The increase in VAT, the introduction of a «technological levy» and mandatory labeling, as well as a global shortage of RAM, promise Russian consumers a sharp rise in the prices of technology and gadgets in 2026.
Smartphones may become more expensive by about 10%, and laptops by 20-30%, Forbes was told by representatives of retailers and manufacturers. According to the head of the purchasing group of Merlion and “Sitilink”, Kirill Ageev, the new price tags will appear already in the first quarter: PCs and tablets will rise in price by 7-20%, and in the second half of the year, the price of laptops could reach 30%, depending on the model.
Similar forecasts are given by the executive director of diHouse, Andrey Tarasov: depending on the type of electronics and the number of memory components used inside the device, computers and laptops could become more expensive by 30%, and smartphones by about 12%. The electronics manufacturer Fplus predicts an increase of 10-15%.
«The price increase seems inevitable», — notes Vladimir Chernov, an analyst at Freedom Finance Global: from September 1, a technological levy on finished equipment will come into effect, and later on components, additional costs will also arise from the «Honest Mark» labeling. «All these costs will be factored into the cost price when importing, so the price increase will be higher than the formal calculations», — explains the expert (The Moscow Times).
