You have been planning a new laptop, and every shop says the price will go up next month. This guide is for any buyer in India, whether it is for study, an office or a family. You will see what the memory makers' own market reports and Asus India have actually said, what is still unknown, and a short test to decide between buying now and waiting, without relying on a salesperson's urgency.
Should I buy a laptop now or wait while memory prices rise?
Short answer: If your current laptop still does the job, waiting a little costs you nothing but patience. If it is failing and you need one for work or exams, buy now and choose the configuration with care. Nobody can promise that prices will fall later. The reports say memory is still getting dearer, but at a slower rate than earlier this year.
What has actually been reported?
Memory (RAM, the short-term workspace of a laptop) and NAND (the storage chips inside SSDs) are bought by laptop makers in bulk. TrendForce, a market research firm, tracks the contract prices that makers pay. Its figures are quarter-on-quarter, meaning each one compares a quarter with the one before it. They cannot be added up into one yearly number.
For the current quarter TrendForce says the rise in laptop-type SSD prices is held back, while the rise in server SSD prices speeds up. You can read the firm's own notes in its 30 September price forecast.
What did Asus India say about laptop prices?
In April, an Asus India vice president said the company expected laptop prices to rise by as much as 45% by the third quarter compared with December. About 10% had already been passed on in the first quarter, 20-30% more was expected in the second, and prices were expected to stabilise by the end of the fourth quarter. Business Today reported on 1 June that laptop prices had risen 15-30% and that hikes had been seen at Dell, HP and Lenovo. That report says they were seen, not formally announced.
The 45% figure is one company's forecast of the total rise over several months. It is not a single price hike, and it is not a rule that applies to every brand.
What is not known?
- Whether prices will fall next year. No maker or analyst quoted here says they will.
- How much of a given laptop's price is memory. It differs by model.
- Whether your shop's price for a particular model will rise next month. Ask the seller; do not accept a vague warning.
How do I decide?
Buy now if
- Your laptop will not start reliably, the battery lasts minutes, or the screen is cracked beyond use.
- You need it for a job, a course or board exams within weeks.
- Repairing the old one costs close to half of a new laptop. Ask for a quote first; ours is shared for approval before any work.
Wait or repair if
- The old laptop works, only slowly. A clean-up, more memory or an SSD often helps. See our laptop memory upgrade page and the DDR4 vs DDR5 buying guide.
- You are buying only because a shop said prices will rise tomorrow.
Do not pay a token advance or a booking amount for a price that the seller cannot put in writing.
What to check if you buy now
When memory is expensive, a lower-priced laptop may carry less of it. Ask for the exact memory and storage in the version you are quoted. Makers often print a maximum, such as up to 32 GB, which is not what the starting price includes. Ask whether the memory is soldered (fixed to the board) or sits in a slot. Slot memory can be upgraded later, and soldered memory cannot. Do not accept an invoice that does not name the memory and storage. Our refurbished laptop checklist is useful if you also consider a used model.
Rupee moves and service centres far from home
Prices here also move with the rupee and with import costs, so a shop price today can differ from a launch price you read about. Compare two or three sellers on the same day, and note the invoice date. If you will use the laptop in a hostel or small town, check where the nearest service centre is, because courier time adds days to any repair.
When to get help
- Your old laptop is slow and you want to know whether more memory will help.
- The seller cannot say whether memory is soldered.
- You are offered a second-hand laptop and want it checked before you pay.
- The laptop shuts down or restarts without warning.
Our laptop memory page explains what we can upgrade. In Hyderabad we visit you at home, and the charge is ₹149 doorstep visit fee, waived when you approve laptop repair with us. We also accept laptops by courier from anywhere in India.
A note from the LRW Engineer Team
Decide by need, not by fear. Write down what you must do on the laptop for the next three years, then pick the memory and storage for that. If the choice is between a newer chip and more memory, more memory can serve an ordinary user better. Keep the invoice and box safe for the warranty.