Technologies
Apple iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max Review: Love at First Zoom
Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are defined by their refinements: a lighter body made from titanium, a USB-C port for charging and fast data transfers, a processor capable of console games and, on the Pro Max, a new 5x telephoto zoom camera.

I’ve reviewed and tested iPhones for years, but Apple’s new iPhone 15 Pro Max is the first time I’ve ever been this enamored. (The iPhone 12 Mini is a close second.) Both phones, along with the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus and new Apple Watches, are now available in stores.
I tested the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max for five days, but it wasn’t until I was photographing a bodega cat named Kit Kat that I realized just how many improvements these phones have. They are brimming. After I took Kit Kat’s picture, I saw the option to turn his image into a portrait mode photo. It’s a minor detail but one with a significance: Nearly any photo can now be a portrait photo. And this isn’t even the biggest addition.
Apple gave its Pro models a glow-up with a refreshed lighter build, a new shortcut button and the world’s smallest processor. And it did all this while managing to keep that tried-and-true iPhone aesthetic front and center. In my time reviewing both phones, I recorded videos of penguins swimming, played the console game Resident Evil Village on the 15 Pro, gave the 15 Pro Max’s new zoom lens a spin atop a San Francisco Ferris wheel and tried, absentmindedly, to put a Lightning cable into the new USB-C port. Old habits, am I right?

The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are defined by their refinements. This pair of phones is one of the most compelling releases from Apple in years.
But all this comes at a cost. While the 15 Pro costs $999 (£999, AU$1,849), the same price as the 2017 iPhone X, the barrier of entry for the 15 Pro Max is $100 more than it was last year. Apple got rid of the cheapest 128GB storage option leaving the $1,199 model with 256GB of storage as the new baseline. And that’s a price right on par with Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra.
If you’re curious about the other phones Apple is launching, check out CNET Senior Editor Lisa Eadicicco’s review of the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus.
Pricing and storage comparison
Phone | Storage | US price | UK price | Australia price |
---|---|---|---|---|
iPhone 15 Pro | 128GB | $999 | £999 | AU$1,849 |
iPhone 15 Pro | 256GB | $1,099 | £1,099 | AU$2,049 |
iPhone 15 Pro Max | 256GB | $1,199 | £1,199 | AU$2,199 |
iPhone 15 Pro | 512GB | $1,299 | £1,299 | AU$2,399 |
iPhone 15 Pro Max | 512GB | $1,399 | £1,399 | AU$2,549 |
iPhone 15 Pro | 1TB | $1,499 | £1,499 | AU$2,749 |
iPhone 15 Pro Max | 1TB | $1,599 | £1,599 | AU$2,899 |
iPhone 15 Pro design embraces titanium and USB-C
The new titanium body is lovely, light and easy to hold thanks to its ever-so-slightly rounded edges. It feels less bulky than the straight-edged 12, 13 and 14 series. In fact, it’s almost like Apple merged the curved sides of the X, XS and 11 families with the blocky sides of recent years to find a Goldilocks-style middle ground with the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. That said, most people will likely put a case on the phone and not notice these changes at all.
There are two more major changes to the body. The first is the inclusion of a USB-C port instead of the Lightning port found on previous models. While the move definitely made headlines even before Apple announced it, in reality it’s not a radical change. I now plug in a USB-C cable (which comes with the phone) instead of a Lighting one. But it’s convenient to use the «one ring to rule them all» of charging cables.
Then there are the buttons. The volume buttons feel a bit more springy than the buttons on previous stainless steel Pro models. It’s like wearing a pair of foam-soled sneakers, where you get that extra spring in your step, rather than the airbag cushioning we had in shoes like the Nike Air Max back in the ’80s and ’90s. Both are comfortable, but the newer design with foam is more so.

