On April 9, market research organization Omdia released the global PC market report for the first quarter of 2026. Data show that in the first quarter of 2026, the global PC market increased by 3.2% year-on-year to 64.8 million units. In the market segments, notebook computers (including mobile workstations) increased by 2.6% year-on-year to 50.8 million units. Desktop computers (including desktop workstations) performed even more strongly, increasing by 5.4% year-on-year to 14 million units. The overall market showed a phased recovery trend.
The growth drivers mainly come from three aspects: first, manufacturers and channels prepare stocks in advance to cope with rising costs; second, the Windows 10 replacement cycle continues to promote corporate procurement; third, the pace of new product releases in spring is accelerated, driving the release of phased demand.
But the foundation for this growth is not solid. Omdia chief analyst Ben Yeh pointed out that as supply chain pressure continues to rise, the first quarter may become the high point of shipment performance for the whole year. From a cost perspective, AI data centers have continued to intensify their use of resources since 2025, causing memory and storage prices to rise approximately five times and three times respectively, and are expected to rise further in the second quarter of 2026. At the same time, Intel and AMD also expect CPU prices to rise by 10% to 25%, further compressing the profit margins of machine manufacturers.
By region, cost pressure in North America is borne more by channel vendors than by end customers. The decline in the Japanese market is more significant, which may be due to the high shipment base in the first quarter of 2025, as well as the high cost and parts supply pressure in the education field. The momentum is no longer the same as in 2025; the weakening of policy momentum may also become one of the main factors for the shrinkage of the Japanese market in 2026.
Judging from the ranking, Lenovo continued to rank first with 16.5 million units shipped, with a market share of more than 25%, a year-on-year increase of 8.7%, further consolidating its advantages in commercial and global channel capabilities; HP declined year-on-year due to weak demand in Europe and the United States. 4.9%, with a market share of 12.14 million units, accounting for 18.7%, maintaining second place; Dell increased by 7.8% year-on-year, with shipments reaching 10.29 million units, ranking third with a 7.8% share; Apple benefited from MacBook Driven by Air and new products, it achieved a growth of 5.4%, with shipments reaching 7.11 million units, and a market share of 5.4%, ranking fourth. ASUS maintained double-digit growth, with shipments reaching 4.6 million units, and a market share of 7.1%, ranking fifth.
Global PC shipments in the first quarter of 2026 Omdia
Mainland China's PC market will also show the impact of shifting demand and rising costs. According to Omdia data, for the whole of 2025, China's PC market will grow by 6% year-on-year to 42.1 million units, mainly supported by consumer subsidy policies and commercial demand. However, in 2026, as the subsidy intensity drops from about 30% to about 15%, and quotas and phased distribution mechanisms are introduced, Omdia predicts that China's PC market is expected to decline by 10% year-on-year to 37.9 million units in 2026, entering a typical "post-subsidy cycle."
Broken down into brands, in the fourth quarter of 2025 in mainland China's PC market, Lenovo ranked first with 4.6 million units shipped, with a market share of 40%, a year-on-year increase of 13%; Huawei ranked second with 1.3 million units shipped, with a market share of 11%, a year-on-year increase of 16%. HP ranked third with 1.2 million units shipped, with a market share of 10%, a year-on-year increase of 22%. iSoftStone shipped 900,000 units, with a market share of 8%, but fell 20% year-on-year, ranking fourth; Apple shipped 700,000 units, occupying 6% of the market share, growing 14% year-on-year, ranking fifth.
Mainland China PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2025 Omida
Overall, the PC market in 2026 is changing from demand-driven to cost- and structure-driven. The global market will still have shipment support in the short term, but cost pressures will gradually emerge; the Chinese market is the first to enter an adjustment cycle and needs to find a new growth balance between subsidies and falling demand. The key to the future competitive landscape lies in whether manufacturers can control costs while strengthening AI capabilities and product structures to stimulate market vitality.
