Processor and result: Laptop sales decreased by 20% over the year%

Russians' interest in laptops decreased markedly in the first half of 2026: device sales decreased by about 20% compared to the same period in 2025, business representatives told Izvestia. The decline in demand is associated with rising prices, a reduction in the range of parallel imports, and the global AI boom, which is washing PC components out of the market. Against the background of waning interest, retailers have become more cautious about purchasing equipment, which in the future may lead to a reduction in the supply of individual models. For more information about the market situation, see the Izvestia article.

How much have laptop sales decreased

In January – May, about 924,000 laptops were sold in Russia for a total of 59.2 billion rubles. Compared to the same period last year, this figure decreased by 20.7% in physical terms and by 16.6% in monetary terms, a source in the household appliances market told Izvestia. At the same time, according to him, demand is gradually stabilizing.

— The rate of decline in unit sales is slowing down, and the increase in the average cost of devices supports the market in monetary terms. Customers are increasingly opting for more productive models in the mid—range and premium segments, which partially compensates for the reduction in sales volumes," the source said.

An employee of one of them also reported a decrease in demand by about 20% since the beginning of the year.

"This year, we expect unit sales to fall by 20-35%, due to higher product prices and lower user demand," predicts Irina Babina, Head of Laptops at diHouse. — Sellers began to be very careful about the choice of the supplied goods, and therefore the volume of purchases began to decrease.

According to her forecast, in the fall the market may face a shortage of a number of demanded components, including Nvidia 5070 and 5070 Ti series graphics cards, AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors, and possibly Intel Core i5 and i7. This, in turn, can lead to a further increase in retail prices for laptops.

Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, also estimates a decline in sales of about 20% since the beginning of the year compared to the same period in 2025. According to his calculations, device prices increased by an average of 30-35% in January–May. By the end of the summer, the range of laptops may continue to decrease, as sellers have become much more cautious in their approach to purchases, the expert notes. Moreover, both the most expensive models and the super-budget ones are gradually disappearing from the market.

Among the reasons, the expert cites the global boom in artificial intelligence, due to which large AI companies are actively purchasing components, as well as a decrease in the purchasing power of Russians: consumers are increasingly delaying the purchase of electronics or choosing more affordable devices. The situation is simultaneously affected by rising purchase prices, restructuring of logistics chains and global problems with the supply of electronic components, said a source close to one of the trading platforms.

— The most popular configurations can disappear from sale faster, be replaced by more expensive analogues, or be delivered with delays. This effect can manifest itself even before the fall, as the seasonal increase in demand for laptops traditionally begins two to three weeks before the start of the school year," the source explained.

In his opinion, regulatory changes may also exert additional pressure on the market, including the introduction of a technological fee for electronics from September 1, 2026 (the authorities plan to postpone its entry into force to December 1), as well as the recent adjustment of the list of goods of parallel imports. As a result, these factors may lead to a reduction in the choice in the most popular categories and an increase in the share of more expensive models, the Izvestia interlocutor believes.

The cost of the devices may also be affected by the exclusion of the world's leading manufacturers from the list of goods allowed for parallel import, according to Svyaz.ON. Demand for the products of these brands will continue, so supplies will continue through alternative channels, and additional costs will be included in the final price for buyers. In addition, Russian manufacturers will be able to adjust the cost of their products following market dynamics, while continuing difficulties with the logistics of components will limit the ability to contain prices, the company added.

The reduction in purchases is primarily due to a decrease in demand, said Peter Gorbey, director of the Computer Peripherals Department at Marvel Distribution. Laptops and all devices with electronic chips are becoming more expensive following rising prices for components — this is not a feature of the Russian market, but a global trend, he told Izvestia.

What happens to the prices of laptops and accessories

Market participants interviewed by Izvestia attributed the decline in demand for laptops and rising prices, among other things, to a shortage of PC components due to the high demand for artificial intelligence services.

— Prices for end users continue to rise: since the beginning of 2026, the cost of RAM and SSD drives has increased by more than 60%. At the same time, a number of analytical agencies predict a reduction in global laptop production by more than 14%," said one of the editors' interlocutors.

The Wildberries & Russ press service confirmed that contract prices for RAM and SSDs are indeed rising this year, which is already affecting global electronics production. As a result, some of the less marginal models are gradually disappearing from the range.

— In the budget segment, Intel has reduced the production of the N100 and N300 models, which formed the basis of entry-level devices. Giants like Apple are releasing models based on mobile versions of their processors in order to close the basic solutions of their laptops, the company noted.

However, not all market participants share concerns about reducing demand and product range.

— The number of laptops available for purchase has remained consistently high over the past six months. For example, Avito currently has more than 63,000 ads across Russia. Stable dynamics is observed both in the segment of new devices and among the resale, " Avito's press service reported.

There are enough laptop stocks, and the range is represented by a large number of brands, said Kirill Isaev, head of the M.Video Laptops category. There may be some situations when the most in-demand models will sell out faster than usual or the delivery time of some configurations will increase, but it is incorrect to talk about a shortage in general, he said.

The main reason for this is the continued rise in global prices for DRAM and NAND memory, which is used in all modern laptops. The rise in price of components is already reflected in the cost of new shipments, Kirill Isaev also pointed out. According to market participants, prices for individual laptop models have increased by about 20% over the past month, he added.

— Current retail prices are largely supported by stocks purchased before the last wave of price appreciation. As they sell out, the impact of the increased cost will become more noticeable on the price tags. First of all, we are talking about an increase in the cost of devices, not a decrease in their availability to customers," Kirill Isaev added.

Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily, also notes a decrease in interest in laptops. In his opinion, some consumers have already updated their equipment in previous years, while others are postponing purchases due to limited financial resources. At the same time, the global boom in artificial intelligence continues to push up prices for components, so we should hardly expect the laptop market to grow this year.