Goodbye mute switch, hello action button
The mute (or silence) switch is gone and replaced with an action button. By default it lets you silence your iPhone, but you can also customize it to turn on the flashlight, record a voice memo and open the camera, among other things. I especially liked having it open the camera. Once the app is open, the action button doubles as a physical shutter button to take a photo. But the simple fact that I can use the button to trigger a shortcut multiplies its possibilities.
The button only reacts to two kinds of input: a tap or a press. It can only trigger one feature at a time which seems limiting. I do hope that Apple opens this up and lets people program multiple presses and taps to trigger different presets. Like maybe two presses in a row launches a shortcut and one press silences the phone. Right now, the only way to change what the button does is to go into the Settings app, scroll down to the action button and change it there. Also I’d welcome the ability to add a Control Center button that gets me into this action button menu quicker.
Read more: This Is the Only Way You Should Turn On Your iPhone Flashlight
Like last year’s 14 and 14 Plus, the 15 Pros have a completely redesigned interior that makes it easier to repair. If the back glass is damaged, it should be faster and more affordable to have it replaced. Below is a comparison of how much it costs to replace the back glass on the new phone versus older Pro iPhone models.
Back glass replacement cost
Phone | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 14 Pro Max |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cost | $169 | $199 | $499 | $549 |

iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x zoom
Let’s just get this out of the way. The zoom lens on the small Pro is different from the one on the big Pro Max. The 15 Pro has a tried and true 3x telephoto camera like previous models. But the 15 Pro Max has a new 5x telephoto camera that’s made with multiple prisms and some clever engineering.
In contrast, there are a number of Android phones with periscope-style telephoto lenses that use a single prism to bounce light to the sensor, like the 10x zoom on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The advantage to Apple’s design is that the lens takes up much less space and allows the image sensor to sit parallel with the lens, eliminating the restriction of having a telephoto image sensor that’s limited in size by the thickness of the phone.
Both Pro phones also have a larger 48-megapixel sensor on the main camera, which helps improve performance in low light. When I was photographing with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and 14 Pro Max after dusk, I noticed that the newer phone didn’t have to go into night mode as much. Also the photonic engine, Apple’s fancy-pants name for photo processing, seems to help with highlights more.
Take a look at some of my favorite photos that I took with the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.






iPhone 15 Pro Max cameras vs. Pixel 7 Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra
To test the versatility of these cameras, I decided to do a studio photo shoot with my CNET colleague, Abrar Al-Heeti, an award-winning journalist and connoisseur of tea parties. I grabbed photos of Abrar with the Pixel 7 Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro. I did my best to frame her the same way for each phone.


Of the five photos, the 10x zoom photo from the S23 Ultra is my least favorite. The Pixel’s photo made the background dark and smoothed out the paper’s textures and flaws behind Abrar. In terms of her skin, both the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max skewed her complexion warmer while retaining the most detail.
The Samsung’s 3x optical zoom shot looks wonderful, but has a heavy amount of skin smoothing, which some people prefer. And the Pixel did the best at accurately capturing Abrar’s skin in terms of color and detail. Again, all of these photos are good. However, the 15 Pro Max and Pixel images are my favorites.


I also decided to take the 15 Pro Max, the Pixel and S23 Ultra up on a Golden Gate Park Ferris wheel in San Francisco. It was overcast and there was fog (ah, San Francisco summers!), and those conditions challenged all three phones. But the Galaxy S23 Ultra was at even more of a disadvantage.
While the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max both have a 5x optical zoom, in order to match it on the S23 Ultra, I set it to 5x digital zoom and, as you can see below, the results weren’t great. The Pixel fared better, but notice the detail in the trees looks muddy compared to what the iPhone grabbed. None of these photos are great but the iPhone’s snap is the best of the three.


But wait, Samsung has something the other phones don’t: a 10x optical zoom. It gets much closer. The quality isn’t great, but it looks better than the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 10x digital zoom. The Galaxy S23 Ultra photo is fighting against that fog and the contrast is heavy-handed.


Also if, like me, you’re wondering what that building is, it’s the University of San Francisco. But at the time I didn’t know. So I used the iPhone’s Visual Lookup tool to find out. While the iPhone did identify it as a landmark, it couldn’t actually tell me what it was. In fact, it shared a photo of Sa’at Tower in Iran. So, I hopped on my Pixel, used Google Lens, and found out correctly that it was the university, which adds up since I live in San Francisco, not Iran.

iPhone 15 Pro portraits are a no brainer
Then there’s portraits in photo mode which let you take a regular photo and change it to a portrait mode pic after the fact for certain subjects (humans, dogs and cats). Here’s a photo I took of Kit Kat the bodega cat in photo mode. Remember him from the beginning? I can turn portrait mode on, adjust the aperture to keep his whiskers in focus and even apply portrait lighting effects.

