Acer recently outpaced its biggest competitors by being the first major laptop maker to adjust its prices due to tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump. While Acer leads the pack in this announcement, it’s only a matter of time before we hear similar updates from other companies.
Based in Taiwan, Acer will reportedly increase its laptop prices by about 10%, aligning with the 10% tariff placed on Chinese imports by President Trump as of February 3, 2025. This move was first reported by The Telegraph and was confirmed by Acer’s CEO and Chairman, Jason Chen. He mentioned that the price hikes wouldn’t kick in immediately, as products shipped prior to February would not be affected.
Chen made it clear to The Telegraph: “We’re going to have to bump up the prices for end consumers. A 10% rise seems to be the most straightforward way to address the import tax consequences.” He also pointed out that other companies might seize this opportunity to hike prices even further than 10% in a bid to counterbalance the tariffs. This certainly spells trouble, not just for those looking at Acer laptops, but potentially for a broader range of brands because major manufacturers like Dell, HP, ASUS, and Lenovo also produce their laptops in China.
Now, with the question of how to tackle these tariffs and steadily climbing laptop prices, most laptops globally are manufactured in China. As long as tariffs are in place, finding an immediate solution isn’t straightforward.
Acer has dealt with something similar before. During Trump’s earlier term, a staggering 25% tariff was slapped on desktop PCs from China, prompting Acer to shift desktop production away from the country. Currently, as Chen mentioned to The Telegraph, Acer is investigating other supply chain options for laptops, which could include setting up new plants in the US. Yet, this sort of shift to a different country isn’t a quick fix, meaning consumers will likely bear the extra costs in the interim. The broader goal of these tariffs is generally to bring manufacturing jobs back home which ideally would lower consumer costs, but whether this outcome is achievable remains uncertain.
A 10% hike might seem minor at first glance, but it’s significant. While Acer offers budget-friendly options, their premium models aren’t immune to price adjustments either. Take the newly announced Predator Helios Neo AI, launching in May 2025, starting at $2,200. With a 10% increase, you’re looking at nearly $2,500. Even devices priced closer to $1,000 will see their price tags swell by around $100.
These tariffs’ impact doesn’t stop at laptops. At the same time, NVIDIA’s newest RTX 5000 series GPUs have spiraled past their original MSRPs, and third-party custom cards are bumping up in price while often out of stock.
As prices creep up for GPUs and laptops, I’m anticipating a similar trend for popular gaming handhelds. Machines like the ASUS ROG Ally, Steam Deck, and Lenovo Legion Go have provided affordable entry points into PC gaming, but with rising prices, this might not hold true for long. Acer is the first to announce price adjustments, but more companies will likely follow suit in the coming weeks.
