Computer sales hit a new record in 2025 as users look to replace covid-era laptops
New Delhi: Computer makers sold a record 15.9 million personal computers including 11.4 million laptops in India in 2025, according to data from Counterpoint and two other market research firms. Sales surpassed the previous high achieved during covid many Indians looked to replace laptops they bought to work or study from home in the pandemic era, and companies struck fresh deals with governments and companies.
IDC data collated by Mint showed that total PC sales in India spiked to 14.8 million devices in 2021 — from 10.4 million in 2020 and 11 million in 2019, India’s best year for PC sales before covid — driven by a rush to comply with at-home work and education mandates amid the pandemic. While PC sales remained largely flat in 2022, volume dipped 7% in 2023 before recovering 4% in 2024.
The surge in sales of laptops contrasts with muted demand for smartphones, India’s largest consumer electronics category, which has remained below its covid-induced peak in 2021.
‘A very different economy’
Navkendar Singh, associate vice-president at market research and consultancy firm International Data Corporation (IDC) India, said, “If you look at the pandemic buying craze, there were multiple market shortages due to the supply chain being hit, and people bought whatever laptops they could buy within tight budgets. That was a very different economy. Now, almost five years since then, buyers are looking to upgrade to better laptops at higher price points, which is fuelling a strong market for PCs in India.”
He added, “There is ample room for laptop sales to grow as it has a net base of about 250 million users in the country. With this level of penetration, there is definitely enough room for organic buyers, in addition to those replacing their hastily purchased devices from five years ago.” Laptops generally account for about 75% of PC sales in India.
Anshika Jain, senior research analyst at market research firm Counterpoint, added that the fresh demand for laptops “has come from segments like students, gaming users, content creators and small businesses that are becoming more digitally dependent”. She added, “Enterprise and government digitization initiatives have also played an important role in boosting demand. Overall, the market growth has been healthy, and supported by both cyclical replacement and new demand drivers.”
American firm HP is India’s biggest laptop seller, with a market share of 27-29%. Lenovo is second, with an 18% market share in the September quarter of 2025, followed by US company Dell and Taiwanese firms Acer and Asus. Queries emailed to HP, Lenovo and Dell were yet to elicit responses at the time of publishing.
Smartphones sales struggle
Strong laptop sales will bring relief to both electronics brands and manufacturers in India as the smartphone segment has continued to struggle. Since hitting a high of more than 160 million units in 2021, smartphone sales have remained below that level. On 20 January, data from market researcher Omdia (formerly Canalys) showed that 154 million smartphones were sold in India in 2025, marking yet another flat year.
The December-quarter earnings of India’s top three listed electronics manufacturers highlighted the diverging trend. Syrma SGS, which assembles laptops for several brands in India, saw revenue grow 10%, while Dixon, which earns nearly 70% of its revenue from mobile phone assembly, reported a 28% revenue decline.
Words of warning
Though PC companies are cheering for now, experts highlighted a worsening issue that could dent future sales. Rising costs of memory chips have already increased prices of laptops by 10-20%, Singh said, and additional expected hikes could dampen sales in 2026. Jain added, “Average selling prices in India could increase by 8% this year. Entry-level buyers may delay purchases or opt for lower-spec models, while premium and professional segments such as gamers, creators and enterprise users are less price-sensitive and will continue to drive demand.”
Singh also sounded caution on the ‘AI PC boom’, saying while sales numbers are climbing, customers aren’t actually walking into stores specifically asking for AI features. Instead, because AI chips are now the standard hardware in mid-to-high-end laptops, every purchase at that price point is automatically counted as an AI PC sale, whether or not the buyer cares about AI. “It’s a bit like saying 5G smartphone sales are growing in a market where all smartphones have 5G connectivity,” he said.
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