But I can also change focus after the fact. Check out the ’90s grunge band photos of me and my pal Beacham. I can change the focus from me to him after I take the photo. This is going to be a killer feature for parents.
I’m also happy to say that the new lens coating on the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max helps reduce light source reflections. On the whole if there is a reflection or lens flare it’s minimal at best and usually a single point.

In night mode, I did get some strange light streaking when using the 5x telephoto camera on the 15 Pro Max with string lights and a lamp inside a bar. I wonder if it has something to do with the prisms used for the lens. But to be clear, out of the hundreds of photos I’ve taken only three had these streaks.


Video recordings look good. I’m excited about being able to record in log format, which makes footage look flat with desaturated colors. Recording in log gives more leeway to make iPhone videos match the color with footage from other cameras you use, versus baking in the color into the video file. I can see using Apple log videos for films where you’re using multiple cameras from different brands or in social media videos, like the one we made for this review.

The iPhone 15 Pro is the next gaming console
The brain behind everything on the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max is the new A17 Pro chip. Its processing and graphics performance is best shown off with video games. And I’m not talking about Candy Crush.
The 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max support full console games like Resident Evil Village, which I got to test… well, at least the beginning. Resident Evil Village looks phenomenal on the 15 Pro Max’s screen, especially in terms of the lighting and shading. In my time, and through my casual gamer’s eyes, I was impressed. It speaks volumes that games like this can come to the iPhone.
I’m not even a week into using the new iPhones, so I still need to run CNET’s array of battery drain and charging tests. But I can share how the battery has fared so far. For the most part the 15 Pro Max’s battery made it through a full day of use (from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m) usually ending the day with 20 to 25% to spare. On perhaps the most demanding day I spent with the phone (taking photos, recording videos and with the screen at max brightness) the 15 Pro Max started out with a full battery in the morning and had 7% left by the end of the day.
I did run a wired charging test with both the 15 Pro and Pro Max. I used the included USB-C cable that comes in the box and a Twelve South 20-watt wall charger. Over 30 minutes the 15 Pro’s battery went from 4% to 66% and the 15 Pro Max recharged from 7% to 56%. Both phones support wired charging up to 27 watts which I plan to test and will update this review with the results.
The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max also support 15-watt wireless charging via MagSafe or Qi2. I tested both on a Belkin BoostCharge Pro stand. Over 30 minutes, the 15 Pro went from 30% to 52% and the 15 Pro Max went from 7% to 28%, which are remarkably similar results.

