[비즈한국] With the new semester approaching, a wave of 2026 model PCs has hit the domestic market. Global semiconductor companies and PC manufacturers have simultaneously put 'AI PCs' at the forefront, emphasizing performance, power efficiency, and enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities. However, some voices suggest that since most new products are using AI as a core keyword, consumers should cool-headedly evaluate the practical effectiveness and the price burden.
Intel Announces Next-Gen CPUs, Leading to New Product Launches by Samsung and LG
Intel held the '2026 Intel AI PC Showcase' at the Westin Joson Seoul in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 28th, revealing its latest AI PC lineup powered by the 'Intel Core Ultra Series' based on the advanced Intel 18A semiconductor process. After announcing the new processors at CES 2026 earlier this month, Intel included South Korea as the first launch country, demonstrating its commitment to capturing the domestic market.
Intel explained that the new Core Ultra series features overwhelming power efficiency, graphics performance, x86 compatibility, and strengthened AI computing capabilities. Josh Newman, VP and GM of Client Computing Group at Intel, stated, "It is a platform optimized for the AI PC environment," and added that they would expand the AI PC ecosystem through close cooperation with domestic partners.
Manufacturers' announcements also took place around the same time. Samsung Electronics launched the 'Galaxy Book6 Ultra' and 'Galaxy Book6 Pro' domestically to gain a market lead. They feature a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with up to 50 TOPS (50 trillion operations per second) performance and highlight 'Galaxy AI' features that can be used immediately on the device, such as natural language-based document/image search and screen-selective information navigation.
LG Electronics also unveiled its 2026 'LG gram AI' lineup sequentially. Comprising a total of seven models including 'gram Pro AI' and 'gram Pro 360 AI', these new products use 'Aeromium', a new material for the aerospace industry, to achieve both durability and lightweight design. In particular, they are characterized by significantly strengthened on-device AI functions by incorporating the 'EXAONE 3.5', a hyperscale AI model from the LG AI Research Institute.
Convenient but 'Not Indispensable'... Prices Exceed 2 Million Won
Although PC companies are each putting 'AI PCs' at the forefront, it remains uncertain how much users will actually experience the benefits in real-world usage. Currently, the AI features touted by manufacturers are mostly limited to areas such as natural language file search, image/text recognition, noise removal in video conferences, and simple image editing assistance. While clearly an improvement over older laptops, they are not considered 'game changers' capable of fundamentally altering a user's PC usage patterns. The generative AI tasks used by most people still rely heavily on cloud-based services.
On the other hand, the on-device AI technology emphasized by companies is still in its early stages. The prevailing analysis is that for consumers, the experience is likely to remain at a level of being "convenient but not necessary.">
The problem is the price. New AI PCs have seen a sharp rise in launch prices due to higher base specifications for RAM and storage, as well as the impact of rising memory semiconductor prices. The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is in the mid-to-high 4 million won range, and the LG gram AI also exceeds the 2 million won range depending on the specifications.
Therefore, consumers are currently forced to pay a significant premium for AI features with limited perceived benefits. For students and parents, who make up the primary demand for the new semester, practical criteria such as price-to-performance ratio and portability seem more important than the symbolism of 'AI'.
Some in the industry suggest the need for a wider range of options. A PC industry official stated, "Many of the features currently loaded in AI PCs are more supplementary than essential at this point," adding, "For users focused on document work, online lectures, or general office tasks, it might be more rational to choose a high-performance, previous-generation laptop with a stabilized price rather than the latest AI functions."