UK laptop and tech prices 2010–2026: what ONS consumer price data show
Consumer prices including VAT, from ONS quality-adjusted price indices and price quotes. Not business or trade prices.
Updated 19 September 2026 · ONS item indices, price quotes and MM23 series, Open Government Licence · method and dataset below
What these figures are
- Consumer prices including VAT: prices offered to households in the shops and websites ONS samples, not business, trade or contract prices.
- Quality-adjusted indices: ONS adjusts laptop (since 2005), desktop PC (since 2003) and tablet (since 2013) prices for specification changes, so a falling index means a like-for-like specification got cheaper, not that shelf prices fell by the same amount.
- ONS research data: ONS says the item indices and price quotes "are provided for research purposes only, are not accredited official statistics, and users should exercise caution when drawing conclusions from their use". Only the MM23 series quoted (CPI all items, personal computers, data processing equipment) are accredited official statistics.
- No laptop price level: ONS publishes no individual prices for laptops, desktop PCs or tablets, so median prices are given only for USB sticks, SD cards, ink, paper and PC repair.
What the ONS data show
ONS's quality-adjusted price index for laptops fell 73.9% between January 2010 and August 2026, 7.8% a year on average, while all-items CPI rose 63.6%. Desktop PCs fell 59.9% and tablets 72.1% (from February 2012). The 12 months to August 2026 broke the pattern for desktops (+5.7%, after −13.0% a year earlier) and tablets (+8.1%, after −6.4%), while laptops moved −1.9%. ONS's SD card index rose 66.4% and its USB stick index 41.6% over the same 12 months. Over ten years the median recorded price of a black inkjet cartridge rose 56.3%, against 40.7% for CPI. ONS publishes no laptop price level, only indices. All figures are UK consumer prices including VAT; ONS describes its item-level data as research data, not accredited official statistics.
- Laptops: −73.9% since January 2010, quality-adjusted. ONS's laptop price index fell 73.9% between January 2010 and August 2026 (7.8% a year on average), while all-items CPI rose 63.6%; after inflation that is a fall of 84.0%. Measured January to January, the index rose in only 2 of 16 years (2014 and 2019). The index tracks a like-for-like specification, not the average price paid.
- Desktop PCs and tablets turned up in 2025–26. In the 12 months to August 2026 ONS's desktop PC index rose 5.7% (previous 12 months −13.0%) and its tablet index 8.1% (previous −6.4%); laptops moved −1.9% (previous −13.9%). ONS's accredited 12-month rate for personal computers (L7S3) was above zero in 4 of the 32 months from January 2024: November 2025, April 2026, July 2026 and August 2026. ONS publishes these 12-month changes in its Shopping prices comparison tool.
- SD cards +66.4%, USB sticks +41.6%. ONS's like-for-like SD card index rose 66.4% and its USB stick index 41.6% in the 12 months to August 2026 (ONS figures, also published in its Shopping prices comparison tool). The median SD card price ONS recorded went from £12.99 to £25.99 (213 to 206 quotes; 136 to 118 distinct prices) and the USB stick median from £13.99 to £19.99. Leaving out identical shop-and-price quotes repeated across 10+ regions (for most items, centrally collected shops), the SD card median went from £13.79 to £23.99 (+74.0%) and the USB stick median from £14.49 to £19.00 (+31.1%).
- Printer ink up 56.3% in ten years, faster than CPI. The median recorded price of a black inkjet cartridge was £24.99 in the 12 months to August 2026 (2,822 quotes), against £15.99 in the 12 months to August 2016: +56.3% (+58.9% counting each repeated shop-and-price quote once). Comparing the same 12-month windows, ONS's ink index rose 75.2% and all-items CPI 40.7%. A4 paper: £7.99 against £5.50, +45.3% (index +67.3%).
- PC repair rose less than inflation. ONS's PC repair index was 7.3% higher in the 12 months to August 2026 than in the 12 months to August 2016, against 40.7% for all-items CPI. The median recorded repair price was £50.00 in the 12 months to August 2026 (1,681 quotes) and £45.00 ten years earlier.
- ONS publishes no laptop price level. None of the 25,673,236 unique price-quote rows ONS published for January 2010 to August 2026 is for a laptop, desktop PC, tablet or PC peripherals item, or for ONS's 'computer software' item, and ONS's Shopping prices comparison tool shows no average price for them. Rebuilt from ONS's published item indices with this study's chain-linking, ONS's accredited personal-computers series (L7GT) is reproduced to within 0.21% in every month from January 2015, and the chained item indices match ONS's own to within 0.004%.