The iPhone 15 Pro is home for iOS 17
If the A17 Pro chip is the brains, then iOS 17 is the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max’s soul. The new OS is filled with lots of small quality of life improvements throughout. StandBy mode has won me over. I love being able to have my lock screen show the time in alarm clock-size numbers, app widgets or photos while it charges. The interface is clean and contemporary and breathes new life into the iPhone.
I also love making custom stickers from photos and live photos in Messages. It makes communicating with friends and family even more expressive. Autocorrect on the keyboard works so well for me. I’m usually a horrible phone typist, but this new autocorrect gets me. And I don’t even curse that much.
Read more: iOS 17 Review: StandBy Mode Changed My Relationship With My iPhone
At the end of the day, I am impressed with the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. I recommend both for anyone coming from a 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max or older. If you’re trying to decide between the 15 Pro and the 15 Pro Max, that 5x telephoto on the Pro Max is compelling. But if you don’t take a lot of zoomed in photos, it might be best to stick with the smaller Pro size. Also, if you’re considering buying either phone there are a number of trade-in discounts you should consider.
iPhone 15 Pro specs vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max, Google Pixel 7 Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra
iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | Google Pixel 7 Pro | Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,556×1,179 pixels; 120Hz adaptive | 6.7-inch OLED; 2,796×1,290 pixels; 120Hz adaptive | 6.7-inch OLED display, QHD+ (1,440×3,120 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate, 1,500-nit brightness | 6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,088×1,440 pixels; 120Hz adaptive |
Pixel density | 460 ppi | 460 ppi | 512 ppi | 500 ppi |
Dimensions (inches) | 2.78 x 5.77 x 0.32 in | 3.02 x 6.29 x 0.32 in | 6.4 x 3.0 x 0.3 in | 3.07 x 6.43 x 0.35 in |
Dimensions (millimeters) | 70.6 x 146.6 x 8.25 mm | 76.7 x 159.9 x 8.25 mm | 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm | 78 x 163.3 x 8.9 mm |
Weight (grams, ounces) | 187 g (6.6 oz) | 221 g (7.81 oz) | 212g (7.5 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
Mobile software | iOS 17 | iOS 17 | Android 13 | Android 13 |
Camera | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel telephoto (3x optical) | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel telephoto (5x optical) | 50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 48-megapixel (telephoto) | 200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (telephoto) 10-megapixel (telephoto) |
Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 10.8-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K | 8K |
Processor | A17 Pro | A17 Pro | Google Tensor G2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy |
Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 12GB RAM + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 8GB + 256GB; 12GB + 256GB; 12GB + 512GB; 12GB + 1TB |
Expandable storage | None | None | None | None |
Battery | Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 23 hours of video playback (20 hours streamed) | Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 29 hours of video playback (25 hours streamed) | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh (45W wired charging) |
Fingerprint sensor | None (Face ID) | None (Face ID) | In-display | In-display |
Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
Headphone jack | None | None | None | None |
Special features | 5G (mmw/Sub6), Action Button, Always-On display, IP68 rating, MagSafe, Dynamic Island, 5x optical zoom (120mm equivalent),satellite connectivity, eSIM, Thread networking technology | 5G (mmw/Sub6), Action Button, Always-On display, IP68 rating, MagSafe, Dynamic Island, 5x optical zoom (120mm equivalent),satellite connectivity, eSIM, Thread networking technology | 5G, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Real Tone, Face Unblur, Long Exposure Mode, Action Pan; Hold For Me, Wait Times, Direct My Call Live Translate, | 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices, integrated S Pen, 100x Space Zoom, 10x Optical Zoom, UWB for finding other devices |
US price off-contract | $999 (128GB, $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB) | $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB) | $899 (128GB + 12GB) | $1,200 (12GB/256GB) |
UK price | £999 (128GB), £1,099 (256GB), £1,299 (512GB), £1,499 (1TB) | £1,199 (256GB), £1,399 (512GB), £1,599 (1TB) | £849 | £1,249 (12GB/256GB) |
Australia price | AU$1,849 (128GB), AU$2,049 (256GB), AU$2,399 (512GB), AU$2,749 (1TB) | AU$2,199 (256GB), AU$2,549 (512GB), AU$2,899 (1TB) | AU$1,299 | AU$1,949 (12GB/256GB) |
How we test phones
Every phone tested by CNET’s reviews team was actually used in the real world. We test a phone’s features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it’s bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP-rating for water-resistance. We push the processor’s performance to the extremes using both standardized benchmark tools like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.
All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions from bright sunlight to dark indoor scenes. We try out special features like night mode and portrait mode and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily as well as running a series of battery drain tests.
We take into account additional features like support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds, foldable displays among others that can be useful. And we of course balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value. While these tests may not always be reflected in CNET’s initial review, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.
Technologies
How to Add These Hidden Music and Apple Intelligence Controls to Your iPhone
One control can Apple’s Visual Intelligence to more devices besides the iPhone 16 lineup.

