The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 mobile GPUs are “late,” and we could face further delays, according to unnamed PC supply chain sources. DigiTimes reports (machine translation) that the top-end laptops for gamers have been pushed back from January to March, and the mid to low-end series from March to April. If you were wondering about the absence of reviews and/or retail availability for the new RTX 50 laptops we saw at CES in January, this might be the answer.
Despite the new DigiTimes report, we knew in January that there would be no RTX 50 laptops available until March, as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said as much on stage during his keynote with a huge presentation slide behind him confirming “availability starting March.” Thus, it is a little hard to fathom why DigiTimes is reporting a March debut as a delay, unless it is basing its assertion on pre-CES expectations, or there is some unseen delay in the background – in preparing laptop models to ship from March. The translation seems to hint at the latter.
DigiTimes sources also suggest that delays might be “extended.” Reasons given for this time pressure on laptop makers are rumored to include:
- RTX 50 laptop performance issues
- RTX 50 laptop display bugs
- A shift of manufacturing resources to favor AI accelerator customers
All the above seem feasible. Whatever the case, or permutation of causes, laptop makers are really keen to start rolling out those RTX 50 laptops we covered at CES 2025. These firms have been selling RTX 40 laptops for two years now, making it increasingly difficult to excite and win over new customers or upgraders. Moreover, DigiTimes hears grumbles about the “limited stimulation” of the market offered by the new wave of AI PCs that have been rolling out over recent months.
A lot of hope has been put in a market boom fuelled by RTX 50 laptops arriving. This upgrade cycle, in addition to the Windows 10 end of support date, is hoped to eventually make 2025 a great year for laptop makers. Delays are starting to affect the outlook, though, reports the Taiwanese tech journal. It says that the expected laptop market growth has been revised downwards, with the consensus for double-digit growth in 2025 weakening. Still, some remain optimistic, as long as the back to school season is met with a full range of RTX 50 options, 2025 won’t be such a bad year.
The latest DigiTimes figures suggest laptop shipments will be up 3.1% in 2025, with makers preparing 179 million units.