The long fall in laptop prices
ONS publishes only a quality-adjusted index for laptops, desktop PCs and tablets, not the individual prices behind them (its Technical Manual describes personal computers as centrally compiled national indices). Chain-linking those item indices gives a continuous series from January 2010. The laptop index fell 73.9% to 26.1 (January 2010 = 100), an average fall of 7.8% a year, while all-items CPI rose 63.6%; after inflation that is a fall of 84.0%. It fell January-on-January in 14 of 16 years; the exceptions were 2014 and 2019. Desktop PCs fell 59.9% and PC peripherals 41.1% over the same period, and tablets 72.1% from February 2012. ONS's accredited series for the whole data processing equipment class (D7EP) fell 57.5%. Quality adjustment matters for reading these numbers. ONS uses hedonic regression for laptops (since 2005), desktop PCs (since 2003) and tablets (since 2013), so the index measures the price of a constant specification: a fall can reflect more memory, storage or processing power for the same money rather than a lower shelf price. The chain uses a rule this study found in the data: in the published item-index files, the January figure compares with the previous January up to 2017 and with the previous December from 2018. ONS's Technical Manual and its guide to publishing consumer prices describe chain-linking through January, but no ONS page found states which base the January figure in the item files uses. Under this rule the rebuilt personal-computers series matches ONS's accredited L7GT to within 0.21% in every month; each alternative rule tested misses at least one accredited series by 7.7% or more in its worst month.
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Source: ONS item indices (research data) chained by this study; CPI all items from MM23 (accredited official statistics), rebased by this study. Quality-adjusted: the index tracks a like-for-like specification.
The 2025–26 turn
The 12 months to August 2026 were different. ONS's desktop PC index rose 5.7%, after −13.0% in the previous 12 months, and its tablet index rose 8.1%, after −6.4%. The laptop index still fell, but by 1.9% against 13.9% a year earlier, and from January to August 2026 it rose 4.3%, against −3.3% over the same months of 2025. ONS's accredited 12-month rate for personal computers (L7S3) was above zero in 4 of the 32 months from January 2024 to August 2026 (November 2025, April 2026, July 2026 and August 2026); it was +2.2% in August 2026. The rate for the wider data processing equipment class (D7J3) was −2.5%. These 12-month changes are ONS figures, published in its Shopping prices comparison tool; this study's chained indices match the tool's to within 0.004%. ONS data record how prices moved, not why: this study does not measure component or memory-chip prices and does not attribute the changes to a cause.
| Item | Latest 12 months | Previous 12 months | January to latest month | Same months last year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laptops | −1.9% | −13.9% | +4.3% | −3.3% |
| Desktop PCs | +5.7% | −13.0% | −0.9% | −0.8% |
| Tablets | +8.1% | −6.4% | +11.5% | −10.3% |
| PC peripherals | −3.9% | −12.5% | −1.0% | −5.4% |
| Printers | −8.1% | −7.8% | −3.7% | −5.4% |
| SD cards | +66.4% | −2.1% | +57.3% | +2.4% |
| USB sticks | +41.6% | +2.4% | +29.7% | −5.3% |
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ONS publishes 12-month (annual growth) changes for these items in its Shopping prices comparison tool from January 2022 (SD cards and USB sticks from January 2025, printers from January 2024). The 2025-26 changes quoted here are ONS's figures. Earlier 12-month changes in the CSV are computed by this study from ONS item indices.
Memory products: SD cards and USB sticks
SD cards and USB sticks, which ONS has priced since February 2024 (its 'portable digital storage device' item was priced until January 2024), rose most of the items in this study. ONS's SD card index rose 66.4% in the 12 months to August 2026, after −2.1% in the previous 12 months; its USB stick index rose 41.6%, after +2.4%. Because ONS publishes the individual prices behind these two items, the prices themselves can be described. The median SD card price ONS recorded was £12.99 in August 2025 (213 quotes, 136 distinct prices) and £25.99 in August 2026 (206 quotes, 118 distinct prices). For USB sticks the median went from £13.99 (230 quotes, 153 distinct prices) to £19.99 (199 quotes, 122 distinct prices). In August 2025 and August 2026, 39.4% and 46.6% of SD card quotes, and 36.5% and 42.2% of USB stick quotes, were identical shop-and-price quotes repeated across 10+ regions (for most items, centrally collected shops). Leaving them out, the SD card median went from £13.79 to £23.99 (+74.0%; 129 and 110 quotes) and the USB stick median from £14.49 to £19.00 (+31.1%; 146 and 115 quotes). ONS's own average prices in the Shopping prices comparison tool are £15.48 and £25.76 for SD cards and £14.16 and £20.05 for USB sticks in the same months. ONS's average is a weighted mean of January prices carried forward by the item's index; the medians here are the middle of the prices recorded that month, so the two differ.
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Source: ONS item indices (research data) chained by this study; CPI from MM23. SD cards and USB sticks entered the ONS basket in February 2024.
