Apple Gets Major News on iPhone Prices

Amid concerns that the price of its iPhones could double due to tariffs on China, Apple has received major pricing news. 

The U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement made the announcement in an update on its website, which was posted on the evening of April 11, 2025. The announcement exempted smartphones like iPhones and other electronics, such as laptops, from tariffs on China.

The tariff announcement also exempted “semiconductors, solar cells, flat panel TV displays, flash drives, memory cards, and solid-state drives used for storing data,” according to CNBC.

Many of Apple’s products, including iPhones, are made in China, which has been socked with massive tariffs, according to BBC. 

Ben Wood of CCS Insight told BBC before the exemption news that the tariffs could result in five-year contracts for iPhones.

"One could argue it is almost like having a mortgage for your smartphone," he said.

Some estimates indicated that iPhone prices could double from $1,000 to $2,000 or more. However, the exemptions remove the extra costs that might be incurred due to the tariffs.

In an attempt to build supply, Apple even went to the extent of flying planeloads of iPhones to the United States from India, a market the tech giant has been increasingly considering, according to Reuters. 

In addition, a press release on the government's "clarification" states that tech companies like Apple could be owed a refund.

"Any duties that were collected at or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern daylight time on April 5, 2025, pursuant to Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders, on imports that are excepted under Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders because they are 'semiconductors,' as explained in this memorandum, shall be refunded in accordance with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s standard procedures for such refunds," the "clarification" statement explains.