3 years without Dell: Asian laptop makers now dominate in Russia

As a brief look at the list of laptops that DNS currently sells reveals, 2022 to 2025 Western sanctions did not entirely disrupt the lives of regular consumers or electronics sellers. However, several changes are apparent and, one might argue, seem predictable enough.

DNS is the only electronics chain store with physical presence in pretty much all Russian cities with over 10,000 people, for reference.

As of July 16, 2025, DNS offers 346 Asus laptop models for consumers to choose from. MSI and Lenovo take the second and third spots with 142 and 122 models, respectively. Surprisingly enough, Apple isn't far behind with 86 models.

The list isn't short of brands that get little exposure in English media, like Maibenben, Machenike, Chuwi. There are also a few brands here that bill themselves as Russian electronics makers, like Unchartevice (its website is really worth visiting, if you have a minute). Needless to say, "Russian" laptops utilize virtually the same parts and components as their Chinese counterparts.

Few deals, older components

Systems built around really old (and slow) chips such as the J4125 aren't all that uncommon in the lowest price bracket. Shoppers with more cash to spend and looking to get the latest and greatest, like AMD's mighty AI Max+ 395 Strix Halo APU, will most likely have to walk away disappointed, too since 12/13/14th Gen Intel Core and 5000/6000/7000 series AMD Ryzen processors outnumber newer options by quite a margin.

There are 89 RTX 4060-powered laptops to choose from but just 7 RTX 5060-powered options.

Significant discounts are rare at best; regular prices tend to be at least 10% or 15% higher compared to what US consumers get. As an example, this 16-inch Asus ROG Strix G16 G615 gaming laptop (RTX 5060, i7-14650HX, 1200p panel) is sold on Amazon.com for $1,499. DNS offers a slightly different SKU featuring a moderately cheaper CPU and a moderately costlier display (RTX 5060, i5-13450HX, 1600p panel) for $1,770 or ₽137,990.

Keyboard and warranty woes

Some of these laptops are imported legally direct from respective electronics makers; some are imported from ex-USSR states like Kazakhstan. With brands like Apple, indirect unofficial imports from fairly remote locations such as the Arabian peninsula are the only option. Many companies do this and, unsurprisingly, they all pass the extra costs on to consumers.

An important thing to keep in mind is that the base QWERTY US English layout isn't good enough for many users; they need to have a secondary set of symbols before their eyes, namely the ЙЦУКЕН standard Russian layout. With unofficial imports, the only reasonable way to get that is by marking keycaps with a laser machine which can be done by either the seller or the buyer but drives up costs either way.

Replacement parts have to be purchased unofficially, too with first-party repair shops available for few brands. There is sometimes no other option for a customer but to turn to the seller for repairs which does not always end well.

No OS? No problem

A sizeable chunk of the laptops on offer - 660, to be exact - ship with no operating system pre-installed and no license. This is one of the ways for electronics stores to save on costs. Microsoft does not officially sell any of its products in Russia; in fact, it's not even possible to download a Windows 10 or 11 installation ISO file if one has a Russian IP address. Many users end up turning to alternative solutions such as torrent websites.