Printing costs
Printing consumables rose faster than general inflation over ten years. The median recorded price of a black inkjet cartridge was £24.99 in the 12 months to August 2026 (2,822 quotes, 1,766 distinct shop prices), against £15.99 in the 12 months to August 2016: +56.3%, or +58.9% counting each repeated shop-and-price quote once. Comparing the same 12-month windows, ONS's like-for-like ink index rose 75.2% and all-items CPI 40.7%. A 500-sheet ream of A4 paper had a median of £7.99 against £5.50 ten years earlier (+45.3%; index +67.3%). Five-year comparisons depend on how repeated prices are counted, so both bases are given: ink +25.0% on all quotes and +35.0% counting each repeated price once; paper +59.8% and +33.4%. Printers themselves got cheaper on ONS's index: −8.1% in the 12 months to August 2026 after −7.8% the year before. Printer quote medians are not given here, because 99.3% of printer quotes in the latest 12 months are repeated central-shop prices, leaving 14 quotes that are not.
| Item | Median price now (n quotes) | Ten years earlier | Median change | ONS item index change | CPI change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD cards | £17.99 (2,369) | — | — | — | — |
| USB sticks | £16.99 (2,683) | — | — | — | — |
| Black inkjet cartridges | £24.99 (2,822) | £15.99 | +56.3% | +75.2% | +40.7% |
| A4 printer paper (500-sheet ream) | £7.99 (1,837) | £5.50 | +45.3% | +67.3% | +40.7% |
| PC repair | £50.00 (1,681) | £45.00 | +11.1% | +7.3% | +40.7% |
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Each distribution pools every valid quote in the 12 months ending in the named month (e.g. now = 2025-09 to 2026-08). Medians of recorded prices are not quality-adjusted; the ONS item index is. The two can move differently because the products and shops priced change over time. ONS's average price is a weighted mean of the price quotes collected in the latest January, carried forward each month by the item's index growth since January. This study's median recorded price is the unweighted middle value of the quotes ONS recorded in that month. The two can differ: ONS's figure follows the like-for-like index from January, while the median moves when the mix of products and shops priced changes. ONS says its price sample is designed to capture price change, not price levels, so neither figure is a definitive shelf price.
Regions and shop types
ONS collects local prices in 12 regions and, for some items, records whether the shop is a multiple (10 or more outlets) or an independent. In the 12 months to August 2026, independents' median USB stick price was £9.99 (93 quotes) against £17.00 at multiples (2,590 quotes); for SD cards £9.99 (82) against £18.69 (2,287); for A4 paper £6.95 (94) against £7.99 (1,743). These gaps describe the products and shops priced, not like-for-like differences: in each shop, collectors choose a variety 'representative of what people buy in your area'. Regional medians are published in the dataset with their sample sizes. They too reflect the mix priced, and USB sticks, SD cards and paper are sampled by shop type rather than designed as regional estimates. Since February 2026 ONS also publishes regional indices, which measure price change within each region (January 2026 = 100). For ink, all 12 regions were below their January level in August 2026 (from 90.8 to 99.2). For PC repair, 6 regions were unchanged since January, 5 higher and 1 lower.
| Item | Shop type | Quotes | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD cards | Multiple (10 or more outlets) | 2,287 | £18.69 |
| SD cards | Independent (fewer than 10 outlets) | 82 | £9.99 |
| USB sticks | Multiple (10 or more outlets) | 2,590 | £17.00 |
| USB sticks | Independent (fewer than 10 outlets) | 93 | £9.99 |
| A4 printer paper (500-sheet ream) | Multiple (10 or more outlets) | 1,743 | £7.99 |
| A4 printer paper (500-sheet ream) | Independent (fewer than 10 outlets) | 94 | £6.95 |
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Latest 12 months pooled (2025-09 to 2026-08). ONS price-collection regions (an approximation to Government Office Regions). Regional medians describe the mix of shops and products the collectors priced; USB sticks, SD cards and paper are sampled by shop type, so their regional medians are not designed regional estimates. Ink and PC repair are sampled by region only and have no shop-type split. Cells with fewer than 30 quotes are flagged small_sample. Regional medians for every item are in the dataset.
What it means for buyers
For anyone planning IT purchases, a few practical points follow. First, over the long run a like-for-like laptop specification has become cheaper in most years (the index fell January-on-January in 14 of 16 years), so the same budget has usually bought a higher specification over time. Second, that is not guaranteed: in the 12 months to August 2026 desktop PC and tablet indices rose 5.7% and 8.1%, and the memory products in the study rose far more (SD cards +66.4%, USB sticks +41.6%). It may be prudent to allow a margin for price rises rather than assume a steady fall, and to get current quotes before fixing a budget. Third, running costs can outpace inflation: over ten years the median ink cartridge price rose 56.3% against 40.7% for CPI, so printing-heavy teams may want to track consumables separately from hardware. Finally, these are consumer prices including VAT for single items. Business, volume and contract prices, and the VAT position of a business, can differ, so use the figures for direction rather than as a price list. ONS data describe past prices and are not a forecast.
