PCs aren't getting cheaper: laptops ranked in the top 3 in price growth among electronics products

Laptops are among the top 3 most expensive among other electronics - by the beginning of 2025 they have gone up in price by 10-15% depending on the brand and configuration, manufacturers, sellers and experts told Izvestia. The price growth especially affected the world's major brands: Asus - by 12.3%, Acer - by 15.4%, HP - by 30.9%. Only Apple laptops fell in price - by 7.5%. At the same time, sellers expect a new increase in cost - by 10-20%. In their opinion, the instability of currency exchange rates, importers' problems with building logistics and payment chains, as well as macroeconomic uncertainty and other factors affecting the IT market will continue this year. The increase in income tax may also make its contribution, experts believe.

Laptop prices in 2025

Laptops are among the top 3 gadgets in terms of price growth - on average, by the beginning of 2025, they have increased by 15%. For comparison, smartphones rose in price by 16%, desktop PCs - by 21%, told "Izvestia" leading analyst of Mobile Research Group Eldar Murtazin. But these figures are less than, for example, for large household appliances, the expert notes. At the same time, laptops are the most popular category of portable electronics after smartphones, he added.

- Prices for laptops are growing unevenly. For example, the cost of gaming devices has increased by 25%, which makes them the leaders in terms of the rate of growth of this indicator, - says Eldar Murtazin.

Manufacturers and sellers of electronics told Izvestia that this year laptops may rise in price by at least 10% more.

- During the year, prices will continue to rise under the influence of a standard set of factors - primarily currency fluctuations, which are reflected in the cost of logistics and the purchase price of the devices themselves - said the press service of electronics manufacturer Fplus. - Also affects the key rate, the increase in which is reflected in the "cost of money".

Prices have already risen last year by 10-15%, further growth may be restrained by major retailers and sites and partially offset by bonus programs, cashbacks and discounts, said an employee of one of these trading platforms.

- With further growth of the dollar exchange rate, a proportional increase in the cost is possible, as most of the equipment is purchased for foreign currency abroad. And what is produced in Russia, as a rule, contains imported components, - he points out.

Buyers are beginning to turn to the resale market more often - we should expect an increase in hand-to-hand sales, adds the Izvestia interlocutor.

An employee of an electronics distributor also speaks about a possible 10% price increase. According to him, everything depends on the geopolitical situation and macroeconomic realities.

- For example, a 5 p.p. reduction in the Central Bank's key rate will lead to a 5% decrease in the cost of electronics," he believes. - But if the "tightening of the screws" in terms of logistics, blocking of payments, as well as the increase in the exchange rate keep the same dynamics as last year, we can predict an increase of 10%.

Despite the rise in prices in 2024, as calculated by Eldar Murtazin, the average check for gadgets decreased primarily due to the fact that Russians began to buy more and more budget Chinese laptops. The increase in cost is due to the increase in the exchange rates of major world currencies to the ruble, the Central Bank rate, the dollar value of computer components on the world market, he said.

The expert also believes that if these factors will be present in 2025, and their pressure will not weaken, prices for portable computers may increase by another 10-20%.

What affects the cost of laptops

In January-November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, sales of notebooks in Russia increased in units by 7.5%, and in money - by 12.5% (while November showed negative dynamics of 5.1 and 7.2% respectively), told "Izvestia" in "Fridge.ru". If you take the average price of brands, in particular, the market leaders, the situation is quite different. For example, for Asus, the growth was 12.3%, MSI - by 16.3%, Acer - by 15.4%, HP - by 30.9%, Lenovo - by 3.6%, Honor - by 4.2%. But Apple, which were the driver of the average price, fell by 7.5%, the company noted.

- Taking into account the dollar exchange rate above 100 rubles, high key rate and difficulties with cross-border payments, we expect prices to rise by at least 5% in the first quarter, - added there.

The market of these gadgets in 2024 did not show significant growth compared to 2023: a combination of factors, including the increase in the rate and the ruble exchange rate, led to lower demand in the third and fourth quarters, which affected the results of the year as a whole, according to Irina Babina, head of "Laptops" diHouse Irina Babina.

- In 2025, the income tax has increased from 20 to 25%, which will add 1% (maximum 2%) to the retail price of a laptop. At the moment, the consumer tends to limit additional spending, preferring to keep free cash on deposits and deposits. Thus, at the beginning of 2025 sales growth in the market is not expected, - she noted.

According to the expert, an increase in users' interest in purchases may appear in case of positive movements in the economy.

Even a slight increase in prices may lead to stagnation or even a 5-8% decrease in the market volume, Fplus fears. Under such conditions, the influence of Russian notebook manufacturers and STM (retailers' own trademarks), which find it easier to work in the domestic market, will increase, the company believes.

The cost of notebooks, as well as other electronics, will depend on changes in the exchange rate, the price of purchases, logistics, believes a representative of MTS.

Prices are formed under the influence of many macroeconomic factors, such as the cost of logistics, the availability of components, the dynamics of the exchange rate, said the press service of M.Video-Eldorado. New generations of processors, video cards, RAM, which are put in the latest models of notebooks, always cost more expensive than the previous generation, which increases the cost of more modern gadgets, the company representatives added.

Perhaps the low and middle segment gadgets will be less affected by the price increase, said Sergei Polovnikov, head of the Content-Review project. But as for the premium segment (from 100 thousand rubles), the increase may amount to 10-20%, he agrees.