Asus announces price hike on PCs as memory costs surge ahead of CES 2026

ASUS India

• Asus to raise prices on select PC products starting January 5, 2026
• Price hike due to rising DRAM and NAND flash costs amid global memory shortage
• Affected products include laptops, desktops, gaming PCs, and graphics cards

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Asus has announced a price hike on select PC products, confirming that revised pricing will come into effect from January 5, 2026. The decision comes just days ahead of CES 2026 in Las Vegas and is linked to rising costs of key memory components across the global supply chain. In a notice shared with partners, the company pointed to higher prices of DRAM, NAND flash, and related components as the primary reasons behind the move.

The announcement places Asus among the first major PC manufacturers to formally acknowledge price adjustments tied to the ongoing memory shortage, which intensified through 2025 as demand from AI servers and data centres increased.

What products are likely to be affected

While Asus has not named specific models, the company indicated that the price hike will apply broadly to products that rely on memory and storage components. This is expected to include consumer laptops, desktops, gaming PCs, handheld gaming devices such as the ROG Ally, and certain graphics cards.

Industry watchers note that almost all modern PCs depend heavily on DRAM and NAND flash, making it difficult for manufacturers to shield specific categories from cost increases. The lack of model-level clarity suggests that pricing changes may vary based on configuration, especially memory and storage capacity.

Why Asus is raising prices now

According to the company, Asus has absorbed higher component costs for an extended period but is now making a “strategic adjustment” to maintain supply stability and product quality. Memory prices have risen sharply as manufacturers prioritise high-bandwidth memory for AI workloads, leaving traditional PC segments competing for limited supply.

Although Asus has previously indicated plans to explore building its own RAM to reduce dependence on external suppliers, those efforts have not yet offset broader market pressures.

What it means for consumers

For buyers, the timing adds uncertainty ahead of CES 2026, when new PC launches and refreshes are expected. While exact price increases have not been disclosed, industry trends suggest anything from marginal hikes to more noticeable increases depending on the product category.

Consumers planning PC purchases in 2026 may need to monitor post-CES pricing closely, consider refurbished options, or delay upgrades until memory prices stabilise later in the year.