Asus anticipates the PC price surge will cool down, expecting only single-digit increases in the third quarter.

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The fiercest wave of price hikes in the PC market may have passed. ASUS has sent a signal, predicting that product price increases in the third quarter of this year will narrow to single digits, providing some breathing room for OEM manufacturers and consumers who have been under cost pressure.

ASUS General Manager Liao Yixiang recently stated that since the fourth quarter of 2025, the overall cumulative price increase of ASUS products has reached 30%. However, looking ahead to the second half of the year, he expects price adjustments in the third quarter will only be in the single-digit range (0% to 9%), mainly because prices of core components such as memory and hard drives have recently fallen, and further substantial price hikes may push beyond the market’s tolerance.

This statement may trigger a chain reaction across the entire PC industry. Market analysts expect other OEM manufacturers will follow suit and announce a slowdown in price hikes. Meanwhile, overall PC market shipments have declined by 10% to 15%. The double pressure of high prices and weak sales is eroding manufacturers’ revenue expectations in this sector—with many companies' revenue targets expected to remain flat, or only achieve modest growth due to price increases.

Component price softness is the core reason ASUS is slowing price hikes

Liao Yixiang said that the recent pullback in memory and storage prices is the direct cause for ASUS lowering its price-increase expectations. He emphasized that with limited market tolerance, continued substantial price hikes are unsustainable—excessively high terminal prices will further dampen consumer demand and worsen already pressured shipment declines.

This assessment is closely related to ASUS’s own product structure adjustments. Currently, high-end and flagship products account for 60% of ASUS PC sales, with relatively ample markup space. However, the mass consumer market is more sensitive to price, and the room for continued price hikes is much smaller than in the high-end market.

Despite industry-wide pressures, ASUS still recorded a year-on-year revenue increase of 25%, mainly driven by high-end and flagship product lines. During supply shortages, these products were either out of stock for long periods or sold with significant markups, strongly boosting overall revenue.

Industry warning: Memory price pressure may persist until 2028

ASUS's optimistic outlook is not without controversy. Analysts warn there is a risk that memory prices could increase another 50% each quarter, with such pressure expected to persist through 2028. Spot market data also shows consumer-grade DRAM and SSD are still seeing double-digit increases, with memory prices rising as much as 89% from the previous quarter.

On the DRAM manufacturing side, some reports indicate that as HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) revenues approach their peak, some manufacturers are starting to expand general DRAM production for PCs, which may alleviate supply pressures in the mid-to-long term. However, in the short term, market trends have yet to show clear signs that DRAM or PC market conditions will quickly return to normal.

Whether ASUS's statement signals an industry turning point or is merely a brief respite, may require another quarter or two of data to confirm.

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