2026 Laptop Market Trends and Sourcing Guide

The laptop market in 2026 is defined by a major shift toward AI-integrated hardware amid significant supply chain volatility. While global shipments are projected to fall by 10.4%–11.3% Idc Gartner, average selling prices are surging by 17% due to a persistent memory shortage that has driven component costs up by 130% Idc Gartner.

Key trends include the dominance of AI PCs, which are expected to make up 55% of the market this year, featuring 40+ TOPS NPUs for local AI processing Gartner Coherentmarketinsights. High-end segments like Ultrabooks and RTX 50-series gaming laptops are driving revenue growth, even as the sub-$500 budget tier begins to disappear Gartner Coherentmarketinsights.