International Data Corporation (IDC) has released its latest Worldwide PC Market Tracker, reporting that PC shipments grew by 9.6% year-over-year (YoY) to 76.4 million units in Q4 2025, with total shipments reaching 284.7 million in 2025, an increase of 8.1% compared to 2024.
According to research analysts, 2025 was a good year with significant growth, driven by factors such as the end of support for Windows 10, which likely initiated PC upgrades; early-year tariff concerns under Trump that prompted vendors to pull forward more inventory than originally planned; the holiday season; and heightened concerns over memory prices.
Lenovo led the market in Q4 with a 25.3% market share and also for the whole year, with shipments totaling 61.8 million units, reflecting a growth rate of 14.5%. Following Lenovo are HP and Dell, with 20.2% and 14.4% overall market shares, respectively, in 2025. Notably, Dell had a good Q4 2025 with 18.2% YoY growth.
Apple, on the other hand, captured the fourth spot in both Q4 and for the full year. It recorded minimal growth of 0.2% in Q4 2025 but achieved a solid 11.1% growth for the full year, shipping a total of 25.6 million units in 2025. ASUS secured the fifth spot with total shipments of 20.5 million units, a market share of 7.2%, and a strong growth rate of 13.4% in 2025, the second best, after Dell.
Global PC Market: Outlook for 2026
The ongoing memory crisis, driven by the growth of AI, is expected to significantly alter market dynamics. We may see average PC memory specifications being lowered to conserve inventory and an increase in average selling prices (ASPs) as vendors prioritize midrange and premium systems to offset higher component costs.
Larger brands such as Lenovo, Apple, and HP are expected to weather the crisis and leverage their scale and memory allocations to capture market share from smaller and regional vendors, making it increasingly difficult for smaller brands to survive in the market.
Regarding the matter, Jean Philippe Bouchard, research vice-president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers, said,
IDC expects that the PC market will be far different in 12 months given how quickly the memory situation is evolving. 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.
Jitesh Ubrani, research manager with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers, said,
Memory shortages are affecting the entire industry, and the impact will likely reshape market dynamics over the next two years. 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.