Memory Shortages Drive Laptop Prices Higher Through 2030
Rising DRAM and NAND costs, driven by AI data-center demand and long-term supply agreements, are expected to keep laptop prices above pre-2025 levels for years.
Laptop prices are set to remain elevated as memory component costs stay high, industry analysts say. Apple’s recent price increases have pushed a base-model MacBook Pro to around $2,000, a level that many manufacturers now view as the new norm.
German-language tech outlet ComputerBase reported that Lenovo warned attendees at the ISC 2026 conference that DRAM and NAND prices are unlikely to improve for several years, with the “new normal” extending beyond 2030. The outlook reflects the dominance of three memory producers—Micron, Samsung and SK Hynix—who have prioritized high-bandwidth memory contracts for artificial-intelligence data centers over consumer-grade DRAM.
Micron announced a series of “strategic customer agreements” (SCAs) that lock in multi-year, take-or-pay commitments for specific memory volumes. In a prepared statement, CEO and chairman Sanjay Mehrotra said the agreements will run through the end of 2030 and could account for “approximately half or more” of the company’s revenue. Micron reported quarterly revenue of $41.5 billion, a 346 % increase from the prior year.
“Even as we expect industry supply to improve gradually in 2028, we currently do not have line of sight as to when memory supply will be able to catch up with increasing demand,” Mehrotra wrote.
The pricing pressure is also affecting other hardware makers. Valve’s Steam Machine, intended as a living-room gaming PC, retails for $1,050, higher than the company’s original target price. Engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais told a gaming outlet that memory suppliers dictate quantities and pricing, and non-compliance can end negotiations.
Apple’s former chief executive Tim Cook told the Wall Street Journal that “the memory guys are passing along huge price increases” and that a return to “reasonable levels” for consumer products is needed.
With limited ability to negotiate component costs, laptop manufacturers must either absorb higher memory expenses or pass them on to consumers, making a return to pre-2025 price points unlikely even if alternative sourcing options emerge.