Apple released iOS 18.4 on March 31, and the update brought bug fixes, new emoji and a new recipes section in Apple News to all iPhones. The update also brought a handful of new controls to the iPhone Control Center, including one that brings Visual Intelligence to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
When Apple released iOS 18 in September, the update remodeled the Control Center to give you more control over how the feature functions. With iOS 18, you can resize controls, assign some controls to their own dedicated page and adjust the placement of controls to your liking. Apple also introduced more controls to the feature, making it a central hub for all your most-used iPhone features.
Read more: Everything You Need to Know About iOS 18
With iOS 18.4, Apple continues to expand the number of controls you can add to the Control Center. If you have the update on your iPhone, you can add ambient music controls, and Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones get a few AI controls in the menu, too. Here’s what you need to know about the new controls and how to add them to your Control Center.
Ambient Music controls
Apple gave everyone four new controls in the Control Center library under the Ambient Music category. These controls are Sleep, Chill, Productivity and Wellbeing. Each of these controls can activate a playlist filled with music that corresponds to the specific control. Sleep, for instance, plays ambient music to help lull you to bed.
Some studies suggest white noise could help adults learn words and improve learning in environments full of distractions. According to the mental health company Calm, certain kinds of music can help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep. So these new controls can help you learn, fall asleep and more.
Here’s how to find these controls.
1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center.
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap Add a Control.
You’ll see a section of controls called Ambient Music. You can also search for «Ambient Music» in the search bar at the top of the control library. Under Ambient Music, you’ll see all four controls. Tap one (or all) of them to add them to your Control Center. Once you’ve added one or all the controls to your Control Center, go back to your Control Center and tap one to start playing music.
Here’s how to change the playlist for each control.
1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center.
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap the Ambient Music control you want to edit.
4. Tap the playlist to the right of Playlist.
A dropdown menu will appear with additional playlists for each control. If you’re in the Sleep control, you’ll see playlists like Restful Notes and Lo-Fi Snooze. If you have playlists in your Music app, then you’ll also see an option From Library, which pulls music from your library. Tap whichever playlist you want and it will be assigned to that control.
Apple already lets you transform your iPhone into a white noise machine with Background Sounds, like ocean and rain. But Ambient Music is actual music as opposed to more static sounds like in that feature.
Both of these features feel like a way for Apple to present itself as the first option for whenever you want some background music to help you fall asleep or be productive. Other services, like Spotify and YouTube, already have ambient music playlists like these, so this could be Apple’s way of taking some of those service’s audience.
Apple Intelligence controls
Only people with an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence features for now, and those people got three new dedicated Apple Intelligence controls with iOS 18.4. Those controls are Talk to Siri, Type to Siri and Visual Intelligence.
Here’s how to find these controls.
1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center.
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap Add a Control.
Then you can use the search bar near the top of the screen to search for «Apple Intelligence» or you can scroll through the menu to find the Apple Intelligence & Siri section. Tap any (or all) of these controls to add them to your Control Center. While Talk to Siri and Type to Siri controls can be helpful if you have trouble accessing the digital assistant, the Visual Intelligence control is important because it brings the Apple Intelligence feature to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Visual Intelligence was originally only accessible on the iPhone 16 lineup because those devices have the Camera Control button. With iOS 18.4, Visual Intelligence is now accessible on more devices and people thanks to the titular control in Control Center. But remember, Visual Intelligence is like any other AI tool so it won’t always be accurate. You should double check results and important information it shows you.
For more on iOS 18, here are all the new emoji you can use now and everything you should to know about the recipes section in Apple News. You can also check out all the features included in iOS 18.5 and our iOS 18 cheat sheet.
Technologies
Tariffs Explained: How Trump’s Ever-Changing Trade Policy Will Affect You
While Donald Trump’s wide-ranging taxes on imports face scrutiny in court, he also continues to alter them and introduce or propose others. Here’s what it will mean for you.
President Donald Trump’s second-term economic plan can be summed up in one word: tariffs. When his barrage of import taxes went into overdrive a month ago, markets trembled and business leaders sounded alarms about the economic damage they would cause. After weeks of uncertainty and clashes with major companies, Trump’s tariffs hit their biggest roadblock yet in court before being reinstated ahead of a final ruling, allowing him to double the rate on imported steel and aluminum this week.
