LONDON, July 29, 2026: The six largest PC brands are forecast to account for 80.4% of global notebook panel purchases in 2026, the highest annual share since 2021, as component shortages and rising costs concentrate supply among the industry’s largest buyers. Meanwhile, global notebook panel shipments are expected to decline 5.5% year-over-year (YoY) to 221 million units, according to new analysis from Omdia’s Tablet and Notebook Display & OEM Intelligence Service.
Top PC brands drive first-half demand through pre-stocking
Pre-stocking by PC brands resulted in 53% of full-year notebook panel shipments being recorded in the first half of 2026. Apple is expected to significantly increase its notebook panel purchase volume in 2026, Following upward revisions to demand for the Macbook NEO series in 1H26.
Asus also recorded strong purchasing growth during the first half of the year, supported particularly by demand from the Chromebook and commercial markets. However, its notebook panel demand may come under pressure in 2H26 as pre-stocking activity ends.
Commercial-based PC brands, including Dell, HP and Lenovo, similarly adopted pre-stocked strategy in 1H26, resulting in panel purchases exceeding previous forecast.
Rising bill-of-materials (BOM) costs prompt conservative second-half purchasing
With much of the pre-stocking demand already fulfilled in 1H26, most PC brands are adopting more conservative panel purchase strategies in 2H26 to limit inventory risks. PC brands began raising retail prices by between 15% and 30% in 2Q26 to offset increases in total BOM cost. As notebooks are a mature product category, these increases could weaken market demand and contribute to a further market downturn in 2H26.
Consequently, 2H26 is expected to account for 47% of full-year notebook panel shipments, representing a significant change from the shipment patterns recorded in previous years.
Component shortages accelerate supply-chain concentration
Shortages of memory, CPUs and related integrated circuits (ICs) are reducing overall market demand while concentrating notebook panel purchase among the six largest PC brands: Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell and Lenovo.
These major brands have traditionally accounted for approximately 75% of total notebook panel purchases.
“Smaller and white-box PC brands face an especially difficult supply-chain environment in 2026, as they must manager longer-than-expected lead times for key components in 2026,” said Linda Lin, Senior Principal Analyst at Omdia.
Inventory risks shape the notebook PC market outlook
Looking ahead to 2H26 and 1H27, notebook panels pre-stocked during 1H26 have pushed overall inventory levels more than four weeks above the normal range.
Continued upstream semiconductor capacity constraints are extending component lead times across the consumer electronics industry. As a result, the notebook PC supply chain faces ongoing challenges in aligning the availability of panels with CPUs, memory, and related ICs.
Securing sufficient component inventory will therefore remain a supply-chain priority throughout 2026. The effect of PC price increases introduced in 2Q26 on demand during 2H26 will also be a market indicator, particularly given the elevated levels of pre-stocked inventory across the supply chain.
Table 1: Worldwide notebook panel shipment by customer share (%)
| Share | 2024 | 2025 | 2026(F) |
| Top 6 PC brands | 71.1% | 78.4% | 80.4% |
| Others | 28.9% | 21.6% | 19.6% |
Remark: Top 6 PC brands include Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo.
Source: Omdia © 2026 Omdia
Omdia’s Tablet and Notebook Display & OEM Intelligence Service provides detailed tracking and forecasts of tablet and notebook panel shipments by technology, supplier and brand, helping industry participants understand trends and supply dynamics across the global display market.
