Phones and laptops aren’t getting pricey, thanks to tariff relief

By Nadeem Sarwar Published April 12, 2025

If you have lately been concerned about an imminent — and meteoric – rise in the price of electronics such as iPhones, laptops, and PC components, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The US government has granted an exemption to a wide range of electronics items from the heavy tariffs it has imposed on China over the past few weeks.

The US government recently slapped heavy tariffs on multiple countries in Asia and Europe, including China. While other nations got a temporary 90-day relief, no such reprieve was extended to China, which is a crucial manufacturing hub for companies such as Apple and Nvidia, to name a few. 

Analysts predicted that the price of items such as smartphones, PC gear, and gaming consoles was going to rise sharply. Nintendo halted the pre-sale of its next-gen Switch 2 console, while PC brands such as Razer and Framework also had to adjust their sales strategy in a bid to make tariff-related adjustments.

A panic buying for products such as iPhones ensued in the US, and as per Reuters, Apple flew a cargo worth 600 tons from India to stockpile its inventory in the United States. The outlet also reported that Amazon suppliers in China were mulling a significant price hike for their products due to the tariffs.

Apple, HP, Microsoft, Dell, and Intel are some of the companies that not only rely heavily on China for manufacturing their products, but also account for it as a major market. With a hefty 125% tariff levied on China, it was not difficult to estimate the hike on their consumer products entering the US market.

Thankfully, the hit has been averted, for now. The US Customs and Border Protection has issued an updated guidance for the Reciprocal Tariff Exclusion policy. The agency has listed 20 product categories that broadly cover a wide range of devices such as memory chips, laptops, disc drives, semiconductors, and flat panel screens. 

Notably, the exemption also covers machines that are used to make semiconductors, which are at the heart of everything from phones and laptops to cars. According to Bloomberg, Apple imports from China, which include iPhones, iPads, smartwatches, and AirTags, are now technically safe from a tariff-induced price hike.

Aside from phones and computing items, the price of discrete processor kits and graphics cards from the likes of Nvidia are now effectively shielded from an imminent price hike for US customers. The move will also benefit products sold in the US by Samsung, HP, and Microsoft, among others.