DIGITIMES surveyed the global top five notebook brands, not including Apple, and the top three notebook ODMs for January 2026 shipments, not including detachable form-factor notebooks. As the global notebook market entered the slow season in January, combined shipments of the top five brands fell about 39% month-on-month; however, shipments were up about 2% year-on-year versus January 2025.
The larger month-on-month decline in notebook shipments was caused not only by weaker seasonal demand but also by most brand vendors having pulled forward orders in the fourth quarter of 2025 to hedge against surging memory prices. In addition, some entry-level notebook models were constrained by tight CPU supply, further suppressing shipments.
These factors combined to drive the top five brands' combined shipments down about 39% month-on-month in January 2026, a weaker showing than typical January performance. Compared with January 2025, however, stronger channel replenishment in January 2026 supported overall shipments versus the prior year.
