firm predicts that models costing up to $500 will disappear from store shelves.
Analysts also suggest that rising prices will make people keep their devices longer. By the end of 2026, the lifespan of business PCs could increase by 15%, and consumer models by up to 20%. At the same time, the introduction of AI PCs may be delayed.
There are also some factors that could ease the pressure on the budget computer segment. For example, strategies for pricing in different regions, the market for refurbished devices, and promotional offers. But this doesn’t change the fact that memory prices will go up and affect this sector.