Trump administration’s 125% reciprocal tariff is “temporary” and lasts only about a month or two, which means iPhone and other Apple devices might get expensive again at some point.
Late Friday, US Customs and Border Protection released a list of products excluded from both the 125% China-specific tariff and the broader 10% global tariff.
This includes smartphones, laptops, hard drives, processors, and memory chips—most of which are central to Apple’s product line.
Even so, Apple wouldn’t have escaped untouched. It would still face a 20% “fentanyl tariff,” as President Trump highlighted on Truth Social. That would’ve meant a total of 145% in tariffs on some Chinese tech goods. But for now, Apple products only face the 20% fentanyl-specific tariff.
Don’t take this break for granted, though. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made it clear this isn’t a permanent pass.
In a conversation with ABC News, he said tech products will fall under a “special focus type of tariff,” which includes the iPhone.
Trump backed that up, saying semiconductors and the full electronics supply chain will soon face new scrutiny. What that means in real terms: another tariff announcement is likely coming soon, and the tech industry isn’t exempt. Whether the final rate ends up being lower than 125% remains to be seen.
The right time to buy your favourite Apple product is now
In the meantime, Apple is expected to dodge some of the impact by shifting more US-bound production to India and Vietnam.
Some recent Macs, like the M4 MacBook Air and M3 Ultra Mac Studio, already come out of Vietnam.
However, nobody knows how much of Apple’s manufacturing can realistically move outside of China. The company might be able to reroute part of its supply chain, but it’s unlikely to do that for every product in time.
The bottom line is simple: the tariff pause is brief, the impact is uncertain, and if you’re planning to buy an Apple device anytime soon, you probably shouldn’t wait. As Trump put it, no one’s getting off the hook.