The latest research from Omdia shows that US PC shipments (excluding tablets) fell 7.0% year-over-year in Q1 2026 to 15.8 million units, the largest annual decline since Q3 2023. The downturn reflects component supply constraints and cost pressures from surging PC memory and storage prices, compounded by a demand hangover following the Windows 11 refresh cycle, which had exhaust much of the near-term commercial pipeline. The comparison was also affected by a strong Q1 2025, when tariff-related inventory pull-forward inflated shipments, as well as modest channel stocking in Q1 2026 ahead of anticipated memory price increases.
US PC shipments impacted by component supply constraints
With DRAM and NAND supply increasingly diverted to AI server applications, rising component costs are eroding vendor margins on entry-level devices, making low-priced PCs increasingly unviable. Shipments of PCs priced under $500 declined 18.7% year-on-year in the quarter. Omdia expects industry-wide declines to continue throughout the remainder of 2026 as supply tightness persists, with full-year US PC shipments forecast to decline 14.4% compared to 2025.