How to buy a laptop when everything’s expensive

August 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 2026, buying a laptop feels like a losing game. Apple raised prices across the board. An ASUS Zenbook A16 launched at a higher price than expected. The Framework Laptop 13 Pro review unit arrived at Antonio Di Benedetto’s door, and within a week—before his review even published—the price of that exact configuration jumped by $800. “Things that were affordable-ish are just not feeling so affordable anymore,” he says. The Vergecast host David Pierce puts the despair at an eight out of ten, with room to climb. Against that backdrop, Di Benedetto walks through what to buy, what to skip, and how to think about the decision without going crazy.

The HP OmniBook 316: a weird bright spot

The most notable anomaly in the current market is the HP OmniBook 316. It costs around $500—sometimes dipping below that—and comes with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, a configuration that feels almost impossible at that price in 2026. Di Benedetto calls it “an OK laptop with 16 gigabytes of RAM.” The screen is not nice. The speakers are not good. The chassis creaks. It runs on a base Snapdragon X chip, meaning Windows on Arm with all the compatibility caveats: you probably cannot play many games, and some apps may not run ideally. But it is big, it is cheap, and it works for basic productivity. Di Benedetto is not sure how HP gets away with it. “I’m wondering if they’ve just forgotten that it’s a

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What you'll learn

1 (00:05) **The Bleak State of Laptop Buying** - Host David Pierce introduces the episode's grim premise: RAM shortages and tariffs are driving laptop prices higher, making it a terrible time to buy.
2 (03:49) **Why Laptops Are So Expensive Right Now** - Antonio explains the specific price shocks he's observed, including a Framework laptop that jumped $800 before his review was even published.
3 (05:16) **The 16GB RAM Floor: Is It a Windows Thing?** - Antonio explains why 16GB of RAM is now the realistic minimum for a Windows laptop, while Apple's M-series machines can still get by on 8GB for basic use.
4 (08:28) **The Best Routes for Buying Used and Refurbished** - Antonio walks through the safest channels for buying a used or refurbished laptop, from manufacturer direct sales to eBay and Best Buy.
5 (11:11) **Should You Trust Third-Party Refurb Sites Like Back Market?** - Antonio gives cautious advice on third-party refurbishers, emphasizing the need to use common sense and buy from trusted sellers with warranties.
6 (12:44) **How Far Back Can You Go Before Performance Suffers?** - Antonio breaks down which generations of chips are still worth buying used, from Apple Silicon to Intel and AMD.
7 (15:26) **Gaming Laptops: What's Worth It Right Now?** - Antonio gives specific guidance on GPU generations and what to look for in a gaming laptop in the current market.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

David Pierce

Show Notes

If, after months of increasingly dire RAMageddon warnings, you just now find yourself in the market for a new laptop... we're here to help. In the latest installment of our "RAMageddon Survival Guide," laptop reviewer Antonio G. Di Benedetto joins David Imel to offer his recommendations.