Dell raises PC prices by up to 20% as Lenovo warns of January hikes amid soaring DRAM costs

As reported by TrendForce, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of price hikes for computing devices. The analytics firm reports that Dell is preparing to raise PC prices by 15-20 percent, with Lenovo set to follow suit.

DRAM prices surge up to 70 percent year-on-year

The industry has been grappling with rising DDR5 memory costs, with an estimated spike of up to 70 percent. Certain DRAM components even rose by 170 percent, thanks to higher demand and pressure on the supply chain, with companies such as Micron moving more resources to AI products that promise higher margins. Dell COO Jeff Clarke commented that he has “never seen memory-chip costs rise this fast.”

Lenovo has reportedly been urging its customers to lock in orders as soon as possible, as all current quotes will expire on New Year’s Day. The Chinese company is not alone in this, as major rivals, including HP, Samsung, and LG, are also reviewing prices of their 2026 lineups. The most affected categories will be AI PCs and tablets, where memory prices may account for about 18 percent of the total bill of materials.

Industry braces for higher prices and weaker specs

TrendForce has revised its notebook forecast for 2026 to account for rising production costs. The company has shifted from year-on-year growth of 1.7 percent to a 2.4 percent decline, as it expects demand to weaken due to higher BOM costs and limited availability.

PC makers may also try to push lower-specced laptops and tablets to retain “reasonable” pricing.