The shortage of chips is causing significant price hikes across various electronic devices, such as laptops and game consoles. According to an analysis conducted by the price comparison portal Idealo, and reported by the business magazine Capital, average prices across nearly all examined product categories were higher in June 2026 compared to the previous year.
While smartphones saw only a moderate increase of about four percent, the prices for notebooks jumped by 16 percent, according to Idealo. Customers are paying approximately eight percent more for game consoles compared to last year, and SSD drives have seen an even steeper increase of 49 percent. Computer memory, or RAM, is now more than double the cost it was in Summer 2025.
These rising costs draw attention to how the AI boom is influencing consumer pricing. Apple announced at the end of June that it would raise the prices of MacBooks and iPads. The company is dealing with a surge in demand for memory chips, globally required for AI data center operations. In line with Apple’s announcement, MacBook prices in Germany have also risen-the most popular models reportedly reached their peak last week-and iPad prices have seen partial double-digit percentage increases.
While the data does not definitively prove whether the price increases are entirely attributable to the general chip shortage, it is clear that Apple’s competitors have also implemented price hikes. Idealo reports that certain tablets and notebooks from Samsung, Microsoft, and Lenovo have become more expensive.
Consoles are also not escaping this trend. Microsoft announced plans to raise prices for the Xbox starting August 1st, and Sony had already confirmed price increases at the end of March. The PlayStation 5 has since become 25 percent more expensive.
