Asus price hikes are coming
The excitement of CES might be full of shiny new gaming laptops and AI hardware, but behind the scenes there is a less fun trend taking shape: higher prices. Asus has confirmed internally that it plans to raise prices on some of its products starting January 5, 2026, and early signs suggest that this is already happening in some markets.
A letter from Asus, reported by Digitimes and picked up by VideoCardz, outlines the company’s plan to make what it calls strategic price adjustments for certain product combinations. Asus says it reviewed market conditions, supply stability, product quality commitments, and ongoing investment in technical research and development before deciding to raise prices.
Even though Asus later clarified that the letter was an internal business communication and not meant as a public announcement, the intent is still clear. Retailers in some regions are already seeing higher costs on Asus laptops and are responding by raising prices not just on Asus systems but on competing brands too.
How much more will gaming laptops cost
Evidence from Taiwan gives us a rough idea of how much extra gamers might end up paying. Mirror Daily reported that it visited several retailers in the Guanghua Shopping Mall, a well known tech hub, to ask about laptop pricing right after the January 5 change.
According to one retailer, Asus informed them that:
- General word processing laptops would increase by around NT$3,000 to NT$5,000 which is roughly 95 to 160 US dollars
- Gaming laptops would increase by around NT$8,000 to NT$10,000 which is roughly 255 to 320 US dollars
That is a serious jump for gaming systems, especially for anyone already stretching their budget for a decent GPU and CPU in a laptop. On top of that, Mirror Daily reports that the pricing shift from Asus is triggering wider changes. Retailers in Guanghua raised prices on January 5, and a specific store called Moxun said that every laptop brand it sells would see a 20 percent price increase starting Monday.
This suggests a ripple effect across the laptop market. When a major player like Asus raises its prices, other brands often follow, either because they face similar cost pressures or because retailers adjust their entire pricing structure to keep margins intact.
What is causing the price jump
The main culprit behind these increases is the AI driven memory shortage that has been affecting the PC hardware market. High demand for memory and storage in data centers and AI focused systems has pushed prices up for everyone, including consumer hardware makers.
Asus points directly to this in its internal communication. The letter references market conditions and supply stability which in this context largely means the cost and availability of components such as RAM and storage. It also notes that global demand in the PC and IT infrastructure markets remains strong. Put simply there are too many buyers chasing a limited supply of key components, and AI workloads are hogging a lot of that supply.
For gamers and general PC users this is the same trend that has made RAM and SSDs more expensive recently. Even if you are not running AI workloads yourself, you end up paying more because the data center world is buying huge amounts of similar hardware.
Retailers have also explained how this plays out in practice. Overclockers UK for example has said that once stock bought at lower prices is sold out they will have to raise prices to match the higher costs they now face from suppliers. While you might still see good deals on existing inventory, new stock coming in is likely to be more expensive.
What this means for PC gamers and buyers
In the United States and some other regions there are no obvious across the board Asus laptop price spikes yet. Many large online retailers are still selling through older inventory that was purchased before the hikes, so current listings can look normal or even discounted.
However along with the confirmation that Asus is not denying the letter’s credibility this really looks like a matter of when rather than if. Once existing stock is gone retailers will need to replace it at the new, higher wholesale prices. Gamers looking at Asus ROG laptops or similar systems from other brands should expect price rises to filter through over time.
Here are a few practical tips if you are planning to buy a gaming laptop in the near future:
- Watch current deals closely. Discounted models may be based on older stock that escaped the new price structure
- Compare multiple brands and configurations. If every brand in a region moves up by around 20 percent it might be worth considering last generation hardware at a better price
- Consider whether a desktop build could offer better value. While component prices are also affected by the memory situation you have more flexibility to mix and match parts
- Plan your upgrades. If you know you will want more RAM or storage later be aware that those components are tied directly to the same supply issues driving these laptop price hikes
The broader trend is clear. AI driven demand for memory and storage is raising costs across the industry and those costs are now landing directly on gaming laptops and other consumer PCs. Asus is simply one of the first big vendors where we can see the details, but it is unlikely to be the last.
If you are in the market for a new gaming laptop it may be a good idea to buy sooner rather than later if you find a genuinely strong deal. Just make sure you compare specs carefully so you are not paying a premium price for outdated hardware. As new stock rolls in through 2026 expect higher baseline prices to become the new normal for performance focused laptops.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/asus-is-now-implementing-strategic-price-adjustments-and-retailers-are-already-hiking-prices-for-laptops-from-other-brands/
