> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.implicator.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # TrendForce Warns Rising Memory Costs Could Push Laptop Prices Higher - URL: https://www.implicator.ai/trendforce-memory-costs-laptop-prices/ - Published: 2026-09-07T14:28:36.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-07T14:28:36.000Z - Description: TrendForce says pricier memory and storage could put more pressure on laptop prices as cheaper inventory runs down. Core components now account for 68% of its benchmark notebook’s parts bill. Better CPU supply offers relief, but brands still face a decision over who absorbs the cost. - Author: Marcus Schuler - Tags: AI News Laptop makers face rising replacement costs for the components that set much of a notebook’s production bill. In a [September 4 assessment](https://www.trendforce.com/presscenter/news/20260904-13217.html?ref=implicator.ai), TrendForce estimated that the CPU, DRAM and SSD together made up 68% of the bill of materials for a benchmark mainstream notebook in Q3 2026, up from 45% in Q1 2025, when the machine carried a $900 MSRP. The figures describe the three parts’ share of component costs for a comparable laptop, not memory alone or a share of its retail price. Consumers have been partly sheltered because manufacturers bought some processors, memory and storage at lower prices before the latest increases and accelerated purchases in early 2026\. Replacement orders expose brands to higher current costs. The increases are “bucking that trend” of electronics becoming cheaper and more capable, [Harvir Dhillon, lead economist at the British Retail Consortium, said](https://www.ft.com/content/ea9a9dcc-b1df-49b0-b80c-f320161b9efa?ref=implicator.ai). TrendForce modeled that, by the third quarter of 2026, brands would need to raise the price of a comparable first-quarter 2025 notebook by roughly 80% to preserve its first-quarter 2025 gross margin. That is a conditional cost calculation, not an announced or observed retail increase. When lower-cost inventories will be depleted remains unknown. Key Takeaways - CPU, memory and storage account for 68% of TrendForce’s benchmark notebook parts bill, up from 45% in early 2025. - Lower-cost inventories cushion laptop buyers, but replacement orders expose manufacturers to higher component prices. - Better CPU availability helped improve the notebook shipment outlook, despite continuing cost pressure. - IDC forecasts a 16.7% smartphone shipment decline in 2026, with the average selling price rising to $581. AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. [More on our AI guidelines](https://www.implicator.ai/about/). ## Lower-cost inventories buy time Existing inventory lets manufacturers use parts bought before the latest increases while launching products and competing for sales. That delays the point at which current processor, memory and storage costs are fully reflected in a new laptop’s production bill. It does not make the higher replacement cost disappear. The supply picture has improved in one important area. CPU availability improved from Q2 2026, allowing manufacturers to normalize procurement and production. Together with earlier consumer purchases and stable commercial demand, that led TrendForce to forecast a 9.4% year-over-year decline in global notebook shipments for 2026, less severe than its previous estimate. That forecast is a counterweight to the cost pressure. Manufacturers have more room to keep producing notebooks even as the mix of component expenses shifts sharply from the Q1 2025 benchmark. FREE · ABOUT FIVE MINUTES Follow AI’s effect on everyday technology Implicator cuts the flood to the developments worth your attention, with concise reporting on what changed and why it matters. Delivered every weekday at 4:45 a.m. Pacific, 7:45 a.m. Eastern. Email address Get the free briefing Check your inbox for the confirmation link. From San Francisco. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ## Budget buyers lose options Laptops are one part of the consumer impact. [IDC forecast on August 26](https://www.idc.com/resource-center/blog/smartphone-shipments-set-for-record-16-7-drop-in-2026-as-the-memory-crisis-hits-full-force/?ref=implicator.ai) that smartphone shipments would fall 16.7% in 2026 while the average selling price rose 27.6% to $581\. The average also reflects a shift toward more expensive models, rather than only changes in the prices of individual devices. Budget buyers have fewer cushions. Low-cost phone makers have limited margin to absorb higher NAND and DRAM costs; some are cutting low-end models and shifting toward a higher-end product mix. Separately, [IDC forecast in February](https://www.idc.com/resource-center/blog/higher-asps-lower-unit-volumes-how-the-memory-crisis-is-reshaping-the-pc-and-smartphone-outlook/?ref=implicator.ai) that vendors would ship some new devices with less memory and that some manufacturers would reduce average DRAM and NAND configurations. The secondary and repair markets are helping sustain [demand for cheaper smartphone panels](https://www.trendforce.com/presscenter/news/20260831-13208.html?ref=implicator.ai), as more buyers keep current devices or shop used instead of upgrading. Nokia is also redesigning some products to require less memory, Chief Executive Justin Hotard said. The shortage affects its mobile, broadband and internet-routing equipment. Know someone who'd find this useful? [✉️ Email it to a friend in one click](mailto:?subject=A%20newsletter%20I%20think%20you%27d%20like&body=This%20is%20one%20of%20maybe%20three%20newsletters%20I%20actually%20read.