In the first quarter of 2026, personal computer manufacturers made significant investments to secure memory supplies, resulting in a 3.2% year-over-year increase in PC shipments.
ASUS and Apple Experience Significant Growth in PC Shipments Amidst Memory Supply Challenges
A recent report by Counterpoint Research sheds light on global PC shipment trends for Q1 2026, revealing several noteworthy insights:
- Global PC shipments reached 63.3 million units, marking a 3.2% year-over-year increase. This growth was primarily driven by proactive purchases in anticipation of memory price hikes and necessary hardware upgrades due to the discontinuation of Windows 10 support.
- Major players such as Lenovo, Dell, Apple, and ASUS reported increases in both shipments and market share.
- The year 2026 is anticipated to be a pivotal test for the market, emphasizing the importance of OEMs maintaining reliable supply chains and transitioning from low-margin business models to more sustainable mid-to-high-end offerings.
Data indicates that PC manufacturers largely saw increases in global shipments during this quarter. ASUS led the way with an impressive 20% growth, while Apple recorded an 11% increase. Lenovo and Dell followed with respective increases of 9% and 8%.Conversely, HP was the only major vendor to experience a decline, with shipments down 5%, contributing to a 7% drop across smaller brands.
Detailed Breakdown of PC Vendors
Here’s a closer look at the performance of individual PC vendors in Q1 2026:
- Lenovo: Continued its position as the market leader with a 9% year-over-year increase, totaling 16.5 million units and securing a 26% market share — its strongest first-quarter performance to date.
- HP: Experienced a 5% decline in shipments, yet retained a significant lead over the third-place competitor.
- Dell: Achieved an 8% increase, spurred by rising replacement demand within the commercial sector.
- Apple: Saw an 11% growth in shipments, reaching 6.7 million units, largely due to the introduction of new MacBooks in March. The expected ramp-up in production should further enhance growth in the upcoming quarter.
- ASUS: Recorded the most remarkable growth of 20%, selling 4.8 million units, driven by robust consumer demand for notebooks.
This growth in the PC market translates to an increase from 61.4 million units in the previous year to 63.3 million units in Q1 2026.
Factors Influencing Shipments
Two primary factors contributed to the surge in shipments: the panic buying driven by impending memory price increases and the transition to Windows 11 alongside the launch of the new Copilot+ ecosystem. The competition among chipmakers to refresh hardware has resulted in multiple new product releases from OEMs, although the memory price hikes have placed considerable strain on manufacturers.
The findings highlighted a staggering 110% increase in the prices of entry-level 8GB DDR4 memory and a 147% rise for a 1TB SSD without DRAM in Q1 2026. Even higher-end components have seen significant price escalations.
Looking ahead, Counterpoint forecasts an additional 60% increase in DRAM and a 50% increase in SSD prices, with variations expected based on specific types of memory used.
The push towards Windows 11 and the introduction of the Copilot+ ecosystem have further stimulated demand for hardware upgrades, challenging manufacturers to adapt swiftly.
“According to Counterpoint’s Memory Price Tracker and Forecast, PC memory prices surged nearly twofold in Q1 2026 compared to the previous quarter, and this upward trend is expected to persist through Q2 2026 at a moderated pace. The aggressive expansion in AI infrastructure investment is driving up overall component costs, which will likely impact the pricing of CPUs and other key components in PCs. Ultimately, the sustained upward pressure on costs and the resulting hike in retail prices are expected to have a significant negative impact on the PC market’s growth in 2026.”
While the overall PC market is likely to maintain growth, the DIY segment has been significantly affected. With memory prices remaining volatile, the latter half of 2026 and early 2027 may pose challenges for the marketplace, as average consumers might be priced out of affordable options.
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