Tariffs Could Make IPhones Cost Hundreds Of Dollars More

Summary: Thanks to the tariffs imposed by Trump, iPhones could be much more expensive. They could push the price as high as 43% above their current prices. We could be looking at an iPhone as much as $2,300.

iPhones are expensive, we all know that. While other phones typically land at prices over $1,000, Apple always tends to be the main company the folks talk about. With its cheapest flagship coming in at $800 and its most premium phone starting at $1,200, iPhones are not for those on a budget. However, these phones could get a lot more expensive is President Donald Trump continues to fire off tariffs like a child with a Nerf gun.

In case you don’t know, the returning president decided to resort to taxing every import with no regard to… well anything. As such, prices in the States are about to see a hefty boost. Who needs fruitful trade and partnerships with other nations? Pretty much everything will be more expensive, and this includes items that were already expensive.

iPhones could be much more expensive thanks to tariffs

Tim Cook, the charismatic face and soft-spoken voice of Apple paid his dues to get Trump back in office. Literally! He donated $1 million to his inauguration. And, in just about one of the scummiest moves, he’s trying to get Apple exempt from the tariffs. That’s like punching a hole in a ship’s hull, and asking for a lifeboat while everyone else drowns.

Trump hasn’t granted the exemption, but we’re sure that they’ll work something out. They’re going to need to because these tariffs could cause the price of the iPhone to skyrocket.

How much could the price jump? Imagine, if you will, paying the $1,200 for an iPhone 16 Pro Max, opening the box, and finding a base-level iPhone 16 with  128GB of storage. According to a report from Rosenblatt Securities, these tariffs could cause iPhone prices to soar as high as 43%. This would place the base iPhone 16 at $1,142. Needless to say, that’s not worth it.

How about the iPhone 16 Pro Max? Well, a model with the full 1TB of storage could run you $2,300. So, imagine paying for a MacBook, opening the box, and it’s a phone… The only sub-$1,000 iPhone would be the iPhone 16e, which would cost $856. Imagine paying for an iPhone 16 and…. well, you get it.

Don’t worry about these prices

It’s important to note that this isn’t a report on what the prices will be. This just illustrates what the tariffs could do to the prices. Most of the iPhones built are made in either China or India, and these places were hit hard by tariffs. So, the higher import taxes could dial up the prices.

But, don’t expect a $1,100 iPhone 17. Apple is still asking for an (undeserved) exemption from the tariffs. If the company doesn’t get it, we’re sure that there will be some sort of negotiation. Pushing the prices by 43% could be a disaster for the company. Apple’s stocks already dropped by 8% when the tariffs were announced. That brought it to a three-year-low.

The company could either bump up the prices or eat the extra costs. However, we highly doubt that Apple wants to take such a loss on its bread and butter. So, changes will come one way or another, so we’re just going to have to see what happens.