130% mark—up is not the limit: why affordable laptops have disappeared

Maria Sokolova

Apple is stylish and expensive. It's not easy to get rid of this stereotype. But monitoring the prices of electronics shows that it will no longer be possible to show off with «apple» technology. It's not that in There is something missing in Russia, now supplies of most models of familiar equipment have been established. Lenovo, Asus and HP last year loudly slammed the door, leaving Russia, but towards the end of 2022, this door was opened again and deliveries to branded stores were resumed, and with the support of all warranty programs. Apple relies entirely on parallel imports, but this did not affect the range of equipment in any way. Unless you have to contact service centers in another country for repairs under the factory warranty.

Of course, Asian brands have relatively affordable models with a simple filling that are suitable as an unassuming typewriter and YouTube player. But to level the conditions, for comparison, we took computers with a screen resolution higher than the standard FullHD (1920×1080 pixels), which appeared back in 2007. Already 10 years ago, it was possible to find a technique with a clearer image, so in 2023 this is a prerequisite.

Consistently expensive Apple. Prices for macbooks in Russia in 2023

MacBook Air and MacBook Pro were not surprised by the price tags. We expected that it would be expensive — we got expensive. Up-to-date MacBook Air in Russia costs 169900 rubles, and in the USA — 1299 dollars. At the current exchange rate, this is approximately 123200 rubles. That is, importers and retailers throw in about 47 thousand rubles, or 38% of the cost of equipment. This amount includes delivery, rental of retail space, maintenance of the retailer's employees, warranty obligations and profit.

The situation is similar with the MacBook Pro. In Russia, the current model of 2023 with a 14-inch screen costs 234990 rubles, and in the USA — 189500 rubles. The difference is 45.5 thousand rubles or 23,7%. And with a dollar under 100 rubles, Apple equipment will not be cheaper.

But you just haven't seen the prices for equipment that is officially supplied, as previously thought, by more affordable brands.

Unaffordable prices for Lenovo laptops

If you liked Lenovo computers, then you will have to pay from 277 to 565 thousand rubles for a laptop of the ThinkPad X1 series that is close in characteristics to the «macs». That is, from $3,500 to $6,000. In June, the average nominal accrued salary in Russia is 76604 rubles, after paying taxes, 66645 rubles remain on hand. Even the cheapest Lenovo ThinkPad with a high-resolution screen needs to pay more than 4 average salaries.

Maybe this is a unique technique that, as a professional tool, cannot be cheap in principle? But the price tags in stores in other countries say the opposite. In Germany, on the official Lenovo website, laptops of the ThinkPad X1 series (there is no full compliance of the models — newer ones are presented in Germany) they cost 2000-2200 euros, that is, 205-226.5 thousand rubles.

In the USA, there is traditionally more choice, and prices are lower. Lenovo ThinkPad P 16 in the USA costs $ 1,650 or 156 thousand rubles. In Russia, almost the same computer (with a weaker processor) costs 361.1 thousand rubles. The margin is 130%!

HP laptops for 400 thousand and a relatively humane Asus for 200

Alas, but such prices are not an exception to the rule. The prices of HP laptops amaze the imagination even more: from 336 to 934 thousand rubles! If in In Russia, HP Omen costs 376370 rubles, while in the USA it costs 1950 dollars or 185 thousand rubles. And don't forget that the average salary in the United States reaches $ 5,000.

Maybe this is the effect of import duties on officially imported products? No, last year the authorities reset import duties on laptops. You can safely import from it by any means.

Competitors from Asus have more humane prices. In order not to break your eyes on a low-resolution screen, you need to pay 146-250 thousand rubles. Also not cheaper than Apple. You can remember the past only by going to the stores of the Chinese brand Xiaomi. 90-113 thousand rubles and your dream computer. Most likely, you will have to put up with the absence of Cyrillic on the keyboard (solved by engraving in special workshops) and a dubious warranty from the seller.

Why is everything so expensive and where to get a laptop so as not to get bogged down in loans

These are the surprises presented by the wonderful world of scarcity: suppliers and retailers can set the prices they like, regardless of how much competitors want to get for their computers. At the same time, the government has no leverage: duties have already been reset, the market is free, there are many different sellers. It remains only to wait for the competition to bring prices back to normal. It won't be cheap, but there are chances that at least extreme margins will be reduced.

If you don't want to sell the last kidney for a new computer, then you should pay attention to the used equipment market. Computers, unlike smartphones, become cheaper faster than they become physically obsolete and lose relevance. So, for a relatively acceptable 80 thousand rubles, you can find a three- to four-year-old MacBook Pro with a large margin of performance at the level of the most expensive samples from our review. Equipment from Xiaomi on the bulletin boards is presented at times less, but there are options cheaper than 50 thousand rubles. And yes, judging by the new prices, the MacBook is no longer a sign of status.