%20The%20rest%20just%20pile%20up%2C%20unread%2C%20judging%20me.%0A%0AAnd%20yes%2C%20this%20email%20mostly%20wrote%20itself%2C%20which%20is%20a%20little%20on%20the%20nose%20for%20an%20AI%20newsletter.%20Doesn%27t%20make%20it%20wrong.%20implicator.ai%20is%20good.%0A%0ASubscribe%20free%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.implicator.ai%2Fsubscribe%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dnewsletter%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dforward%26utm%5Fcampaign%3Demail%5Fforward), or they can [subscribe free here](https://www.implicator.ai/subscribe/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=forward&utm%5Fcampaign=forward%5Fto%5Fcolleague). ## Replacement costs reach new production The price mechanism starts with procurement. As components bought earlier are used, manufacturers placing replacement orders confront current CPU, DRAM and SSD prices. That raises the cost of building the next production batches, but does not by itself immediately change the shelf price. Brands then choose where the pressure lands. They can accept lower gross margins, alter memory or storage configurations, favor higher-priced models with more room to absorb costs, or pass only part of the increase to buyers. Product mix, specifications and competitive demand make the result uneven across models. None of the cited forecasts establishes a uniform laptop price increase. Dhillon saw the adjustment at an early stage. “I think we’re still in the sort of early stages \[of price increases\],” he said, adding that “there’s a lot more to come in the pipeline”. Frequently Asked Questions Does the 68% figure mean laptop prices rose by 68%? No. It is the combined CPU, DRAM and SSD share of the bill of materials for TrendForce’s benchmark notebook in Q3 2026\. The share was 45% in Q1 2025, when the machine carried a $900 MSRP. It is not a retail price increase. Why have some laptop prices been cushioned? Manufacturers still have components bought at lower prices, including purchases accelerated in early 2026\. Those stocks delay the effect of higher replacement costs. The available evidence does not establish when the buffer will run out. Has the laptop supply outlook improved? CPU availability improved from Q2 2026\. Along with earlier consumer purchases and stable commercial demand, that helped TrendForce forecast a 9.4% decline in global notebook shipments for 2026, less severe than its previous estimate. What does IDC expect for smartphone prices? IDC’s August 26 forecast puts the 2026 average selling price at $581, up 27.6%, while shipments fall 16.7%. The average reflects a shift toward more expensive models as well as price changes. It does not describe an identical increase for every handset. How can manufacturers respond to higher memory costs? Manufacturers can absorb costs in their margins, adjust specifications or raise prices. Some low-cost phone makers are cutting entry-level models and moving toward more expensive products. In February, IDC forecast that some manufacturers would reduce memory and storage configurations. Nokia is redesigning some products to require less memory. AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. [More on our AI guidelines](https://www.implicator.ai/about/). ## Related stories [Amazon Raises Echo, Kindle and Fire TV Prices Up to 60%Amazon raised device prices by up to 60% with no announcement, taking the Echo Dot to $79.99 from $49.99 and blaming memory and storage costs. Four weeks earlier it had lifted 2026 capital spending to $220 billion to buy the same scarce chips for AI data centers.Implicator.ai![](https://www.implicator.ai/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-24-amazon-device-prices-60-percent-memory-costs.webp)](https://www.implicator.ai/amazon-device-prices-60-percent-memory-costs/) [The Silicon Squeeze: How AI Is Cannibalizing Tech SupplyMemory makers choose AI over PCs and phones, consuming 3x capacity for high-bandwidth chips. Result: prices up 50-100%, shortages through 2027, and a semiconductor market split between AI infrastructure and everyone else scrambling for scraps.Implicator.ai![](https://www.implicator.ai/content/images/2025/12/2025-12-30-03.21.21-Chip_Market_Ram_Dram@2x.webp)](https://www.implicator.ai/the-silicon-squeeze-how-ais-memory-appetite-is-cannibalizing-the-tech-industry/)