"New Semester Laptop Prices Up Over 1 Million Won... AI Boom and Chipflation Drive Soaring Costs"

Samsung and LG Launch Laptops with Advanced AI Features
Release Prices Up by 500,000 to 1 Million Won Compared to Previous Models
Sharp Increases in Memory and CPU Costs Drive Up Prices

Although a large number of new laptops with enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities are being released, consumers are expected to face greater burdens due to rising component prices. As Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics unveil their latest AI PCs equipped with cutting-edge processors, the increased costs of memory semiconductors and central processing units (CPUs) have been reflected in the product prices, resulting in a significant price hike compared to previous models. Global PC manufacturers are also considering price increases, making price competitiveness a major challenge in the process of popularizing high-performance AI laptops.

According to the electronics industry on January 26, the prices of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics' new AI laptops have risen sharply compared to their predecessors. Samsung's new Galaxy Book6 Pro is priced at 3.41 million won for the 14-inch model and 3.51 million won for the 16-inch model. The premium line, Galaxy Book6 Ultra, ranges from 4.63 million won to 4.93 million won depending on specifications. This represents an increase of over 1 million won compared to the launch price of the previous Galaxy Book5 Pro 16-inch model, which was 2,458,000 won. LG Electronics has also set the launch price of its new LG Gram Pro AI 16-inch model at 3.14 million won, about 500,000 won higher than the previous model.

The overall increase in laptop prices is largely due to the adoption of high-performance components required to implement the AI features in new products. On January 27, Samsung Electronics will release the AI PCs Galaxy Book6 Ultra and Galaxy Book6 Pro in the domestic market. The Galaxy Book6 Ultra comes in a single 40.6cm (16-inch) size, while the Galaxy Book6 Pro is available in two sizes: 40.6cm (16-inch) and 35.6cm (14-inch). Earlier this month, LG Electronics unveiled a total of seven new models, including the LG Gram Pro AI (17-inch/16-inch), as part of its strategy to target the AI laptop market.

Each manufacturer has advanced the AI features included in their new products. To run AI functions, more memory semiconductors and high-performance computing resources are required. Samsung Electronics explained that the new Galaxy Book6 series is equipped with the Intel Core Ultra Processor Series 3, which improves power efficiency and processing performance, and supports AI-based tasks such as image editing and text conversion through an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) capable of up to 50 TOPS (trillion operations per second). The new LG Gram models are also equipped with LG AI Research's proprietary large language model (LLM) "EXAONE 3.5," enabling a variety of on-device AI features. In addition, users can choose between Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen CPUs depending on their needs.

In addition, the sharp rise in memory prices has driven up the manufacturing costs of laptops themselves. Major memory suppliers such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron have focused on producing high-value-added products for AI, such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and server DRAM, leading to a reduced supply of general-purpose DRAM used in PCs and smartphones, and consequently, higher prices. According to market research firm DRAMeXchange, the average fixed transaction price of general-purpose PC DRAM (DDR4 8GB 1Gx8) rose for nine consecutive months, from $1.35 in March last year to $9.3 in December. Prices of DDR5, another core laptop component, and NAND flash have also been on the rise.

The increase in CPU prices has also had an impact. The Intel "Core Ultra Series 3" used in the Galaxy Book6 series is the first commercial processor to use Intel's next-generation foundry process, 18A (1.8-nanometer) ultra-fine process technology. Due to low initial yields, manufacturing costs have increased, and the higher investment costs have been reflected in consumer prices.

As the manufacturing costs of laptops have risen, this has directly led to higher consumer prices. Global PC manufacturers have also announced plans for price increases. Lenovo, the world's largest PC maker, reportedly informed major clients that existing quotes and prices would expire at the end of the year, with new prices to be applied from the new year. Dell, the second-largest player in the PC industry, also plans to raise prices of enterprise PCs by up to 30%.

An industry insider said, "Prices of nearly all key components, including CPUs and memory, have risen steeply. We're trying our best to minimize the impact on consumers, but it's not easy." He added, "Laptops are the first products to be released for the new school year, but prices of all products containing semiconductors, including upcoming smartphones and automobiles, are expected to rise significantly compared to last year."