Q2 Global PC Shipments Down 3.6% YoY as Memory Price Hikes Suppress Demand
Claire Weston
Global PC shipments hit 65.7 million units in Q2 2026, down 3.6% year-on-year, as surging memory and storage prices pushed up device costs; 60% of channel partners reported customers delaying or canceling purchases, while Apple bucked the trend to reach an 11.1% market share.
Why did shipments drop?
Omdia's latest report puts Q2 desktop, notebook and workstation shipments at 65.7 million units, down 3.6% year-on-year.
Notebooks (including mobile workstations) fell harder — down 4.2% to 51.7 million; desktop workstations slipped 1.3% to 13.9 million.
This means → notebooks are more price-sensitive, so the price shock hit the highest-volume category first.
How much did prices actually rise?
Omdia chief analyst Ben Yeh noted that Q1's "sharp rise" in memory and storage prices fed directly into Q2 product pricing.
PC makers began raising prices as early as late Q4 2025; comparable product lines now cost roughly 20% to 40% more than a year ago.
In plain terms = the same laptop costs two to four tenths more this year — buyers naturally hesitate.
Apple also raised prices on several devices, including the MacBook line.
How strong is the channel pushback?
An Omdia channel survey in June found that about 60% of channel partners said customers delayed or canceled PC refresh plans due to tight supply and higher prices.
This means → demand has not disappeared — it has been deferred. Buyers are waiting for prices to ease.
Omdia expects memory and storage cost increases to narrow in H2 2026, but prices will not fall this year; component costs will keep weighing on demand.
Who is gaining share against the tide?
Lenovo leads at 25.3%, HP sits second at 19.8%, and Dell third at 14.1%.
Apple's share rose from 9.2% a year ago to 11.1%, driven by strong MacBook demand.
This reflects greater resilience in the premium segment — buyers willing to pay for Apple tolerate price hikes better.
Asus holds 7.6%; all other vendors account for 22.0%.
What to watch in H2?
Whether component price increases ease materially is the first key variable for market stabilization.
Channel inventory digestion is the second: with 60% of partners reporting deferred purchases, when that pent-up demand releases will determine whether H2 shipments recover.
In plain terms = higher prices scared off buyers, but demand did not vanish; once prices loosen, deferred orders could be released in a concentrated wave.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.