Should You Wait for RAM and SSD Prices to Fall? An Honest Answer for India (2026)

Short answer: If you need a working laptop for study or work in the next few months, do not wait. Analysts through 2026 have pointed to tight DRAM and NAND supply lasting at least to the end of the year, and the driver — AI infrastructure demand — is structural rather than seasonal. If you are building a desktop and RAM is the only missing part, waiting may genuinely pay. For everyone else, a Grade A Certified laptop from Rs 22,490 already contains its memory, bought before the spike.

Prices are live as of 6 September 2026 and move with stock — check the linked product page for the current figure before you decide.

What we know, and what nobody knows

What is reported and reasonably established: DDR5 consumer prices rose roughly 110% in the first quarter of 2026, DRAM contract prices more than doubled over the year with some segments above 150%, and NAND flash rose 33-38% in the fourth quarter of 2025 followed by a further 85-90% in the first quarter of 2026. In India, retail SSD prices were reported up roughly 30-50% between mid-2024 and mid-2026.

What nobody knows: when it ends. Memory has always been a cyclical market and it has always eventually corrected. But the last correction cycle was driven by ordinary consumer demand, and this one is driven by AI data centre buildout, which is a different and much larger customer. Analysts through 2026 have generally expected supply to stay tight at least through the end of the year. Anyone giving you a specific month and a specific percentage is guessing, including us.

We would rather tell you that clearly than sell you a forecast.

Who should wait

• Desktop builders whose only missing part is RAM. You can use the machine meanwhile with a borrowed stick, and you are buying exactly the component that spiked. Waiting is rational.
• Anyone upgrading a laptop that already works acceptably. If your 16GB machine is fine and you want 32GB for comfort rather than necessity, that upgrade can wait.
• Bulk buyers with no deadline. If you are equipping an office next financial year rather than next month, spreading purchases makes sense.

Who should not wait

• Students with a course running now. A semester lost to a slow laptop costs more than any price movement.
• Freelancers and professionals whose income depends on the machine. Hours lost to a 2013 laptop with a hard disk are billable hours.
• Anyone whose current machine has failed. This is not a timing question.
• Anyone buying refurbished. This is the important one, and it needs explaining.

Why refurbished sits partly outside this

A refurbished Dell Latitude or HP EliteBook already contains its RAM and its SSD. Those chips were manufactured and paid for years ago, at pre-shortage prices. Nobody has to buy a DDR5 module at 2026 rates to bring that machine to market.

That is a genuine structural difference, and it is why the value gap between refurbished and new widened this year rather than closing.

Where the shortage does reach us, and we would rather state it than hide it: when a unit arrives with 8GB and we want to ship it at 16GB, we buy that module at 2026 prices like everyone else. In practice that has changed how we source — we now prefer units that already carry the memory they need over upgrading them after the fact.

What to do instead of waiting

1. Fix the free things first. A clean Windows install, a fan cleaning and removing startup bloat recover more speed than most people expect, at no cost.
2. Check whether you actually need more RAM. Task Manager, Performance, Memory. If In use sits below 70% while you work normally, RAM is not your bottleneck.
3. Buy capacity once, properly. The worst outcome in 2026 is buying 8GB now and needing to buy the upgrade module later at these prices. If you can afford 16GB today, take it.
4. Avoid soldered-RAM machines. A thin ultrabook with 8GB soldered is a machine you cannot rescue. Business-series laptops keep the option open.
5. Consider a complete refurbished machine rather than parts. In 2026 the arithmetic has shifted in that direction.

In-stock machines that already have their memory

Who should NOT buy a refurbished laptop, even now

• Anyone needing a current RTX-class GPU for 3D, AI or heavy video work. Nothing in this price range replaces it.
• Anyone whose workplace requires three years of on-site support. Our warranty is 6 months plus any remaining brand warranty on Unboxed units.
• Anyone who needs 20-hour battery life. Buy new.
• Anyone who cannot tolerate cosmetic marks. Grade A Certified is restored and fully functional, not factory-perfect.

What we can ship today

Every unit below is in stock as this page was last checked, with a 6-month NewAsNew Assured Warranty, GST invoice, 7-day returns and no-cost EMI. If it is listed here, we can dispatch it.

Prices checked on 29 September 2026 — stock and prices move, so the linked product page is always the truth.

Browse all laptops in stock · Ask us on WhatsApp which one fits you

Frequently asked questions

Will RAM prices come down in 2026?

Analysts through 2026 have expected supply to stay tight at least until the end of the year. Memory is historically cyclical and will correct eventually, but nobody credible has put a reliable date on it. Treat any specific forecast, including a confident one, with caution.

Why are RAM and SSD prices so high right now?

AI data centres are consuming the manufacturing capacity that used to make consumer memory and flash. High-bandwidth memory for AI accelerators is far more profitable per wafer, so producers shifted capacity toward it.

Are refurbished laptop prices affected by the shortage?

Less directly. A refurbished machine already contains its RAM and SSD, purchased years ago. Our costs move with supply and demand for used business hardware rather than with the DDR5 spot market — though upgrading a unit before shipping does cost us 2026 prices.

Should I buy 8GB now and upgrade later?

In 2026, usually not, because the upgrade module is exactly what became expensive. If your budget allows 16GB now, take it. If not, buy a machine with a free SODIMM slot so the option stays open.

Is this a good time to buy a laptop in India at all?

For refurbished, yes — the value gap widened this year. For new, prices are higher than they were and specifications at a given price point have quietly tightened. Compare specifications line by line, not price tags.

Will laptop prices in India rise further?

Reports through 2026 had major manufacturers raising consumer PC pricing to cope with memory costs. Whether that continues depends on how quickly supply responds, which nobody has predicted accurately so far.

Related guides

• Best refurbished laptops in India 2026, by budget
• Intel Core i5 vs i7 in refurbished laptops
• 8th vs 10th vs 11th Gen: the real-world difference
• Why laptop prices are rising in India in 2026

Still deciding? Talk to a human

Send us the work you do and your budget on WhatsApp and we will tell you honestly whether we have something for you — or whether you should wait. Chat with NewAsNew on WhatsApp (+91 79822 35917).

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Written by Atul Pandey, co-founder of NewAsNew (NextG Serve Private Limited, New Delhi). We came from four years of offline electronics retail in Prayagraj before building NewAsNew. Only 2 to 3 out of every 10 devices that reach our QC bench pass; the other 7 to 8 go back to the supplier. The exact figure moves month to month with the stock we are offered, so we publish the range rather than one flattering number. Read our story.