It’s still cheaper to import iPhones with 25% tariffs, than assemble in the US

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says, perhaps obviously, that Trump’s new 25% tariff on Apple shouldn’t make the company move manufacturing to the US, because it’s still far cheaper to import.

A lack of robots are not the the only thing preventing iPhone manufacture in the US

Trump announced his 25% tariff on Apple’s iPhones — for once specifically naming a US business instead of nonsensically claiming foreign countries would pay — on Friday, May 23, 2025. It immediately sent Apple’s share price tumbling, yet again, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo agrees with AppleInsider and common sense interpretation of the tariffs about the long-term impact.

In terms of profitability, it’s way better for Apple to take the hit of a 25% tariff on iPhones sold in the US market than to move iPhone assembly lines back to US.https://t.co/ycTwPmQyEp pic.twitter.com/VPRRpj0caU

— (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 23, 2025

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Source: https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/05/23/its-still-cheaper-to-import-iphones-with-25-tariffs-than-assemble-in-the-us?utm_medium=rss

Author: [AppleInsider News]

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