Late Wednesday, the US Court of International Trade ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority when he imposed tariffs, effectively nullifying the tariffs, after concluding that Congress has the sole authority to issue tariffs and decide other foreign trade matters, and that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 — which Trump has used to justify his ability to impose them — doesn’t grant the president «unlimited» authority on tariffs. The next day, an appeals court allowed the tariffs to go back into effect for the time being, while the administration calls for the Supreme Court to overturn the trade court ruling altogether.
However things shake out in the end, the initial ruling certainly came as a relief to many, given the chaos and uncertainty that Trump’s tariffs how caused thus far. For his part, Trump has recently lashed out against companies — like Apple and Walmart — that have reacted to the tariffs or discussed their impacts in ways he dislikes. Apple has been working to move manufacturing for the US market from China to relatively less-tariffed India, to which Trump has threatened them with a 25% penalty rate if they don’t bring manufacturing to the US instead. Experts have predicted that a US-made iPhone, for example, would cost consumers about $3,500. During a recent earnings call, Walmart warned that prices would rise on things like toys, tech and food at some point in the summer, which prompted Trump to demand the chain eat the costs themselves, another unlikely scenario.
Amid all this noise, you might still be wondering: What exactly are tariffs and what will they mean for me?
The short answer: Expect to pay more for at least some goods and services. For the long answer, keep reading, and for more, check out CNET’s price tracker for 11 popular and tariff-vulnerable products.
What are tariffs?
Put simply, a tariff is a tax on the cost of importing or exporting goods by a particular country. So, for example, a «60% tariff» on Chinese imports would be a 60% tax on the price of importing, say, computer components from China.
Trump has been fixated on imports as the centerpiece of his economic plans, often claiming that the money collected from taxes on imported goods would help finance other parts of his agenda. The US imports $3 trillion of goods from other countries annually.
The president has also, more recently, shown a particular fixation on trade deficits, claiming that the US having a trade deficit with any country means that country is ripping the US off. This is a flawed understanding of the matter, as a lot of economists have said, deficits are often a simple case of resource realities: Wealthy nations like the US buy specific things from nations that have them, while those nations might in turn not be wealthy enough to buy much of anything from the US.
While Trump deployed tariffs in his first term, notably against China, he ramped up his plans more significantly for the 2024 campaign, promising 60% tariffs against China and a universal 20% tariff on all imports into the US. Now, tariffs against China are more than double that amount and a universal tariff on all exports is a reality.
«Tariffs are the greatest thing ever invented,» Trump said at a campaign stop in Michigan last year. At one point, he called himself «Tariff Man» in a post on Truth Social.
Who pays the cost of tariffs?
Trump repeatedly claimed, before and immediately after returning to the White House, that the country of origin for an imported good pays the cost of the tariffs and that Americans would not see any price increases from them. However, as economists and fact-checkers stressed, this is not the case.
The companies importing the tariffed goods — American companies or organizations in this case — pay the higher costs. To compensate, companies can raise their prices or absorb the additional costs themselves.
So, who ends up paying the price for tariffs? In the end, usually you, the consumer. For instance, a universal tariff on goods from Canada would increase Canadian lumber prices, which would have the knock-on effect of making construction and home renovations more expensive for US consumers. While it is possible for a company to absorb the costs of tariffs without increasing prices, this is not at all likely, at least for now.
Speaking with CNET, Ryan Reith, vice president of International Data’s worldwide mobile device tracking programs, explained that price hikes from tariffs, especially on technology and hardware, are inevitable in the short term. He estimated that the full amount imposed on imports by Trump’s tariffs would be passed on to consumers, which he called the «cost pass-through.» Any potential efforts for companies to absorb the new costs themselves would come in the future, once they have a better understanding of the tariffs, if at all.
Which Trump tariffs have gone into effect?
Following Trump’s «Liberation Day» announcements on April 2, the following tariffs are in effect:
- A 50% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, doubled from 25% as of June 4.
- A 30% tariff on all Chinese imports until Aug. 10 while negotiations continue. China being a major focus of Trump’s trade agenda, this rate has been notably higher than others and has steadily increased as Beijing returned fire with tariffs of its own, peaking at 145%, which it could return to down the line if a deal is not reached.
