Jonathan Feist / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The White House just threatened Apple with 25% tariffs over plans to build iPhones in India.
- At the time, it was unclear if this was only targeted at Apple, or if the rule would impact smartphones at large.
- Now the administration confirms its intent to be “fair” by similarly penalizing Samsung and other manufacturers.
The current US administration is hell-bent on changing the face of global manufacturing, and has committed to the universally derided practice of issuing tariffs to effect its goal. Earlier today we learned that the White House was threatening Apple with 25% tariffs if the company didn’t kowtow to demands to move iPhone production to the US — a ludicrous proposition in and of itself. At the time, we expressed concern over how this threat might snowball and end up impacting other smartphone manufacturing — and Android devices, in particular. And now, those fears have become reality.
According to Bloomberg, when asked about the plans for tariffs on non-US smartphones beyond just those made by Apple, the White House clarified, “It would be also Samsung and anybody that makes that product.”
Supposedly, these tariffs will be going into effect by the end of next month. That’s all the detail we have for now, which at least is consistent with the administration’s slapdash approach to managing economic issues thus far.
Ultimately, we would not hold our breath in expectation of Android brands like Samsung meaningfully relocating their massive production facilities to US soil, even in the face of this current threat. Odds are, we’ll either see prices rise for no particularly good reason, or the White House will flip-flop on its policy decision once again.
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