DIGITIMES surveyed the global top five notebook brands (excluding Apple) and top three notebook ODMs' shipments in April 2026 (excluding detachable models). In April, with global channel retailers taking a break in re-stocking inventory, it led to a combined sequential shipment decline of 33% for the top five notebook brands. Compared to the same period in 2025, the shipments also decreased by nearly 3% year-on-year.
The significant sequential drop in overall notebook market shipments in April was due to seasonal factors as well as price hikes implemented by notebook brands on end retail prices, which weakened the order pull-in momentum of some channel operators. Additionally, urgent orders from the education market and strong pre-order-pull-in momentum in the previous month raised the comparison base for April.
These factors led to a combined sequential decline of approximately 33% for brand vendors in April 2026, performing worse than the historical average for April. Compared to the same period in 2025, since an emergency tariff exemption for notebooks shipped to the US was granted in late April 2025, notebook brands seized the window to step up shipments, which also contributed to the year-on-year decline in April 2026 shipments.
