Higher memory and storage costs pushed up PC prices and reduced the supply of cheaper models, sending worldwide PC shipments down 22.4% in the third quarter of 2026, according to Gartner Inc., a business and technology insights company.
Initial figures showed shipments totaled 55.4 million units, down from 71.3 million a year earlier. Gartner said manufacturers passed higher parts costs on to buyers, making replacement computers harder to afford.
“The impact of higher memory and storage costs is now fully reflected in PC pricing,” said Namrata Banerjee, principal, Research at Gartner. “DRAM costs surged five times year-over-year in the second quarter, and PC vendors passed those higher component costs on to customers, driving the steep decline in PC shipments during the third quarter.”
DRAM is the memory a computer uses to run programs and handle tasks. Increasing costs for this memory and storage parts added to the price buyers pay for a new PC.
Banerjee said shipments fell to levels last seen in early 2023. This time, however, the slowdown came from higher prices and manufacturers’ decisions about how to use limited supplies of parts.
“Rather than excess inventory, the decline in the third quarter of 2026 was driven by higher prices, vendor-led reprioritization of scarce components and a shift toward higher-priced configurations,” she said. “The resulting reduction in the availability of lower-cost devices made replacement purchases less affordable for consumers, while businesses focused spending on targeted investments, such as workstations and AI PCs rather than broad-based PC deployments.”
All six leading PC makers recorded lower shipments.
Lenovo kept the top spot with about 15 million units shipped and a 27.1% market share. Its shipments fell 22.4%, matching the overall market decline. Gartner said Lenovo’s large supply chain and wider AI and infrastructure business helped it hold its position.
HP Inc. remained second, shipping about 10.4 million units. It recorded the largest decline among the top six at 30.9%. Gartner linked the drop to its exposure to consumers and business buyers who are sensitive to price increases.
Dell’s shipments fell 25.4% to about 7.6 million units.
Apple had the smallest decline among the leading vendors, with shipments down 7.1% to about 5.8 million units. Its market share rose from 8.8% to 10.5%, supported by its mainstream MacBooks.
ASUS shipments fell 13%, while Acer recorded an 11.2% decline.