PCs will wait: electronics sales are falling in Russia
At the beginning of 2026, sales of smartphones decreased by 10% compared to the same period last year, and laptops by 16%, sellers told Izvestia. Russians began to save on non-essential goods. At the same time, gadget prices are rising against the backdrop of a global shortage of components for their assembly, experts say. Whether the trend will continue in the near future is in the Izvestia article.
How much have gadget sales decreased in Russia
Market participants informed Izvestia about a significant decrease in gadget sales in Russia at the beginning of the year. Thus, laptop sales in the first quarter fell by about 16% compared to last year, and in monetary terms — by more than 20%, said a source close to one of the manufacturers. Demand for smartphones decreased by about 10%, said an interlocutor familiar with the managers of several electronics manufacturers. These figures are confirmed by Svyaz.ON.
The main reason is the price increase associated with a number of factors, but primarily with an increase in the cost of electronics due to a shortage of memory chips. Manufacturers are trying to increase the cost without sudden jumps, in stages and in small steps, but steadily, said a representative of the retailer. On average, smartphones and tablets have risen in price by 5-10%, laptops — by 10-15%, he added. According to his forecast, this trend will continue in the near future.
The main reasons are restrained demand at the beginning of the year, slower updates of older devices and saturation of the market, especially in the middle and high price segments, the MTS press service noted. In addition, some purchases were made at the end of 2025 during the seasonal promotions period. In the first quarter, smartphone sales in Russia decreased by 8% in physical terms and by 6% in monetary terms compared to January – March 2025, the company added.
In turn, M.Video estimated that in the first quarter Russians purchased 5.6 million gadgets worth 144 billion rubles. Compared to the same period last year, the market decreased by 6% in units and by 5% in monetary terms. At the same time, the average price of the device was 25.7 thousand rubles, an increase of 1% year-on-year.
— Consumer demand in the smartphone market is still quite restrained, and in all price segments. And, most likely, the situation will not change much in the medium term, the electronics manufacturer Fplus believes.
But with laptops, the situation is more heterogeneous. A decrease of 15-16% does not look like a drop in all segments, that is, it is a mistake to perceive such a result as a general stagnation of the market, says a company representative.
— If the drop primarily affects the high price segment, then the reason here lies in the components, since they are the ones that most strongly affect the cost of end devices. Relatively speaking, in laptops more expensive than 120 thousand rubles, the subsidence will be very noticeable — from 40 to 60%, " he explained to Izvestia. — If we are talking about the budget segment, the reasons lie in the terms of sale: loans have become more expensive, installment conditions have changed against customers, retail offers fewer discounts and promotions.
However, not all market participants record the decline in sales.
— The laptop segment was one of the main drivers of the category's development in 2025 and remains in 2026. In the first quarter, demand for them increased by 270% in monetary terms. And the turnover of smartphones in January – March increased by 220%. We expect such a pace to continue this year," the press service of Wildberries & Russ (RWB) noted.
In the first quarter, smartphone sales at Avito increased by 4% year—on-year, and new gadgets by 17%, the press service of the trading platform said. Sales of new laptops increased by 10% over the same period, while Apple laptops increased by 43%, they added.
Why Russians have grown cold to electronics
Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, agrees with the estimates of the decline in electronics sales cited by retailers. Its prices increased by 15-20% in the first quarter of 2026, while sales fell by an average of 10%, he noted. Purchasing power is declining — people are not ready to buy gadgets in the same volumes. In his opinion, such dynamics will be long-term.
— The decrease in sales in physical terms is due to the continued restrained consumer demand against the background of attractive deposit rates and the lengthening of the device upgrade cycle. Buyers are increasingly choosing to replace their smartphone as needed, rather than as part of a regular update,"M.Video said.
Due to external geopolitical events, consumer demand for non-food products decreased sharply in the first quarter, said Maria Pantyukhina, Head of Sales at diHouse. At the same time, retail prices are expected to rise due to a number of factors, including a shortage of components, an increase in their cost, and currency fluctuations.
Due to a decrease in demand for expensive smartphones, retailers cannot sell them and, in order to free up warehouses, they are forced to lower prices, market participants told Izvestia. The cost of the iPhone 17 has decreased by 25-30% since the beginning of the year, and for older versions by 15-20%, M.Video said. Moreover, the main drop in value has occurred over the past two months. The decrease in the Apple Watch Series 11 reaches 30-35%, for Ultra models — about 20-30%, they added. The basic modification of the new flagship Galaxy S26 (12/256 GB) fell in price from 89.99 thousand to 84.99 thousand rubles (about 5-6%), in the Galaxy S26+ line — by 5-10%, and in the segment of older Galaxy S26 Ultra models — up to 10-15%, depending on the configuration, the company added.
Russians are redistributing demand. As Rosstat reported, in January 2026, the share of food expenses in the budgets of domestic households exceeded 39%. This indicator turned out to be so high for the first time in 18 years.
Now most customers are saving money, including on the purchase of gadgets, said Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily. According to him, the situation is further complicated by the decrease in the availability of purchases on credit. If trends continue, demand for electronics may continue to decline until the end of 2026.
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