Technologies
Could iPhones Really Cost $3,500 With Trump’s Tariffs? We Do the Math
Trump blinked on ‘reciprocal tariffs,’ but prices will still rise. Experts advise against panic-buying if it puts you in debt.
President Donald Trump backed down from his sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” this week, but he upped the tax on goods from China to 125% and left the 10% tariff on other imports from other countries. 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. The White House said Thursday that the 125% tariff is on top of the 20% tariffs imposed since February, bringing the total tariff on China to 145%. Â
“Trump is playing hardball with China, which is unsettling on many levels,” Patti Brennan, a certified financial planner and CEO of Key Financial, said in an email. “As for Apple, expect the prices to double for their products.”
If Apple passed the China tariff costs on to customers, the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1TB of storage could increase from $1,599 to nearly $3,600 — that’s assuming that the previously imposed20% tariff was already incorporated into the current price.
Apple has started to move some of its manufacturing to other countries, including India and Vietnam. Those countries were originally hit with their own “reciprocal tariffs” yesterday — Vietnam with a 46% hike and India a 26% increase — but were among the reprieved. However, they still face the 10% baseline tariff that went into effect last week.
And though experts don’t expect costs to rise on a 1-to-1 basis with tariffs on goods from China — and other countries — you should expect 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.
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.Â
Here’s how it could affect the cost of an iPhone if the full tariffs were applied:
How could tariffs increase iPhone prices?
| Current price | China (125%) | Other country (10%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 (128GB) | $699 | $1,573 | $769 |
| iPhone 15 Plus (128GB) | $799 | $1,798 | $879 |
| iPhone 16e (128GB) | $599 | $1,348 | $659 |
| iPhone 16 (128GB) | $799 | $1,798 | $879 |
| iPhone 16 Plus (128GB) | $899 | $2,023 | $989 |
| iPhone 16 Pro (128GB) | $999 | $2,248 | $1,099 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max (256GB) | $1,199 | $2,698 | $1,319 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max (1TB) | $1,599 | $3,598 | $1,759 |
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.Â
“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 increase prices 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.Â
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 and other countries to translate into higher prices for consumers. That means the tech you use daily, 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 on 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 yesterday 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?Â
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.”Â
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
Microsoft’s Nadella says AI needs an âemergency brakeâ that humans control
Nadella joined other tech moguls and researchers in calling for stronger safeguards and, in some cases, for the pacing of frontier development.
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Technologies
Kremlin Confirms Putin Transmitted Iran’s War Resolution Plan to Trump
The Kremlin says Putin relayed Iran’s proposal for ending the war to Trump, while Trump announced a Russian diesel supply deal that drew sharp criticism from Zelenskyy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin communicated Tehran’s perspective on a potential conclusion to the conflict in Iran to U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Russian state media reports on Saturday.
This disclosure follows Trump’s Friday statement that Russia will provide diesel to global markets amid soaring energy prices driven by the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
Russia’s Interfax news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that Putin conveyed the message to Trump “in agreement with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian,” per a Google translation.
Additional Russian media accounts indicate Putin spoke with Trump by phone after meeting Pezeshkian on the margins of a summit in Turkmenistan.
Interfax did not detail the specifics of how Iran envisions the war â which erupted on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets â reaching an end.
The White House did not immediately respond to Verum’s emailed request to confirm the reported conversation between Putin and Trump.
Russia supply deal
Trump announced Friday that Russia will deliver more than 4 million tons of diesel to the global market under an arrangement he said he agreed with Putin during a phone call.
Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November, and 1 million tons immediately after, Trump posted on Truth Social. Moscow will then provide another 3 million tons of diesel contingent on the condition of Russia’s refineries, Trump added.
The Treasury Department temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel through April 2027 under a general license issued Friday.
Iran has intensified attacks on oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with vessels coming under fire almost daily as Tehran attempts to choke off a rebound in crude exports.