- 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico not covered under the 2018 USMCA trade agreement brokered during Trump’s first term. The deal covers roughly half of all imports from Canada and about a third of those from Mexico, so the rest are subject to the new tariffs. Energy imports not covered by USMCA only will be taxed at 10%.
- A 25% tariff on all foreign-made cars and auto parts.
- A sweeping overall 10% tariff on all imported goods.
For certain countries that Trump said were more responsible for the US trade deficit, Trump imposed what he called «reciprocal» tariffs that exceed the 10% level: 20% for the 27 nations that make up the European Union, 26% for India, 24% for Japan and so on. These were meant to take effect on April 9 but were delayed by 90 days as a result of historic stock market volatility, which makes the new effective date July 8.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 2, 2025
Trump’s claim that these reciprocal tariffs are based on high tariffs imposed against the US by the targeted countries has drawn intense pushback from experts and economists, who have argued that some of these numbers are false or potentially inflated. For example, the above chart claims a 39% tariff from the EU, despite its average tariff for US goods being around 3%. Some of the tariffs are against places that are not countries but tiny territories of other nations. The Heard and McDonald Islands, for example, are uninhabited. We’ll dig into the confusion around these calculations below.
Notably, that minimum 10% tariff will not be on top of those steel, aluminum and auto tariffs. Canada and Mexico were also spared from the 10% minimum additional tariff imposed on all countries the US trades with.
On April 11, the administration said smartphones, laptops and other consumer electronics, along with flat panel displays, memory chips and semiconductors, were exempt from reciprocal tariffs. But it wasn’t clear whether that would remain the case or whether such products might face different fees later.
How were the Trump reciprocal tariffs calculated?
The numbers released by the Trump administration for its barrage of «reciprocal» tariffs led to widespread confusion among experts. Trump’s own claim that these new rates were derived by halving the tariffs already imposed against the US by certain countries was widely disputed, with critics noting that some of the numbers listed for certain countries were much higher than the actual rates and some countries had tariff rates listed despite not specifically having tariffs against the US at all.
In a post to X that spread fast across social media, finance journalist James Surowiecki said that the new reciprocal rates appeared to have been reached by taking the trade deficit the US has with each country and dividing it by the amount the country exports to the US. This, he explained, consistently produced the reciprocal tariff percentages revealed by the White House across the board.
Just figured out where these fake tariff rates come from. They didn’t actually calculate tariff rates + non-tariff barriers, as they say they did. Instead, for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country’s exports to us.
So we… https://t.co/PBjF8xmcuv— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) April 2, 2025
«What extraordinary nonsense this is,» Surowiecki wrote about the finding.
The White House later attempted to debunk this idea, releasing what it claimed was the real formula, though it was quickly determined that this formula was arguably just a more complex version of the one Surowiecki deduced.
What will the Trump tariffs do to prices?
In short: Prices are almost certainly going up, if not now, then eventually. That is, if the products even make it to US shelves at all, as some tariffs will simply be too high for companies to bother dealing with.
While the effects of a lot of tariffs might not be felt straight away, some potential real-world examples have already emerged. Microsoft has increased prices across the board for its Xbox gaming brand, with its flagship Xbox Series X console jumping 20% from $500 to $600. Elsewhere, Kent International, one of the main suppliers of bicycles to Walmart, announced that it would be stopping imports from China, which account for 90% of its stock.
Speaking about Trump’s tariff plans just before they were announced, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said that they would generate $6 trillion in revenue over the next decade. Given that tariffs are most often paid by consumers, CNN characterized this as potentially «the largest tax hike in US history.» New estimates from the Yale Budget Lab, cited by Axios, predict that Trump’s new tariffs will cause a 2.3% increase in inflation throughout 2025. This translates to about a $3,800 increase in expenses for the average American household.
Reith, the IDC analyst, told CNET that Chinese-based tech companies, like PC makers Acer, Asus and Lenovo, have «100% exposure» to these import taxes as they currently stand, with products like phones and computers the most likely to take a hit. He also said that the companies best positioned to weather the tariff impacts are those that have moved some of their operations out of China to places like India, Thailand and Vietnam, singling out the likes of Apple, Dell and HP. Samsung, based in South Korea, is also likely to avoid the full force of Trump’s tariffs.
In an effort to minimize its tariff vulnerability, Apple has begun to move the production of goods for the US market from China to India.
