00:00What's going on everyone and welcome back to the channel. Today we need to talk about some pretty
00:04significant news coming out of the PC hardware space because Asus has officially announced
00:10upcoming price hikes set to take effect on January 5th and the timing here is important.
00:16This announcement is landing right before CES 2026, one of the biggest tech events of the entire
00:22year. If you're planning to build a PC, buy a laptop, or upgrade any Asus hardware in the near
00:29future, this is something you absolutely need to be aware of.
00:34According to Asus, these price increases will apply to select products, not necessarily
00:40everything across the board, but they've been very clear that changes are coming. Starting January
00:455th, retailers and partners will begin adjusting prices to reflect higher costs, meaning anything
00:51you see at current pricing may or may not stay that way for long. Asus hasn't published a precise list
00:57of affected products, but when a company of this size makes a move like this, it almost
01:02always ripples across multiple product categories.
01:07So why is this happening now? Asus is pointing directly at rising component costs, particularly
01:12memory and storage. DRAM and NAND prices have been climbing again due to supply constraints
01:20and increased demand, much of it driven by AI workloads, data centers, and enterprise-level
01:26hardware. Even on the consumer side, laptops, pre-built systems, handheld PCs, and gaming devices
01:33rely heavily on these components, and as these costs rise, manufacturers eventually pass them
01:39down the chain. Asus is essentially saying that the current pricing model is no longer sustainable
01:45moving into 2026. What makes this announcement especially interesting is the timing. CES is
01:53traditionally where Asus shows off its biggest and boldest new hardware for the year. New
01:58ROG laptops, refreshed motherboards, GPUs, handhelds, and experimental tech. Announcing price hikes just
02:05days before CES strongly suggests that next-generation Asus products may launch at higher price points than what
02:13we're used to seeing. Even if the new hardware brings performance gains, better thermals, or improved
02:18displays, consumers may be facing a steeper entry cost right out of the gate.
02:24While Asus hasn't named specific products, it's not hard to speculate. Devices with built-in memory and
02:30storage are the most vulnerable to price increases, which means gaming laptops, pre-built
02:35desktops, and handheld PCs are likely candidates. High-end ROG and TUF systems, especially those
02:42targeting enthusiasts, could see noticeable bumps. Even accessories and components like
02:48motherboards could be affected indirectly as manufacturing and logistics costs continue to rise.
02:56For consumers, this puts you in a tough but important decision window. If you've been planning
03:00a build, upgrading a system, or picking up a laptop, buying before January 5th could save you money.
03:06Current inventory at retailers may still be priced under the old structure, and once that stock runs out,
03:12the new pricing will become the standard. On the other hand, waiting for CES means access to the
03:17latest hardware, but potentially at a premium price. There's no perfect answer here. It comes
03:22down to whether you value saving money now, or holding out for next-gen features.
03:28This also fits into a larger trend we've been seeing across the tech industry. Asus isn't alone
03:33in dealing with rising costs, and this announcement may signal what other manufacturers are preparing to do
03:39as well. As we head into 2026, the era of cheap PC hardware continue to feel further out of reach,
03:46especially for enthusiasts and gamers who want cutting-edge performance.
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