A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard official stated Wednesday that Iran will block all “illicit routes” through Hormuz, according to the Fars News Agency, an outlet considered close to the Guard.
The surge in tanker attacks coincides with crude oil exports from the Middle East rebounding in September to prewar levels, largely because the U.S. military escorted ships through Hormuz along Oman’s coast.
An interim agreement signed in June between the U.S. and Iran to pause hostilities to allow for negotiations quickly collapsed.
‘Gifts to Putin’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy immediately denounced Trump’s diesel deal with Putin. Ukraine’s leader warned that easing sanctions without a commitment from Russia to de-escalate the war will only prolong it.
“Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post. “Russia will ‘repay’ the diesel with further terror and perfidy. Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged.”
Diesel prices have surged worldwide as Ukraine has pounded Russian refineries, forcing Moscow to ban diesel exports to global markets. Iran and its Houthi allies have also attacked refineries in the Middle East, further constraining fuel supplies.
Trump faces mounting political pressure to lower fuel prices ahead of the November midterm elections. Republicans confront competitive races in conservative strongholds like Iowa, where farmers feel the pinch of high diesel prices.
Technologies
AI is Changing How Lawyers Work â and Putting the Billable Hour Under Pressure
AI is reshaping the legal industry by reducing the time needed for routine tasks, challenging the traditional billable hour model, and changing how lawyers learn and practice.
Artificial intelligence is now used by almost 90% of legal professionals in the U.K. and Ireland, and itâs putting one of the professionâs oldest conventions â the billable hour â under the microscope. Thatâs according to legal software company Clioâs U.K. & Ireland Legal Insights Report 2026.
It found that among firms using AI, almost 80% said they can handle more work without increasing resources, while over 70% said it cut costs by absorbing administrative work once done by support staff.
As a result, AI is challenging some of the assumptions on which the legal profession was built, forcing firms to reevaluate how their lawyers spend their time, how they charge for it and how new lawyers learn the ropes. You canât charge 16 hours for something that takes 16 secondsNick Rowles-DaviesLexolent Some of the U.K.âs biggest firms are already putting this into practice.
A&O Shearman has worked with legal AI company Harvey to develop artificial intelligence agents for tasks, including reviewing loan agreements and analyzing regulatory filings, which it says can complete in minutes work that previously took several hours. Slaughter and May, meanwhile, has rolled out Harvey across all practice areas this year, including for regulatory research and document analysis.
Billable hour pressure The billable hour is central to the business model of many law firms, but when AI significantly reduces the time lawyers spend sifting through and drafting documents, the economics are no longer so straightforward. âYou canât charge 16 hours for something that takes 16 seconds,â Nick Rowles-Davies, founder and CEO of legal finance fund Lexolent, based in London and Dubai, told CNBC.
About one in five firms that have widely adopted AI report difficulty meeting billable-hour targets, according to Clioâs report. Globally, senior legal leaders expect the share of work charged by the hour to fall from 72% to 44% over the next two to three years, according to a Deloitte survey.
Routine work is the most exposed, Rowles-Davies said. âIf youâve got standard documents and youâre just putting in detail, then clearly thatâs an automatic process.â But complex legal work still requires human judgment, he added, particularly when interpreting AI output and determining the right strategy for a client.
Lawyers [are] telling us that their day is getting betterJoshua LenonClio
AI and workloads
Whether AI efficiencies ultimately make lawyersâ working lives better may depend on what firms do with the time they get back. Clioâs report found that 51% of legal professionals work evenings, but only 32% want to, while 22% work weekends compared with 11% who would choose to.
Joshua Lenon, Clioâs New York-based lawyer-in-residence, believes some lawyers are already seeing the benefits. âLawyers [are] telling us that their day is getting better,â Lenon told CNBC, as AI becomes more commonplace.
âPeople are really looking at these tools and saying, âThis is making work better.ââ
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