Will tariffs impact prices immediately?
In the short term — the first days or weeks after a tariff takes effect — maybe not. There are still a lot of products in the US imported pre-tariffs and on store shelves, meaning the businesses don’t need a price hike to recoup import taxes. Once new products need to be brought in from overseas, that’s when you’ll see prices start to climb because of tariffs or you’ll see them become unavailable.
That uncertainty has made consumers anxious. CNET’s survey revealed that about 38% of shoppers feel pressured to make certain purchases before tariffs make them more expensive. About 10% say they have already made certain purchases in hopes of getting them in before the price hikes, while 27% said they have delayed purchases for products that cost more than $500. Generally, this worry is the most acute concerning smartphones, laptops and home appliances.
Mark Cuban, the billionaire businessman and Trump critic, voiced concerns about when to buy certain things in a post on Bluesky just after Trump’s «Liberation Day» announcements. In it, he suggested that consumers might want to stock up on certain items before tariff inflation hits.
«It’s not a bad idea to go to the local Walmart or big box retailer and buy lots of consumables now,» Cuban wrote. «From toothpaste to soap, anything you can find storage space for, buy before they have to replenish inventory. Even if it’s made in the USA, they will jack up the price and blame it on tariffs.»
CNET’s Money team recommends that before you make any purchase, especially of a high-ticket item, be sure that the expenditure fits within your budget and your spending plans in the first place. Buying something you can’t afford now because it might be less affordable later can be burdensome, to say the least.
What is the goal of the White House tariff plan?
The typical goal behind tariffs is to discourage consumers and businesses from buying the tariffed, foreign-sourced goods and encourage them to buy domestically produced goods instead. When implemented in the right way, tariffs are generally seen as a useful way to protect domestic industries.
One of the stated intentions for Trump’s tariffs is along those lines: to restore American manufacturing and production. However, the White House also claims to be having negotiations with numerous countries looking for tariffs exemptions and some officials have also floated the idea that the tariffs will help finance Trump’s tax cuts.
You don’t have to think about those goals for too long before you realize that they’re contradictory: If manufacturing moves to the US or if a bunch of countries are exempt from tariffs then tariffs aren’t actually being collected and can’t be used to finance anything. This and many other points have led a lot of economists to allege that Trump’s plans are misguided.
In terms of returning — or «reshoring» — manufacturing in the US, tariffs are a better tool for protecting industries that already exist because importers can fall back on them right away. Building up the factories and plants needed for this in the US could take years, leaving Americans to suffer under higher prices in the interim.
That problem is worsened by the fact that the materials needed to build those factories will also be tariffed, making the costs of «reshoring» production in the US too heavy for companies to stomach. These issues, and the general instability of American economic policies under Trump, are part of why experts warn that Trump’s tariffs could have the opposite effect: keeping manufacturing out of the US and leaving consumers stuck with inflated prices. Any factories that do get built in the US because of tariffs also have a high chance of being automated, canceling out a lot of job creation potential. To give you one real-world example of this: When warning customers of future price hikes, toy maker Mattel also noted that it had no plans to move manufacturing to the US.
Trump has reportedly been fixated on the notion that Apple’s iPhone — the most popular smartphone in the US market — can be manufactured entirely in the US. This has been broadly dismissed by experts, for a lot of the same reasons mentioned above, but also because an American-made iPhone could cost upward of $3,500. One report from 404 Media dubbed the idea «a pure fantasy.» The overall sophistication and breadth of China’s manufacturing sector has also been cited, with CEO Tim Cook stating in 2017 that the US lacks the number of tooling engineers to make its products.
For more, see how tariffs might raise the prices of Apple products and find some expert tips for saving money.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, June 8
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 8.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword isn’t too tough, but 1-Across might make you think of the sky, and that’s not the direction you need to go. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Org. with shooting stars
Answer: NBA
4A clue: Buildings with weather vanes, stereotypically
Answer: BARNS
6A clue: Swiss watch brand
Answer: OMEGA
7A clue: What Santa, Gandalf and Dumbledore each have
Answer: BEARD
8A clue: Pie in the ___
Answer: SKY
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: «I’m bad with ___» (party excuse)
Answer: NAMES
2D clue: Start of a billiards game
Answer: BREAK
3D clue: Seeing red
Answer: ANGRY
4D clue: Timothée’s role in «A Complete Unknown»
Answer: BOB
5D clue: Feeling blue
Answer: SAD
How to play more Mini Crosswords
The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.
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