According to preliminary data, the global market grew for the second consecutive year, reaching nearly 285 million units in 2025. However, the 8% growth in shipments compared to 2024 was nowhere near enough to reach the record of 350 million units set in 2021.

Laptop and PC sales in 2021 were over 30% higher compared to 2019, driven by the accelerated shift toward the Work From Home concept, which prompted many companies and individuals to buy new laptops or upgrade their existing machines to higher-performance ones.

Subsequently, this market segment dropped by 17% to around 292 million units in 2022, only to experience another 11% decline in 2023.

The IDC data includes sales of laptops, desktop PCs, and workstations, while tablets and servers are tracked separately.

Major laptop and PC vendors increased their sales without exception over the past year. The most significant progress was reported by Lenovo, which shipped nearly 71 million units, up 15% compared to 2024. In fact, it was Lenovo’s best year since 2021, when it shipped almost 82 million units.

HP grew in line with the market (+8%) and maintains its 2nd place in the global ranking, while Dell recorded only a 5% growth but comfortably holds the 3rd spot. Over the last 5 years, Dell has had the weakest performance among the top 5 vendors, with shipments over 30% lower compared to its 2021 record.

Meanwhile, Apple grew by 11%, outpacing the market average, to reach almost 26 million units, while Asus reported a 13% growth, reaching nearly 21 million units.

Together, all other manufacturers recorded an average shipment growth of just 1.4%, totaling 69 million units. In other words, the top 5 global vendors consolidated their positions, jointly accounting for over 75% of global shipments.

Lenovo secured its highest market share in the last 5 years in 2025, with 24.9% of globally sold units bearing the Chinese manufacturer’s logo. It thus solidified its top position at the expense of HP, which has seen its market share stabilize at just over 20% over the last 3 years.

Among the top manufacturers, Dell had the most modest evolution over the last 5 years, as the American company’s market share dropped from almost 17% in 2021 to 14.4% in 2025. One possible explanation is the controversial decision to phase out traditional brands like XPS, Latitude, Inspiron, and Precision. Dell partially reversed this decision earlier this year by announcing the return of the XPS brand to its laptop lineup.

Meanwhile, Apple has slowly but surely increased its market share over the last three years, closing 2025 with a 9% share. A very similar trajectory was followed by Taiwan’s Asus, which grew to 7.2% in 2025, its highest market share in the last 5 years.

Forecast for 2026: Sales will drop by 11%

IDC anticipates that global laptop and PC sales will drop by 11.3% in 2026, to approximately 252.5 million units.

The firm’s analysts base their calculations on numerous challenges currently facing the industry. On one hand, the tight supply of RAM and SSDs for end users has already driven up prices due to significant demand from major data center integrators. On the other hand, the conflict in the Middle East also has the potential to disrupt the supply of raw materials essential for hardware component production.

IDC estimates that, amid rising component prices, the total value of the laptop and PC market will increase by 1.6% to $274 billion, despite the shipment drop of over 11%.

In this context, IDC anticipates that one of the manufacturers’ strategies will be to downgrade the technical specifications of laptops and PCs, particularly regarding RAM or storage space, in order to offer more affordable price points.

Ironically, Apple might have the best strategy in this regard. The American manufacturer recently launched the new MacBook Neo laptop, positioned in both specs and price below the MacBook Air lineup, which until now was the most affordable option for end users.

Currently, on the US market, the MacBook Neo has a starting price of $599, while the MacBook Air M5 starts at $1,099.

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