Acer laptop prices in the United States are set to rise by 10% from March 2025, as the Taiwanese technology giant reacts to the latest round of import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Acer CEO Jason Chen confirmed the impending price adjustment in an interview with The Telegraph, citing the tariffs as the primary reason behind the increase.
“We will have to adjust the end-user price to reflect the tariff,” Chen stated. “We think 10% probably will be the default price increase because of the import tax. It’s very straightforward.”
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The price hike decision was reportedly finalized last week. Acer remains unaffected by the tariffs for products that left China before February 2025, but any stock reaching U.S. distribution channels afterward will be subject to increased import taxes. This means that as fresh shipments arrive, consumers will begin to see laptop prices climb across the board.
Acer’s most premium offering, the Predator Triton 17-inch gaming laptop, currently priced at $3,799 at Best Buy, is expected to jump to $4,178 if the full 10% increase is transferred directly to customers. While it remains unclear whether Acer will raise prices on inventory already sitting on retail shelves, it is likely that retailers will eventually adjust older stock prices to match the rising costs of incoming shipments.
Acer’s announcement marks the first public confirmation from a major PC manufacturer regarding price hikes in response to the tariffs, but Chen hinted that the move could encourage other companies to increase prices even further.
“Some may take this as an excuse to raise prices by more than 10%,” he suggested.
Currently, other leading manufacturers, including Dell, HP, and Lenovo, have yet to comment on how they plan to respond to the tariffs. However, given that 80% of U.S. laptop imports originate from China, according to the Consumer Technology Association, Acer’s move could be a precursor to a broader industry-wide price shift.
Industry analysts have warned that the new tariffs could cost American consumers a staggering $143 billion, making laptops significantly more expensive. Despite the tariff’s goal of boosting local production, the projected 8% increase in U.S. manufacturing may be too small to offset the rising costs imposed on imported goods. Some estimates suggest that laptop prices could rise by as much as 45% if the tariffs persist.
Acer had already begun shifting some of its manufacturing away from China during Trump’s previous term in office, particularly for desktop PCs. However, its laptop production is still heavily reliant on Chinese supply chains. With tariffs now complicating imports, Acer is actively exploring alternative manufacturing locations, including the possibility of shifting some production to the United States.
“U.S. production is one of the options we are considering,” Chen noted.
However, setting up large-scale manufacturing within the U.S. is not an overnight process. The U.S. semiconductor industry is also under pressure, with reports suggesting that the Trump administration is considering a 100% tariff on Chinese semiconductors. If implemented, this could affect chipmakers such as Nvidia, AMD, and Apple, further straining supply chains and increasing costs for PC manufacturers.
While the U.S. government is pushing semiconductor giants TSMC and Intel to expand local manufacturing, it remains uncertain whether these efforts will be enough to mitigate the impact of higher import costs. Until then, Acer and its competitors may have no choice but to pass the full burden of the tariffs onto consumers.
The Future of Laptop Pricing in the U.S.
For now, Acer’s move could be a sign of what’s to come in the U.S. laptop market. If other manufacturers follow suit, American consumers may face significantly higher costs for personal computing devices in the coming months.
With inflation already weighing on household budgets, the timing of these price increases could further complicate consumer spending patterns. If tariffs remain in place, customers looking for premium devices, particularly high-performance gaming and productivity laptops, could see prices surge beyond current projections.
Analysts believe that Acer’s response to the tariff crisis is an early warning, that without a clear roadmap for alternative supply chains, the worst may be yet to come for tech buyers in the United States.