Non-rechargeable memory: laptops shipped from China increased in price by 10%
Laptops have already begun to be supplied to Russia from China at new prices — 10% higher than before, importers told Izvestia. According to them, buyers will experience a rise in price in the first quarter of 2027. It will affect almost all brands and price segments. Among the reasons are an increase in the cost of components, primarily memory and processors, an increase in the cost of logistics, the introduction of mandatory labeling of gadgets and a technological fee for their sale from December 1.
Why laptops will become more expensive
In early 2027, laptops purchased in China at new, increased prices will appear on the shelves of Russian stores. This was reported to Izvestia by the manager of one of the vendors and a source in the distributor company. According to their estimates, retail prices will rise by about 10%. This indexing was also confirmed by Irina Babina, head of the Laptops department at diHouse. According to her, the changes will affect not only prices, but also device configurations: budget laptops and low-cost gaming models may have reduced performance.
— Some suppliers are preparing updated price lists: for new shipments, purchase prices are 5-10% higher than in summer. Increasingly, contracts link the price to the cost of components and the exchange rate on the date of shipment, so it has become more difficult to fix the conditions for a long time. We see that the first shipments at the new prices are on their way, and they will reach retail by early 2027," Peter Gorbey, director of Marvel Distribution's computer peripherals department, told Izvestia.
In "M.Video" one of the reasons for the rise in prices is the structural restructuring of the global computer memory market to meet the needs of data centers and artificial intelligence systems. Manufacturers are directing more and more capacities to the production of server memory, HBM for AI accelerators and corporate SSDs, reducing the supply of components for consumer equipment, the company explains.
— According to TrendForce's forecast of September 30, in the fourth quarter of 2026, contract prices for traditional DRAM memory may increase by 10-15% compared to the previous quarter, and for NAND Flash — by 15-20%. This is an increase in the cost of components, not finished laptops. Russian retail prices are also affected by the exchange rate, logistics, and the cost of meeting regulatory requirements," M.Video noted.
Prices are also influenced by the cost of processors and video cards, agrees Andrey Petrenko, director of Computer Technology at VVP Group. Asian manufacturers, whose supplies are tied to Chinese contracts in yuan, react faster to rising costs, added Peter Gorbey. For equipment supplied by parallel import, certification costs and a point shortage of individual configurations are added, he explained.
According to Ilya Ilyinsky, NTI expert on technological development, a 10% increase in price is the lower limit, which primarily concerns basic configurations. Prices for budget laptops will rise the most in percentage terms: memory occupies a significant share of their cost. In monetary terms, gaming models and premium ultrabooks with a large amount of RAM and a roomy SSD will rise the most — by tens of thousands of rubles, he believes.
The cost of devices is influenced by a number of factors: component prices, exchange rates, logistics, as well as changes in market regulation, according to the combined company Wildberries & Russ.
What will happen to the PC market next year
Among the reasons for the rise in price of laptops is not only the increase in the cost of components, said Peter Gorbey. According to him, the costs of transportation, clearance and insurance of goods are increasing. Additional costs are also associated with mandatory labeling: companies have to invest in accounting equipment and software, rebuild processes, and train staff. Downtime is also possible during the transition period.
In addition, starting from December 1, 2026, a technological fee will be introduced in Russia for manufacturers and importers of electronic components, as well as products containing such components. According to Peter Gorbey, these costs will also be included in the final price.
The share of memory, storage and processor in the cost of a laptop is close to 60%. Against this background, the influence of Russian factors looks more limited than is commonly believed, says Ilya Ilyinsky, NTI expert on technological development.
— The draft order of the Ministry of Industry and Trade establishes a technical fee for a laptop in the amount of 500 rubles if there is a model in the directory and 992 rubles if there is no model. With an average check of about 65 thousand rubles, this is 1.5% of the price in the worst case scenario. The rates were specifically differentiated to reduce the inflationary effect and pressure on sensitive segments, and the calculation here looks like it's working," the expert said.
In his opinion, labeling provides one-time costs for equipment and accounting, rather than a permanent surcharge for each unit. Logistics and exchange rates "weigh" more, the expert added.
In "M.Video" purchase prices are expected to continue to rise, but less rapidly than in 2026. Stabilization is possible by the end of 2027.
— In order to keep the available offers, manufacturers will shift the focus to configurations with less memory and the possibility of further expansion. We do not rule out the withdrawal of individual brands from the Russian market if working in new conditions becomes economically impractical for them," the company believes.
Marvel Distribution expects that the main wave of price increases will occur in the first half of 2027. Before the introduction of the technological fee in November – December, there may be a surge in demand, followed by a decline in January – February. The range may be reduced due to rare configurations: distributors will focus on running models with predictable demand. Modifications with a large amount of memory will become more expensive than the basic ones, says Peter Gorbey.
According to his forecast, the market may reach a plateau in the second half of the year if memory prices and the ruble exchange rate stabilize. A return to previous prices is unlikely: technological fees and mandatory labeling will become permanent components of the cost. Customers will move purchases to earlier dates more often, the share of budget models will grow, and equipment replacement cycles will become longer, he listed.
Manufacturers will continue to optimize their product ranges by offering more affordable configurations with less memory, Andrey Petrenko added. A general shortage of laptops is not expected, but the choice of individual models may decrease.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
