In a significant policy shift, the Trump administration has announced that smartphones, computers, and several other key electronic products will be exempt from recently imposed reciprocal tariffs, including the steep 125% levies on Chinese imports.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a notice late Friday outlining the exemptions from President Donald Trump’s 10% global tariff, as well as the additional taxes placed on goods imported from China. The decision follows mounting pressure from American tech firms concerned about skyrocketing consumer prices and supply chain disruptions.
The exemption list includes a range of electronic goods such as semiconductors, memory cards, and solar cells, which are integral components for smartphones, laptops, and other consumer electronics. The move is seen as a response to warnings from industry leaders that tariffs could severely impact the availability and pricing of popular gadgets, many of which are primarily manufactured in China.
Though the administration did not clarify whether these goods will still be subject to a separate 20% tariff not covered under the April 2 reciprocal tariff announcement, the White House has yet to issue a comment despite inquiries.
Market analysts warned that if the full brunt of the tariffs had been passed on to consumers, the cost of flagship devices like the iPhone could have tripled. The U.S. remains a crucial market for Apple, which last year accounted for over half of all smartphone sales domestically, according to data from Counterpoint Research.
Apple currently produces around 80% of its U.S.-bound iPhones in China, with the remaining 20% assembled in India. In recent years, the company—alongside other major tech players like Samsung—has accelerated efforts to diversify its manufacturing base, exploring production hubs in India and Vietnam to reduce reliance on Chinese facilities.
As tariffs began to take effect, Apple reportedly increased production in its Indian plants, signaling a strategic pivot in its global supply chain planning.
This tariff exemption comes amid broader trade policy turbulence. While Trump initially planned to impose steep tariffs on a wide range of countries, he reversed course midweek, granting a 90-day reprieve to nations that had not retaliated against U.S. tariffs. Only China was excluded from the temporary pause, with tariffs on its exports raised to a staggering 145%—a move the president defended as a response to Beijing’s own 84% tariffs on American goods.
The White House has framed the tariff hikes as a negotiation strategy aimed at pressuring trading partners into more favorable agreements. Trump has repeatedly justified the tariffs as a necessary measure to correct what he describes as “unfairness” in the global trade system and to bring jobs and manufacturing back to the United States.
