Razer's CEO Min-Liang Tan has taken to Twitter this afternoon to pour cold water over hopes of price relief for PC consumers in 2022. In a stark Tweet published today he warns that, due to component shortages and associated price increases, the price of their next-gen laptops will be higher next year than even the inflated 2021 norm.



Razer performance laptops are on the high-end of consumer design and construction, in specific instances bordering on ultra-thin yet remaining performance-heavy. They evoke the quality design that Apple's Macbooks are renown for, but with an all-black gaming aesthetic. As such they're certainly not cheap, even at the best of times.

Although they tend to chase high-end market segments, Razer are unlikely to be unique in their need to raise prices for consumers. Cost increases tend to trickle down even before you consider the impact of inflation, pushing up demand in lower segments and less expensive product groups. Even 'budget' gaming laptops might not be so affordable this time next year.

New laptop chipsets from Intel and AMD are expected in early 2022; both Alder Lake 12th Gen and Ryzen 4th Generation-based products are likely to spin out from there. Razer's designs in particular will also be equipped with the latest NVIDIA GPUs, silicon which is also in high demand.

It may be tempting to rush out immediately and invest in a new laptop, but the usual caveats should still apply: have a budget, a need, and a concrete use-case.

SOURCE: @minliangtan