Pricing stability across AIDC and enterprise mobility hardware seems to be a thing of the past. While there was a flurry of activity in Q1 2025 due to tariffs and their resulting impact, 2026 shifts are more structural – driven by memory supply imbalances due to AI-first datacenter development, selective stockpiling, tariff volatility, and ongoing supply chain realignment. VDC expects price increases to register from March 2026, through Q2 and the second half, even as vendors work to source the right memory components for the right products.
Cost Restructuring and its Resulting Impact on Pricing
Tariffs continue to weigh heavily on global OEM cost structures. Fluctuating and highly volatile trade policies – particularly between the US and trade hubs, including China – have forced vendors to diversify component sourcing and manufacturing footprints across Eastern Europe, Malaysia, Mexico, the US, and Vietnam. This diversification has increased near-term operating costs through factory transfers and supplier qualification requirements even as it has directly contributed to minimizing/reducing exposure to geopolitical uncertainties.
AIDC and enterprise mobility vendors have also been impacted, even if it is hard to exactly quantify. OEMs have chosen to adjust list pricing to protect gross margins and channel stability instead of absorbing these recurring tariff swings. For instance, label printer prices in the US were adjusted by 3%-10% in the past year. The ongoing memory shortage has also had a profound impact on cost inputs for various device categories, with VDC expecting enterprise mobility hardware to be most affected as memory chips are among the biggest cost components for these hardware types. However, memory cost increases will not cause any material adjustments to pricing for AIDC devices including purpose-built scanners, machine vision cameras, and label printers.
NAND and DRAM markets saw periods of oversupply in 2023 and 2024 – PC and smartphone makers had overpurchased in the years immediately following the pandemic to avoid shortages, which resulted in large manufacturers like Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix implementing aggressive production cuts. However, these cuts tightened supply entering 2025. At the same time, AI-driven demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced DRAM for data centers redirected fabrication capacity away from legacy and mid-range nodes commonly used in industrial devices, including various enterprise mobility form factors.
Hardware OEMs are faced with increasing pricing pressures on DRAM and embedded storage components, which will continue throughout 2026. In its most recent Earnings call, Zebra Technologies highlighted that “we are currently facing industry-wide price increases for memory components beginning in Q2.” VDC’s research also suggests longer lead times on wireless modules and other processor components, especially as semiconductor manufacturers prioritize higher-margin segments.
Enterprise end users began accelerating their device purchases in the second half of 2025 amid concerns about tariff hikes or component shortages contributing to increased supply chain friction and stockpiling. While these measures can temporarily stabilize availability, they can exacerbate pricing pressures and accrue higher costs for holding inventory.
Vendor-Specific Pricing Shifts in 2026
While pricing actions vary by region and product family, VDC sees patterns emerge among leading OEMs. Zebra Technologies plans to implement selective 2026 list-price increases from March in the range of 5%-20%, primarily in the enterprise mobile computing and RFID categories as well as Visibility IQ and Zebra One Care Services. The vendor has also adjusted bundle pricing for software and services, as it continues to push its end-to-end platform enablement narrative, driving recurring revenues. Additionally, Zebra is actively looking to transition several device hardware options to feature higher-density memory that will address shortage in legacy options. It expects to continue driving profitable growth through strategic initiatives including “collaborating closely with our vendors to manage supply, targeted price increases…” Honeywell’s price increases align with the higher end of Zebra’s, and for similar hardware categories. Datalogic’s price increases are at 5%, with adjustments being more measured compared to key competitors.
Industrial machine vision vendors often embed pricing flexibility in project-level negotiations, so VDC does not expect to see a broad list of revisions. Cognex executives stated in their most recent Earnings release that “…we do not expect any material impact from increased pricing tied to those supply chain issues.” The ability to address high-performance application requirements with increasing complexity continues to justify premium positioning, and related pricing, of leading ecosystem participants. That said, availability constraints surrounding semiconductor sensors and embedded processing modules will create upward cost pressures.
Inflection Point
Semiconductor capacity expansion investments may reshape pricing dynamics in the next 12-24 months. For instance, Micron Technology’s $200+ billion commitment to expanding manufacturing fabrication capacity in the US could improve supply stability, even as the industry expects memory supply to remain tight through 2027 with prices increasing sharply for DRAM and NAND. Similarly, SK Hynix is expected to expand capacity for HBM and DRAM to address persistent high-end memory shortages. Meaningful availability/supply relief will likely only happen by 2028, which can then moderate pricing volatility and improve alignment between AI-driven and industrial demand.
VDC expects leaders in the AIDC/Enterprise Mobility segments to increasingly transition to software- and service-led business models to protect margins and generate sufficient recurring revenues to fund continued investments in R&D. If planned semiconductor capacity expansions materialize and geopolitical influences stabilize, 2027-28 can bring more predictable pricing cycles. This will help enterprise buyers to take a more disciplined and structured approach to purchasing & sourcing. Additionally, the market will also see an accelerated technology-driven refresh cycle as rising AI/ML and faster processing requirements raise demand for devices with faster processors and more memory, rationalizing higher prices.
