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PC shipments dropped over 20 percent in Q3 due to RAM price hikes
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Global PC shipments fell 21 percent year over year in Q3 2026, Counterpoint Research reported, as rising component costs and higher retail prices weighed on demand. The decline matched reports from IDC and Omdia. Smartphone shipments also hit a 14-year low in the same quarter.
The drop marks a sharp reversal for the PC market, which had grown for more than two years through Q2 2026. Counterpoint attributed the pullback to higher prices for RAM, SSDs, and processors from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. Those increases have pushed up the cost of devices ranging from MacBooks to Raspberry Pis.
Counterpoint senior analyst Minsoo Kang said some companies are shifting to “prioritize configurations that can better absorb component inflation,” leaving fewer affordable options for price-sensitive buyers. Some vendors are even reviving older technologies such as DDR4 RAM and 4GB GPUs to mitigate the price hikes. The result is a narrower entry-level market just as buyers are becoming more cautious.
The year-over-year comparison was also distorted by Q3 2025, when purchases surged ahead of the Windows 10 support deadline and tariff-related inventory adjustments. Those one-time factors made the Q3 2026 decline look especially severe. Still, the underlying weakness reflects real pressure from component inflation.
The implications extend beyond PC makers. Fewer affordable machines could delay upgrades for households, schools, and small businesses. A weaker PC market may also affect chip suppliers, memory producers, and retailers that depend on replacement cycles.
Counterpoint expects conditions to remain difficult. Associate director David Naranjo said global shipments are expected to plunge 27 percent in Q4 2026 and remain broadly flat in 2027. He warned that “stabilization should not be mistaken for recovery.” For now, the data points to a market adjusting to higher costs rather than returning to growth.
