Value-for-Money Competition amid Chipflation... Samsung and LG Launch Mid-Priced Laptops

Samsung's "New Galaxy Book6" Priced at 1.19 Million Won

LG's "Gram Book AI" Weighs 1.29 kg

Amid soaring memory semiconductor prices, the prices of personal computers (PCs), including laptops, have also surged. In response, a new laptop targeting value-for-money (performance relative to price) has been launched at a lower price point. With most major new laptops priced above 2 million won, these new models are positioned in the low-to-mid 1 million won range, a relatively reasonable price aimed at capturing the sluggish PC replacement demand.

According to the IT industry on September 2, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics both unveiled their new value-for-money laptops—the "New Galaxy Book6" from Samsung Electronics and the "LG Gram Book AI 2026" (14-inch) from LG Electronics—the day before. Both devices feature Intel’s new central processing unit (CPU) lineup. While they may not be intended for high-performance gaming, they are expected to be more than adequate for everyday tasks such as document editing, web browsing, and studying.

New 6. Samsung Electronics

Both products are highlighting reasonable pricing compared to previous new laptop models. The New Galaxy Book6 from Samsung Electronics starts at 1.19 million won and goes up to a maximum of 1.49 million won. The LG Gram Book AI 2026, which is scheduled to be released on September 7, is priced at 1.45 million won. Final pricing depends on detailed specifications such as the choice of CPU and inclusion of an operating system (OS).

Despite their reasonable prices, both laptops excel in portability and usability. The New Galaxy Book6, equipped with a 14-inch display, weighs just 1.35 kg and features a battery that allows for up to 25 hours of video playback on a single charge. It also supports artificial intelligence (AI) features such as real-time translation and image editing. The LG Gram Book AI 2026 has a 14-inch display, weighs 1.29 kg, and comes with a large 61.2Wh battery, making it ideal for portable use on the go.

Earlier, in March, Apple also launched a new value-for-money line of MacBooks called "MacBook Neo." This product, featuring a 13-inch display, 8 gigabytes (GB) of memory, and Apple’s A18 Pro chipset, was released in Korea with a price tag of 990,000 won. However, in June, Apple raised the selling price of this product to 1.19 million won.

Laptop manufacturers have released these new models in the low-to-mid 1 million won range because this year’s newly released laptops have suffered from sluggish demand due to high prices. Since the second half of last year, surging AI demand has driven memory semiconductor prices sharply higher, a phenomenon dubbed "chipflation," leading to rising prices for newly released PCs and smartphones this year. Previously released flagship laptop models from Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics were priced above 2 million won, and Apple also increased the prices for its MacBook and other PC products across the board in June.

As product prices have surged, demand for laptops—which already have a longer replacement cycle than smartphones—has declined. As a result, relatively affordable new models have recently been introduced to address this issue. The global IT research firm Gartner forecasts that, due to sharply higher memory prices, worldwide PC shipments will decrease by 10.4% compared to the previous year. This decline is even greater than the 8.4% fall projected for smartphone shipments during the same period.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.