Global PC Shipments Drop 20% in Q3 as Retailers Clear Stock

Global computer shipments fell 20.1% in the third quarter of 2026, reaching 62.7 million units, according to IDC. The decline covers July through September versus the same period a year earlier and marks a second consecutive quarter of contraction after a much smaller 3.8% drop in Q2. Shipments also fell 9.1% compared with the previous quarter.

Those headline numbers track shipments rather than consumer sales. IDC notes retailers built inventory in the first half of the year to get ahead of expected price increases, and much of Q3 was spent working through that stock rather than taking on fresh supply.

Jitesh Ubrani, IDC's research director for consumer devices, says "channels are now worried about carrying too much inventory into a market where high prices are suppressing demand". He adds, "With macro conditions worsening, the risk is that the outlook for the next few quarters gets worse before it gets better". IDC expects industry pricing to remain elevated despite occasional promotions.

Market leaders and declines

By vendor, Lenovo led Q3 2026 with 14.9 million shipments and a 23.8% market share, down from 19.3 million and a 24.6% share a year earlier. HP Inc shipped 10.3 million units for a 16.5% share, down from 15.0 million and 19.1% in Q3 2025. Dell Technologies recorded 7.6 million shipments and a 12.1% share, Apple 5.9 million and 9.5%, and ASUS 5.5 million and 8.7%. The remaining vendors accounted for 18.4 million shipments and 29.4% of the market. Total Q3 2026 shipments were 62.7 million compared with 78.5 million in Q3 2025, a 20.1% year over year decline.

Among the major brands, HP saw the steepest year over year drop in shipments, followed by Dell and Lenovo. ASUS experienced the smallest decline, with Apple showing the next smallest fall.