What ONS already publishes, and what this study adds
ONS publishes 12-month (annual growth) changes for these items in its Shopping prices comparison tool from January 2022 (SD cards and USB sticks from January 2025, printers from January 2024). The 2025-26 changes quoted here are ONS's figures. Earlier 12-month changes in the CSV are computed by this study from ONS item indices. They are credited to ONS and are not presented as new findings. This study adds: a chained monthly series from January 2010 reconciled to ONS's accredited MM23 aggregates; evidence that ONS publishes no laptop, desktop PC or tablet price level; quote distributions (medians, percentiles, sample sizes) for USB sticks, SD cards, ink, paper and PC repair, with a sensitivity for repeated shop prices; 5- and 10-year comparisons against the item index and CPI; and region and shop-type splits. ONS's 'average price' is a weighted mean of the prices collected in the latest January, carried forward each month by the item's index growth since January. This study's 'median recorded price' is the unweighted middle value of the quotes ONS recorded in that month. They answer different questions, and ONS notes that its price sample is designed to capture price change, not price levels.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. ONS research data, not accredited official statistics except the MM23 series named. Derived tables: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); keep the ONS attribution with any reuse. Downloads: CSV · README and method · JSON.
Questions
Have laptop prices gone up or down in the UK?
ONS's quality-adjusted laptop index fell 73.9% between January 2010 and August 2026, while all-items CPI rose 63.6%. In the 12 months to August 2026 it moved −1.9%, a much smaller fall than the −13.9% of the year before, and from January to August 2026 it rose 4.3%. Desktop PC and tablet indices rose 5.7% and 8.1% over the latest 12 months. The indices measure like-for-like specifications, not average prices paid.
What is the average price of a laptop in the UK according to ONS?
ONS does not publish one. It releases only a quality-adjusted index for laptops, desktop PCs and tablets; none of the 25,673,236 unique price-quote rows it published for January 2010 to August 2026 is for these items, and its Shopping prices comparison tool shows no average price for them. Any 'average laptop price' attributed to ONS should be treated with caution.
How much have SD card and USB stick prices risen?
ONS's SD card index rose 66.4% and its USB stick index 41.6% in the 12 months to August 2026. The median SD card price ONS recorded went from £12.99 to £25.99 and the USB stick median from £13.99 to £19.99. ONS price data record how prices changed, not why, and this study does not attribute the rise to a cause.
How much has printer ink gone up?
The median recorded price of a black inkjet cartridge was £24.99 in the 12 months to August 2026, against £15.99 ten years earlier: +56.3% (+58.9% counting each repeated shop price once). Comparing the same 12-month windows, ONS's ink index rose 75.2% and all-items CPI 40.7%. ONS's average price for the item was £27.01 in August 2026.
Are these business or trade prices?
No. They are consumer prices including VAT, collected by ONS in shops and on websites for its consumer price statistics (delivery charges are excluded). Business, volume and contract prices can differ, so use the figures as a guide to direction rather than as a quote.
What does 'quality-adjusted' mean?
ONS adjusts the laptop, desktop PC and tablet indices for changes in specification using hedonic regression (laptops since 2005, desktop PCs since 2003, tablets since 2013). When a new model has more memory or a faster processor, ONS estimates the value of that improvement, so the index shows the change in price for the same specification. A fall can therefore mean more computer for the money rather than a lower shelf price.
Are these official ONS statistics?
Partly. The all-items CPI and the personal-computers and data processing equipment series (D7BT, D7G7, L7GT, L7S3, D7EP, D7J3) are accredited official statistics; where this study rebases or averages them, the result is labelled "Derived by this study from accredited official statistics". The item indices and price quotes behind most figures here are ONS research data: ONS says they "are provided for research purposes only, are not accredited official statistics, and users should exercise caution when drawing conclusions from their use". The data are used under the Open Government Licence v3.0; this analysis is Servnet's and is not endorsed by ONS.
How is this different from the ONS Shopping prices comparison tool?
ONS publishes 12-month (annual growth) changes for these items in its Shopping prices comparison tool from January 2022 (SD cards and USB sticks from January 2025, printers from January 2024). The 2025-26 changes quoted here are ONS's figures. Earlier 12-month changes in the CSV are computed by this study from ONS item indices. They are credited to ONS. The tool also gives chained indices from January 2021 and, for some items, average prices. This study adds a chained series back to January 2010 reconciled to ONS's accredited aggregates, quote distributions with sample sizes, 5- and 10-year comparisons, and region and shop-type splits. ONS's average price is a weighted mean of January prices carried forward by the index; the medians here are the middle of the prices recorded each month, so the two can differ: for SD cards in August 2025, ONS's average was £15.48 and the median £12.99.
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