Acer signals 10% laptop price hike in US, blames Trump's extra China tariff

Analyst tells El Reg to expect more of this across hardware brands

Acer has become one of the first major computer makers to confirm it will hike laptop prices in the US, citing fresh import tariffs on Chinese-made hardware imposed by the Trump administration.

Acer CEO Jason Chen told The Telegraph over the weekend the Taiwan-based hardware maker would be raising prices on laptops shipped into America, in response to the Trump administration's new taxes on imported Chinese-made goods, which took effect earlier this month. Acer has to pay an extra levy on stuff imported in from factories in China, and is passing that cost onto the end buyer.

We think 10 percent probably will be the default price increase because of the import tax. It's very straightforward

"We will have to adjust the end user price to reflect the tariff," Chen said in an interview with the UK newspaper. "We think 10 percent probably will be the default price increase because of the import tax. It's very straightforward."

Goods manufactured in China and imported into the US now face an extra 10 percent tariff, but shipments that arrived before February 4, 2025, were not affected. Acer's price hike, Chen noted, won't apply to existing stock already in the US before that date and may take a few weeks to reach consumers.

It's not just Acer planning to raise prices - though it's the only vendor so far to publicly confirm passing the cost of Trump's tariffs onto consumers. Meanwhile, posts on Reddit's Sysadmin forum suggest CDW is preparing to hike prices once its current inventory runs out, and the increases could be even steeper.

One Reddit user, citing their CDW sales rep, claimed that once current inventory runs out, new shipments will see a price increase of around 20 percent. The user was in the process of quoting Dell workstation replacements, suggesting the hike may apply to those models. Other users reported similar conversations with CDW reps, with estimated hikes ranging from 10 to 25 percent depending on the product.

Dell, HP, and IBM were mentioned in these discussions as likely to raise prices, though none have confirmed such plans.

We reached out to CDW to get confirmation, and didn't hear back, nor did we hear back from any of the hardware manufacturers we contacted to see what their plans were either. 

Historically, tariffs on Chinese imports have led to similar adjustments across the industry as companies pass increased costs onto consumers

According to Canalys analyst Kieren Jessop, whether or not we heard back from those vendors analysts expect all the major computer makers we contacted to follow suit, and you can toss Apple into the heap, too. 

"Historically, tariffs on Chinese imports have led to similar adjustments across the industry as companies pass increased costs onto consumers," Jessop said. 

Jessop noted that vendors like Dell, HP and Apple have been diversifying their manufacturing operations into other countries like Mexico, India and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, which may help them in the long term, but "short-term price adjustments are likely inevitable for most brands." 

He expects other vendors with high Chinese manufacturing footprints such as ASUS and Lenovo to make changes in the coming months, too. Even those able to resist large price spikes may still end up suffering, Jessop noted, as components used to manufacture equipment outside China often still rely on Chinese-made bits and bobs. 

This is really going to complicate those Windows 11 upgrades

Windows 10's planned end of life on October 14, 2025, is fast approaching, and Microsoft hasn't budged on the hardware requirements for stepping over to Windows 11. That means a whole load of businesses will need to upgrade their PCs, in order to use the operating system, or temporarily delay the pain by paying for Extended Security Updates (ESU). (Or switching to Linux, cough.)

But with tariffs driving up hardware costs, Jessop noted, many companies may rethink their upgrade plans. Some might risk security gaps by delaying replacements, while others may opt for ESUs at $61 per machine per year - costly, but still cheaper than swallowing a tariff-inflated hardware bill. 

Jessop also predicted a possible shift in demand toward refurbished equipment and devices as people seek to avoid tariff premiums. But even refurbs might not be immune - if they require replacement parts sourced from China.

In addition, he expects manufacturers to expedite relocations out of China - likely a large part of Trump's objective by levying the tariffs. Chen acknowledged Acer is considering such a move, but relocation won't happen overnight. Even then, some costs may still be passed onto consumers and business customers, as new factories aren't cheap. 

Increased prices are inevitable when tariffs are involved, says Informa fellow and Canapii cofounder Steve Brazier, who noted a number of device manufacturers are actively lobbying Washington for exemptions and delays to tariffs on the devices they make in China. 

"Whether these efforts will bring any relief to the market—and when—remains uncertain," Brazier told The Register. ®