The cost of an iPhone could more than triple in the US market following President Donald Trump’s sweeping new trade tariffs, analysts have warned — a move likely to reverberate through global supply chains and consumer tech markets.
Apple, which assembles the vast majority of its devices in China, now faces a staggering 54% tariff on Chinese imports under Trump’s newly announced ‘Liberation Day’ tariff strategy. The price of producing the next-generation iPhone 16 Pro could rise from $580 to $850, according to TechInsights analyst Wayne Lam.
In turn, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives estimates that the retail price of a 256GB iPhone 16 Pro could soar from $1,100 to as much as $3,500, if Apple passes those costs directly on to consumers.
Trump’s protectionist policy aims to reshore manufacturing to the United States by making foreign-made goods significantly more expensive. However, industry experts argue that Apple lacks a commercially viable path to US-based production, particularly at scale.
“It’s not clear you can make a competitively priced smartphone here,” said Barton Crockett, senior analyst at Rosenblatt Securities, speaking to The Wall Street Journal.
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