Cheap laptops in 2026 (and why business prices are rising)

Right, let’s talk about the laptop-shaped elephant in the room. If you’ve tried to buy a new machine for your business lately and nearly choked on the price tag, you’re not going mad. And you’re not being ripped off by your supplier (well, not by us, anyway)! Something genuinely odd is happening in the world of computer hardware, and it all comes down to two letters… AI.

Here in Harlow, and across Essex and Herts, we’ve spent the last few months fielding the same question from clients. “Why has this laptop gone up by three hundred quid since January?”

So let’s break down what’s actually going on, what it means for businesses like yours, and (because we don’t like leaving people empty-handed!) how we’re still keeping cheap laptops on the table. Let’s go!

So what’s actually happened?

You want the short long story or the short story? Well, the short version is that the AI boom needs memory chips. And lots of ’em. The same RAM and storage chips that go into your laptop are also the building blocks of the enormous data centres powering ChatGPT, Gemini, and every other AI tool everyone suddenly can’t live without.

The big four US tech giants have earmarked something like $650 billion for AI data centre builds this year alone, and all of that infrastructure needs memory. Manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron have shifted the vast majority of their production towards the high-bandwidth memory AI data centres demand, because (shocker…) it’s more profitable than making standard RAM for laptops.

The result is that DRAM prices have surged by as much as 90% in places compared to just a few months ago. Yeah, that’s not a typo, and it’s not us being dramatic for effect.

HP’s own finance chief said memory and storage costs have jumped from around 15-18% of what it costs to build a PC, to more like 35%. UK retailer Currys has openly warned that prices are heading up and stock of the cheap stuff is heading down. And the experts reckon there’s no real relief until 2028, once new factories finally come online.

So, um, yeah. This isn’t a blip. It’s the new normal for a good while yet.

What this means for suppliers like us

We’ll be honest with you, because that’s how we’ve always done business. As an IT provider, we sit right in the middle of this mess. We buy stock from distributors, who buy from manufacturers, who are all facing the same squeeze. When component costs go up 30-40% overnight, we can’t just absorb it and pretend nothing happened. No business could. BUT! We also refuse to be the kind of supplier who bumps prices and tells their customers it’s tough luck.

So instead, we’ve gone back to basics. What do our clients actually need a laptop to do for them?

Because not every business needs a beast of a machine with specs that would make a gamer jealous. Most people need something reliable that opens Outlook, runs a browser with forty tabs open (we see you!), and doesn’t fall over during a Teams call.

What this means for your business

If you’re a local business in Essex, Harlow or Herts looking to replace ageing kit this year, here’s the blunt truth. Waiting it out won’t help. Laptops aren’t getting cheaper before they get pricier, sadly.

Analysts expect average PC prices to climb another 4-8% before the year’s out, and that’s before individual retailers add their own margin on top. Meanwhile, your team still needs functioning laptops. Ancient, wheezing machines that take five minutes to boot don’t become acceptable just because RAM got expensive. If anything, they become a bigger drag on productivity while everyone else is fighting over stock.

The businesses that come out of this in the best shape won’t be the ones who panic-bought a warehouse of premium machines in 2023. They’ll be the ones who worked with a supplier who understood which corners can sensibly be cut, and which absolutely can’t.

Drum roll… Dell Pro Essentials

This is exactly why we’ve started recommending the Dell Pro Essentials range. Solid, dependable business laptops at a genuinely sensible price, even with everything going on in the chip market. They’re a notch below the specs we’d usually recommend, and we’re upfront about that. But for simple every-day use for reception desks, admin teams, hot-desking, or anyone whose “heavy lifting” is a spreadsheet, they’re some of the best laptops for work you’ll find at this price point right now.

Dell Pro Essentials laptops start from £750 + VAT, with Intel Core 5 120U, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and Windows 11 Pro as standard, full 1-year business warranty, and (as always) configured and ready to go the moment they land on a desk.

Price and specification is accurate as of 23/07/26. These will always change, but gives you a good ballpark of what to expect.

Quick questions we’re getting a lot right now

Why have laptop prices gone up in 2026? AI companies are buying up the majority of the world’s memory chip (RAM and storage) production for their data centres, leaving less supply (and much higher prices) for everyday laptops.

Will laptops get cheaper again soon? Unlikely in the short term. Industry estimates point to no real relief until new memory factories come fully online, which isn’t expected before 2028.

What’s the cheapest reliable laptop for a small business right now? It depends what the machine needs to do. For everyday office use (email, browsing, video calls, basic apps) a well-specced but modestly priced business laptop like the Dell Pro Essentials range still makes sense. It’s when you need heavier performance (design, development, data-heavy work) that costs climb fast in the current market.

The bottom line

Prices are up. That’s not going to change soon, and anyone telling you differently is either guessing or selling something. But “prices are up” doesn’t have to mean “your business grinds to a halt” or “you overpay for kit you don’t need.” It means working with people who know the market, know your business, and can still find you cheap laptops that do the job properly.

That’s what we’re here for. If your fleet’s looking tired, or you just want a straight answer on what a sensible laptop refresh looks like in 2026’s slightly chaotic market, give us a shout.

Got a question? We can answer it. Click here to get in touch. 

Sources: Tom’s Hardware, Consumer Reports, IDC, Yahoo Finance/Currys statements, July 2026.