Technologies
Could the iPhone’s Price Double With Trump’s New 125% Tariff? We Do the Math
Trump dumped other countries’ tariffs for now but bumped China up to 125%. Experts advise against panic-buying if it puts you in debt.
US President Donald Trump pressed pause on «reciprocal tariffs» this week, but he upped the levy on goods from China to 125% in the latest escalation of the two countries’ trade war. Experts say you should expect to pay more for your next iPhone.
Trump announced the 90-day pause on his social media platform for all countries except China because «these countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape or form.» China, where Apple produces most of its products, has responded to each of Trump’s tariff hikes this year by increasing tariffs on US products.
«Trump is playing hardball with China, which is unsettling on many levels,» Patti Brennan, certified financial planner and CEO of Key Financial, said in an email. «As for Apple, expect the prices to double for their products.»
Apple has started to move some of its manufacturing to other countries, including India and Vietnam. Those countries were supposed to be hit with their own tariffs today — Vietnam with a 46% tariff hike and India a 26% increase — but were among the reprieved. Trump left in place a 10% baseline tariff on imports.
And though experts don’t expect costs to rise on a 1-to-1 basis with tariffs on goods from China — and other countries after the pause expires — you should expect significant increases. It’s unclear, however, exactly how much of an impact the tariffs will actually have on prices. If rising prices cause demand to plummet, experts note that Apple and other producers could reduce their prices to stay competitive.
If you’re in the market for a new Apple device or an imported gaming system, like the Nintendo Switch 2 or PlayStation 5 Pro, here’s how tariffs could raise prices, and what you should do to prepare.
Read more: Apple Shoppers Are Reportedly Panic Buying iPhones Amid Looming Tariffs
How much could iPhone prices go up with tariffs? We do the math
If the full cost of tariffs were passed on to shoppers, we’d see a 125% increase in prices on Apple products produced in China. Apple has moved some of its production to other countries, but most iPhones are still manufactured in China.
Here’s how it could affect the cost of an iPhone if the full tariffs for China were applied:
How could tariffs on China increase iPhone prices?
| Current price | 125% tariff | New price | |
| iPhone 15 (128GB) | $699 | $874 | $1,573 |
| iPhone 15 Plus (128GB) | $799 | $999 | $1,798 |
| iPhone 16e (128GB) | $599 | $749 | $1,348 |
| iPhone 16 (128GB) | $799 | $999 | $1,798 |
| iPhone 16 Plus (128GB) | $899 | $1,124 | $2,023 |
| iPhone 16 Pro (128GB) | $999 | $1,249 | $2,248 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max (256GB) | $1,199 | $1,499 | $2,698 |
But there’s a lot more that goes into the price of an iPhone than simply where it’s manufactured. Apple sources components for its products from a long list of countries, which could face higher tariffs after the pause. And a tariff on goods doesn’t necessarily mean prices will go up by the same amount. If companies want to stay competitive, they could absorb some of the costs to keep their prices lower.
«It won’t be as high as one-to-one in terms of the tariff increases,» said Ryan Reith, group vice president for IDC’s Worldwide Device Tracker suite, which includes mobile phones, tablets and wearables. «The math isn’t as clear cut as that on the tariffs.»
Will other tech products also see price hikes?
Smartphones aren’t the only devices expected to see prices increase because of tariffs. Best Buy and Target warned consumers last month to expect higher prices for everything, after the latest round of tariffs went into effect. February’s tariff hike had already prompted Acer to announce that it was raising prices on its laptops.
Apple announced a $100 price cut on its new MacBook Air last month, a day after the last round of tariffs took effect. In what was widely viewed as an attempt to persuade Trump to «carve out» an exemption from the latest tariffs, Apple announced in February that it would spend more than $500 billion in the next four years to expand manufacturing operations in the US.
«They already committed $500 billion to US manufacturing, and there was no carve out for Apple,» Brennan said. «They will have to pass along most of these costs to consumers.»
However, regardless of the exact amount, expect tariffs on goods from China to translate into higher prices for consumers. That means the tech you use every day, like imported smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs and kitchen appliances, could get even more expensive this year.
What’s going on with tariffs?
Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports plus «reciprocal tariffs» on imports from more than 180 countries April 2, which he dubbed «Liberation Day.» He’s long touted tariffs as a way to even the trade deficit and raise revenue to offset tax cuts, although many economists say that tariffs could lead to higher prices and may end up hurting the US economy. Stock prices plummeted after Trump’s announcement as markets reacted poorly to the sweeping tariffs.
Trump has taken an especially hard stance on China, which was already subject to tariffs that Trump ordered during his first term in office. He started in February, imposing 20% in tariffs, then announced last week a 34% tariff on goods from China. Earlier this week, he added another 50% tariff before landing today on the 125% tariff against China. China has responded with its own tariffs after each of Trump’s announcements.
Tariffs, in theory, are designed to financially impact other countries because their goods are being taxed. Tariffs are paid by the US company importing the product, and this upcharge is usually — but not always — passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices.
Should you buy tech now to avoid tariffs later?
If you were planning to buy a new iPhone, gaming console, MacBook or other tech, buying it now could save you money.
But if you don’t have the cash on hand and need to use a credit card or buy now, pay later plan just to avoid tariffs, experts say to make sure you have the money to cover the costs before you start accruing interest. With credit cards’ average interest rates currently more than 20%, the cost of financing a big purchase could quickly wipe out any savings you’d get by buying before prices go up because of tariffs.
«If you finance this expense on a credit card and can’t pay it off in full in one to two months, you’ll likely end up paying way more than a tariff would cost you,» said Alaina Fingal, an accountant, founder of The Organized Money and a CNET Money Expert Review Board member. «I would recommend that you pause on any big purchases until the economy is more stable.»
One way to save on Apple products, even if prices go up, is to buy last year’s model instead of the newest release.
«If you aren’t planning to upgrade in the next year, there is no need to rush out to buy a new smartphone,» Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at IPC, a manufacturing trade association, said in an email. «Technology is naturally deflationary, meaning that over time performance goes up and prices generally go down for products of similar quality.»
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Dec. 26
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 26.
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.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Some of the clues are tough today — I thought maybe 1-Across was referring to the Grinch, or even Oscar the Grouch, but was I ever wrong! Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
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: Furry and green, say
Answer: MOSSY
6A clue: State known for its potatoes
Answer: IDAHO
7A clue: Like a faithful friend
Answer: LOYAL
8A clue: Had a beverage
Answer: DRANK
9A clue: Pronoun frequently paired with «her»
Answer: SHE
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Not spicy, as salsa
Answer: MILD
2D clue: Reasons for wrinkled noses
Answer: ODORS
3D clue: Words from a doctor checking your tonsils
Answer: SAYAH
4D clue: Comedian Gillis
Answer: SHANE
5D clue: Part of an egg used to make hollandaise sauce
Answer: YOLK
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Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Dec. 26, #459
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Dec. 26, No. 459.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. That purple category once again has players looking for a different, but related, hidden word in four of the clues. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Big Apple jock.
Green group hint: College football fun.
Blue group hint: On the road.
Purple group hint: Hunt down a word in other words.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: A New York athlete.
Green group: Bowl games.
Blue group: Associated with a team road trip.
Purple group: Ends in a movement verb.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is a New York athlete. The four answers are Islander, Net, Ranger and Yankee.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is bowl games. The four answers are Alamo, Gator, Liberty and Pinstripe.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is associated with a team road trip. The four answers are bus, flight, hotel and visiting locker room.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ends in a movement verb. The four answers are foxtrot (trot), newsprint (sprint), terrace (race) and thunderbolt (bolt).
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Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 26, #929
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Dec. 26 #929
Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is full of fun pop-culture references. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Golden state cliches.
Green group hint: Funny films.
Blue group hint: Rock on.
Purple group hint: Not white.
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: California-based character tropes.
Green group: Comedy subgenres.
Blue group: ’70s rock bands.
Purple group: Black ____.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is California-based character tropes. The four answers are movie exec, surfer, tech bro and Valley Girl.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is comedy subgenres. The four answers are buddy, cringe, screwball and stoner.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is ’70s rock bands. The four answers are America, Chicago, Foreigner and Journey.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is black ____. The four answers are Forest, Friday, Panther and Widow.
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