Acer CEO warns of 10% laptop price hike due to Trump tariffs

A pair of DisplayPort cable connectors laid across a laptop keyboard.

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Acer CEO warns customers will see laptop prices rise from March 2025
10% rise follows news of tariffs imposed by Trump administration
The tariffs apply to products imported from China

The chairman and chief executive of Acer, one of the world’s biggest computer manufacturers, has warned a 10% price rise is coming to US customers ‘by default’ as a result of President Trump’s tariffs on imported Chinese goods.

In an interview with The Telegraph, CEO Jason Chen confirmed price adjustments for customers will be added on Acer laptops to reflect the tariff, noting “we think 10pc probably will be the default price increase because of the import tax. It’s very straightforward.”

The tariffs are applicable on items imported from China, but don’t apply to products that left before February 2025, so it could be a few weeks before the prices rise to reflect this. Since electronic goods make up a significant portion of Chinese imports, and most Acer products are manufactured in China - it's likely many products across the industry will be affected.

Customers bear the brunt

The move was pretty widely predicted in the industry, with the CEO of the Consumer Technology Association recently warning the tariff plan would be ‘devastating’, reminding that tariffs are not paid for by either country involved, “they're paid for by the consumers that are paying for a tax”.

Whilst 10% may not seem like a lot, Acer laptops can often sit between $2,000-$3,000, meaning customers will see hundreds of dollars added to their bills.

Acer is not the only company to manufacture their products overseas, in fact almost 80% of laptops and 40% of all tech products imported into the US are made in China and will be affected by these tariffs one way or another - so Americans can expect to see their pockets hurt in the near future.

Some firms may use the tariffs as an excuse to raise prices beyond 10%, but many companies have not yet confirmed how they expect their products to be affected.

Chen confirmed that Acer is looking into the possibility of “different supply chains beyond China”, and that “one of the options” was an American manufacturing line.

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Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content.