Top analyst firm Gartner predicts the 'sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028', along with worldwide PC shipment decline of 10.4% in 2026
PC Gamer
by Andy Edser March 2, 2026
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Top analyst firm Gartner predicts a significant shift in the PC market, with sub-$500 entry-level PCs expected to vanish by 2028 due to rising costs driven by the ongoing memory crisis. Additionally, global PC shipments are projected to decline by 10.4% in 2026, marking the steepest contraction in over a decade. The surge in DRAM and SSD prices—expected to increase by 130% by the end of 2026—will hike PC costs by 17% and smartphone prices by 13%. This shift will likely push consumers toward premium devices, as vendors struggle with higher component costs, making budget PCs unsustainable.
The memory crisis is a critical factor, with memory costs projected to peak at 23% of the bill-of-materials (BOM) by 2026, up from 16% in 2025. This drastic increase erodes vendor profitability, rendering low-margin entry-level laptops unviable. The report highlights that this situation will force vendors to focus on premium products, leading to a
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Originally published on PC Gamer on 3/2/2026