- There has been a resurgence of 8GB laptops around Computex
- This is due to price pressures exerted by the component crisis.
- Windows 11 laptop makers are following in the footsteps of the MacBook Neo, but is it wise?
If you thought 8GB laptops were becoming a thing of the past, think again, because there’s now a resurgence of laptops with this load of RAM, and you can probably guess why.
Yes, this is due to the RAM crisis, as system memory is now much more expensive, meaning that laptop manufacturers looking to keep prices more affordable are bringing more 8GB devices into the mid-range tier. (Whereas previously in this space, we were seeing 16GB as a minimum.)
Tom’s Hardware noticed the trend at Computex (with this practice creeping up ahead of the show), noting that the new Dell XPS 13, an affordable laptop with impressive specs, starts at 8GB for the base model (though you can buy it with 16GB, of course).
Other recently revealed laptops with 8GB of RAM include the Acer Swift Air 14, which, like the base Dell XPS 13, is built around Intel’s new Wildcat Lake silicon, and the Chuwi UniBook (notably priced under $500).
Microsoft’s 13-inch Surface Laptop for Business, revealed last month, also starts at 8GB, which was a bit surprising, mainly because it means this entry-level device doesn’t qualify as a Copilot+ PC (you need 16GB).
Of course, what set the stage for all this was the appearance of the MacBook Neo with 8 GB of memory at a temptingly affordable price. The Neo has been a huge success, so much so that rumors believe Apple has doubled production of its new MacBook for this year (from 5 million to 10 million units; previous speculation was backed up this week).
We’re now seeing Intel Wildcat Lake chips and 8GB configurations being used to produce Windows 11 laptops at more attractive prices, and this isn’t limited to Intel silicon either. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon C (Arm-based) CPU will power affordable Windows 11 laptops that will likely run on 8GB of RAM, with the Acer Aspire Go 15 being one of them.
Analysis: looking to the future
The return of more 8GB laptops is no surprise. In fact, this is exactly what was predicted to happen in 2026. It is becoming much more difficult for laptop manufacturers to keep prices low, with the cost of a set of components rising, most notably storage and RAM, so the easiest way to keep prices more affordable is to cut the latter.
And yes, there is room to reduce the system memory to 8 GB. A laptop with this load can still perform well, as long as you only perform basic daily tasks (emails, web browsing, watching videos, and light document work).
The MacBook Neo proved it can handle all of this with aplomb, while also being a surprisingly premium device. Windows 11 laptops can do the same, albeit with some tougher margin issues caused by the operating system, although Microsoft is actively trying to reduce those performance issues with its Windows 11 fix campaign this year.
All in all, I’d say it’s okay to buy a Windows 11 laptop with 8GB of RAM if you’re only doing basic computing tasks, for now. And therein lies the problem for me: concern about future-proofing, as discussed in my article earlier this year on whether 8GB is enough for a laptop in 2026.
How long do you want your laptop to last? I bet you would like to enjoy the device for five years, or you can wait even longer. So while 8GB is enough for basic tasks right now, almost, chances are it will start to feel increasingly inadequate before long, especially if AI starts to take a more prominent place in the daily running of an operating system (and all bets are that it will). And since the laptop’s RAM is soldered to the motherboard (in the vast majority of cases), it is not possible to upgrade the memory.
The other argument is that you don’t need to buy an 8GB laptop; You can opt for 16GB, but some people prefer the cheaper price option as their laptop budget may require it. And that’s fair enough: I agree that having more options is a good thing. All I’ll say is keep the future-proofing aspect in mind and, if you can, order a little more memory with a Windows 11 device.
What will also be interesting to see is if more 12GB loads appear as a middle option, giving more breathing room above an 8GB machine.
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