Need a new laptop? You might want to buy now, as Asus just warned that prices could soon jump by up to 30% | Tech Radar

Overview

Asus exec suggests you should buy 'as soon as possible'

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Details

Prices could rise by 25% to 30% in the second quarter in Taiwan, we're told

This is likely to be reflected globally, and with other increasingly gloomy predictions hanging over the PC industry, it would seem the time to buy is now

Asus has warned that its laptops are going to get a lot more expensive in Taiwan, and while this doesn't necessarily apply globally, you can bet it's reflective of the situation worldwide — and the scale of the increase is seriously worrying.

As reported by UDN in Taiwan (flagged by Video Cardz), Asus said that PC prices in the country are going to rise by 25% to 30% in the second quarter of this year on average (with varying increases depending on the exact model, of course).

This prediction came direct from Liao Yi-hsiang, who is General Manager of Asus United Technology Systems Business, during an interview conducted after a press conference for a new Zenbook laptop.

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The Asus exec made it clear that double-digit price increases would apply to all PC makers, as they're obviously all suffering from the same RAM and storage pricing headwinds (and the rising costs of other components besides, such as GPUs).

The report further notes that price increases of components "may continue in the second half of the year", and therefore Liao "suggests that consumers who need to upgrade their PCs should buy them as soon as possible". (Note that this is a translation of the article from Chinese, but the gist is pretty clear).

Granted, the report specifically notes that Asus didn't say whether this price increase would apply globally, but it also didn't say it wouldn't — and I think you can safely draw your own conclusions there. Yes, there will likely be some regional variability, but Taiwan isn't in a bubble, and warnings of price hikes of nearly a third over the course of the next quarter is a hugely worrying signal of what's to come with the whole of the PC market.

Meanwhile, we're hearing gloomier forecasts around PC pricing and the latest twists on the RAM crisis on a weekly — if not daily — basis. Here's another doom nugget from this week, for example, with memory chip maker Micron letting us know how bad things have got with supply in no uncertain terms. It's getting dire out there, to the point where hardware is being cancelled — witness Kotaku's report about the Ayaneo Next 2 getting canned because the price of the handheld would be around four grand at this point.

I think you'll regret waiting, frankly, especially if you can get a good deal on a laptop now, and there are some tempting bargains floating around still. These offers may not be nearly as compelling a few months down the line, because if Asus is right, serious price jumps could be here before we know it.

➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops

Best overall: Apple Mac Book Air 13-inch M4
Best budget: Asus Chromebook CM14
Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
Best gaming: Razer Blade 16
Best for pros Mac Book Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

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Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for Tech Radar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

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Key Takeaways

Asus exec suggests you should buy 'as soon as possible'
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission
Prices could rise by 25% to 30% in the second quarter in Taiwan, we're told
This is likely to be reflected globally, and with other increasingly gloomy predictions hanging over the PC industry, it would seem the time to buy is now
Asus has warned that its laptops are going to get a lot more expensive in Taiwan, and while this doesn't necessarily apply globally, you can bet it's reflective of the situation worldwide — and the scale of the increase is seriously worrying