2025 Holiday PC Shipments Exceed Expectations

Global PC shipments grew 9.6% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2025, reaching 76.4 million units, according to preliminary results from IDC. The results cap off a tumultuous year for the PC market, marked by the end of support for Windows 10, which drove a wave of upgrade demand, and early-year tariff concerns that prompted vendors to pull forward more inventory than originally planned. While the holiday season typically drives stronger demand, the surge in late 2025 was further amplified by emerging memory shortages that led buyers and brands to secure inventory ahead of anticipated price increases in 2026.

“IDC expects that the PC market will be far different in 12 months, given how quickly the memory situation is evolving,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, research vice-president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. “Beyond the obvious pressure on prices of systems, already announced by certain manufacturers, we might also see PC memory specifications be lowered on average to preserve memory inventory on hand. The year ahead is shaping up to be extremely volatile.”

“Memory shortages are affecting the entire industry, and the impact will likely reshape market dynamics over the next two years,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. “Large consumer electronics brands are well-positioned to leverage their scale and memory allocations to capture shares from smaller and regional vendors. However, the severity of the shortage raises the risk that smaller brands may not survive, and consumers, particularly DIY enthusiasts, may delay purchases or shift their spending to other devices or experiences.”

In addition to potential market share shifts, average selling prices (ASPs) are expected to rise in 2026 as vendors prioritize midrange and premium systems to offset higher component costs, especially memory. While total unit shipments may soften, overall market value is projected to increase as component suppliers, PC manufacturers, and channel partners adjust pricing to ensure they capture revenue opportunities amid another supply-constrained environment.

Lenovo led the market in Q4 as well as in the full year 2025. The vendor ended the year holding 24.9% of the market and recording a 14.5% growth. HP came second in both full-year and Q4. With 8.4% growth in 2025 and 12.1% in the final quarter, HP ended the year holding 20.2% market share. Dell was third in both periods, with a solid 5.2% growth for the year and a jump of 18.2% YoY in the holiday quarter. Apple and Asus held fourth and fifth places in both periods, rounding up the top five vendors.