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 Tuesday, June 10

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 10.

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. And 5-Down celebrates a certain summer blockbuster movie that’s about to turn 50. 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: Displays at a trailhead
Answer: MAPS

5A clue: Pulitzer-winning 2024 novel that reimagined «Adventures of Huckleberry Finn» from the perspective of Jim
Answer: JAMES

6A clue: Invader in a sci-fi movie
Answer: ALIEN

7A clue: Thin strands
Answer: WISPS

8A clue: ‘Tude
Answer: SASS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: One of Michelle Obama’s daughters
Answer: MALIA

2D clue: A little out of whack
Answer: AMISS

3D clue: Marshmallow treats in Easter baskets
Answer: PEEPS

4D clue: I.R.S. IDs
Answer: SSNS

5D clue: 1975 film with a 25-foot animatronic shark
Answer: JAWS

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.

Technologies

Samsung Says Its Next Galaxy Z Foldables Will Be Its ‘Thinnest, Lightest’

The company shares yet another teaser for its upcoming devices.

Another week, another cryptic teaser for Samsung’s upcoming foldables.

On Monday, the company said in a blog post that its «newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet.» This comes after Samsung last week teased a foldable packing «an Ultra-experience,» including a «powerful camera» and «AI-powered tools.»

Now, it appears Samsung is borrowing from the design of another one of its phones, the slim and lightweight Galaxy S25 Edge. It’s also following in the footsteps of another skinny foldable, the Oppo Find N5, which is dubbed «the world’s thinnest book-style foldable when closed.» Whether Oppo will hold onto that title after Samsung’s reveal remains to be seen.

In its post, Samsung notes that, «it’s only natural that users desire a foldable device that is as easy to carry as it is to use. To that end, Samsung engineers and designers are refining each generation of the Galaxy Z series to be thinner, lighter and more durable than the last.»

Personally, I’m all for a thinner and lighter foldable; the Galaxy S25 Edge and Oppo Find N5 really opened my eyes to how much more enjoyable using a slim and lightweight device can be. I can see the Galaxy Z Fold especially benefitting from this redesign, since the Z Fold 6 is still pretty bulky. But even a slim Galaxy Z Flip could help revive the nostalgia of a skinny flip phone, perhaps even better than the modern-day Motorola Razr.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z foldables are slated to arrive in the summer, and it appears the company will keep dropping hints about what’s in store leading up to the full reveal.

Technologies

Microsoft Just Dropped a Free AI Video Tool, and It’s Wildly Easy to Use

Bing Video Creator is live on mobile now, but desktop and Copilot Search support is coming soon.

Microsoft has a new, free tool that lets you create AI-generated videos: the Bing Video Creator.

If you’ve ever wanted to turn a quick idea into a video without touching editing software, Microsoft’s new AI tool might be your next favorite trick. The company just rolled out Bing Video Creator, a free feature that lets you generate short videos from nothing but a text prompt. No fancy skills or timeline scrubbing required. Just type in your idea and let the AI do the rest.

When I gave it a spin, it took less than a minute to churn out a five-second clip of the Bing logo bobbing in a pool alongside a flamingo and donut floatie. It’s weird, fun, and kind of impressive, especially for a free tool that lives right inside your browser. If you’re curious about what this AI video generator can do (or just want to make a goofy summer-themed clip), here’s how it works and what to expect.

The feature is only available on the Bing Search mobile app right now but it will be coming to Windows desktops and Copilot Search, according to the company, and is powered by OpenAI’s Sora video technology. Bing Video Creator joins other major AI-driven video creation tools, including Sora from ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Google Veo, Runway and Meta Movie Gen.

You can check out what Google’s latest Veo 3 feature can do for those willing to pay for Gemini Ultra. The technology is moving quickly, with more options now available, some free and others for a fee or purchasing them in AI service subscriptions.

How to use Bing Video Creator

Finding or using the Bing Video Creator isn’t instantly intuitive, especially if you’re not already using the Bing Search app. In the Bing Search app, I accessed the feature by clicking on the box on the bottom right of the home screen.

That brings up lots of apps within the app. Look for Video Creator on the bottom left. There, you can create a still image or video by typing in a text prompt. Using the Fast option, which is the default, should generate the short video in moments.

You can also type «Create a video of…» directly in the app’s main search bar if you don’t want to hunt for the feature. You can download and share the video.

When I tried it out, I found the video was not very high quality and was not easy to download directly from the app. Sharing a link to the video creation and viewing it outside the app offers an option to download the full video.

Microsoft says it will keep your video creations available for 90 days.

Choice of AI video generators

Microsoft’s entry into AI video making is giving people another free option that seems geared toward casual users.

Many who work in AI businesses, such as Matt Psencik, director of security and product design research at Tanium, are following the rollout of these products, led by Sora last year. Psencik says one of them has been most impressive.

«Google’s launch of Veo 3 for Gemini is a standout,» he tells me, «in object permanence, realistic physics and overall visual fidelity. These developments are beginning to erase the line between ‘clearly AI-generated’ and ‘convincingly real.’ «

The risks, Psencik says, is that realistic video generation could be exploited with deepfakes or used to attempt to hijack someone else’s identity. Most of the AI video generators have guardrails or filters on what kind of content users can request to generate, whether it’s to avoid copyright issues or to prevent hate speech and propaganda.

But, Psencik tells me, that’s not stopping AI bots from posting fake videos online that many people can’t tell apart from reality.

«As AI-generated video becomes nearly indistinguishable from reality, it’s only a matter of time before these tools are regularly weaponized to impersonate real people at scale,» he says.