Smartphones, computers exempt from Trump tariffs

Smartphones, computer monitors, and key electronic components will no longer be subject to President Donald Trump’s latest round of tariffs, according to a late Friday notice from US Customs and Border Protection.

The exemption applies to products entering the United States or removed from bonded warehouses starting April 5. It marks a significant carveout from Trump's sweeping 145 percent minimum tariff rate on Chinese imports—a move that initially threatened to disrupt the tech industry, particularly companies like Apple that heavily rely on Chinese manufacturing.

Apple, which assembles nearly 90 percent of its iPhones in China, was facing looming price hikes once its existing US inventory—estimated at around six weeks by Counterpoint Research—ran out.

Analysts warned that consumers would ultimately bear the burden of the tariff costs, prompting a surge in demand for high-cost electronics ahead of the deadline.

President Trump hinted at the exemptions earlier in the day, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that “there could be a couple of exceptions for obvious reasons.”

Despite the exemptions, the White House has yet to respond to requests for further clarification.

Economists continue to caution that tariffs risk raising consumer prices and hurting overall demand, even as the administration argues they will incentivize domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.

Yet for many high-tech components—such as semiconductors and microchips—domestic production remains limited.

The latest exemption may offer relief to Asian chipmakers like TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix, who supply many of the essential parts used in American electronics.