Tariffs or Not, I’m Still Glad I Bought an iPhone 16 Pro Before Summer

Earlier this month, I bought panic on an iPhone and I have no regrets. I went to a new iPhone 16 Pro, some time after President Donald Trump announced his “Liberation Day” prices, but before adding most Apple products to a list of exemptions.

My family of three generally compensates for the price of a new phone by getting away on a three -year rotation plan – each year, one of us gets a new phone. We are never free from the payments payment plan, but that means that our invoice never goes up too much before reimbursing the last. My turn was not in place before this fall.

I planned to buy the 16 pro, hoping that I could may find a discount when the line of the iPhone 17 of the rumor was released. But because I had the 11th, I knew that the business value could disappear quickly. My phone did not work properly either, while waiting for the fall felt like a bet. Add the risk of high prices and supply chain shortages to this equation, and I decided that it was worth an additional four months to pay for an additional payment plan in exchange for a work phone.

Experts have argued to me that this is probably that most of us buy our phones, using payment plans that reduce the shock of monthly payment stickers – even if the prices are increasing prices.

“Yes, it could cost $ 50 more at a given time, but we have spread it over time,” said Ryan Reith, group vice-president for the world of IDC device tracker, which includes mobile phones, tablets and mobile devices.

I’m happy to have acted when I did it. If you plan to buy a new iPhone, here is what you need to know about the current state of prices and how they could have an impact on prices in the coming months.

Do the prices increase the prices of the iPhone?

The latest episode of the current pricing soap opera began last week with the United States and China granting a 90-day break on most of their tit-form prices. In the middle of the week, Trump reprimanded Apple for having moved the production of iphones in India, which currently has its own temporary price break in place (with the exception of basic prices) before facing a tariff of 26% in July. Maybe.

Although companies rushed to ship products before the price deadline, it may not take long before we saw any more price increase on a wide range of products – if you can find them at all. We follow the real impacts of prices on popular technological products with our price price tracker.

But the experts say that the price increases for the iPhone are probably on the way, regardless of what is going on with the prices.

“The iPhone is due to an increase in prices,” said CNET editor -in -chief, Patrick Holland, who has been examining CNET phones since 2016. “The entry -level iPhone has been $ 829 and has cost so much for years. The last time it has had a price [hike] was in 2020. “

Wherever the prices are found, you should now prepare for potential price increases on electronics and more. We have other options to help you save on the iPhone.

Find out more: Apple moves away from its iPhone launching calendar at the only time, says the report

How much could the prices increase the prices of the iPhone? We do the calculation

We could see an increase of 26% on Apple products made in India to an increase of 145% for those manufactured in China, if the total cost of current prices is finally transmitted to buyers. But currently, goods from India and other countries have a price of 10%, and iPhones made in China are still subject to a price of 30%, which includes the base line of 10% plus 20% “fentanyl price“For the supposed role of the country to allow fentanyl to enter the United States. Here is how it could potentially affect the price of the iPhone:

But there is much more that goes in the price of an iPhone than simply where it is assembled. Apple gets supplies on the components of its products from a long list of countries, which could face higher prices after the break. And a price on goods does not necessarily mean that prices will increase in the same amount. If companies want to remain competitive, they could absorb some of the costs to maintain their prices lower.

“It will not be as high as 1 to 1 in terms of price increase,” said Reith. “Mathematics are not as clear as those on prices.”

Apple did not respond to a comment request for a previous version of this story.

When could we see iPhone prices increase?

It is not known exactly when prices could increase, but if companies sell products produced before prices, they may have to increase the prices of products in pricing.

However, even if Apple cannot completely avoid prices, it has means to compensate for the impact thanks to its services – including its music, news and data plans – according to a supply chain expert JOE HUDIDKA.

“Apple will probably absorb some of the price costs in advance to maintain the prices of stable stickers, then transmit the rest to consumers gradually via service beams, the longevity of devices and ecosystems upgrades,” he said. “Consumers will always pay, just not at the same time.”

And whatever the price drama takes place, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple plans to increase the prices of the iPhone later this year. So expect prices to increase soon.

Look at this: Buying or waiting guide: how will prices modify technological prices and what to do then

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What is the last on prices?

During his release day, Trump announced a reference rate of 10% on all imports plus reciprocal prices on imports of more than 180 countries. He quickly announced a 90 -day break on reciprocal rates but left the reference samples in place.

Trump praised prices as a way like the trade deficit and increasing income to compensate for tax cuts, although many economists say that prices could cause higher prices and could end up harming the American economy. The equity prices dropped after Trump’s announcement when the markets reacted badly at the radical prices.

Trump took a particularly difficult position on China, which was already subject to prices that Trump ordered during his first mandate. He started in February, imposing prices at 20%, then announced a 34% rate on Chinese goods in April. He added an additional 50% rate before finally landing on the 145% rate against China. China responded with its own prices after each Trump’s announcements. They accepted an agreement this week to lower their reciprocal prices by 115 percentage points for 90 days.

Customs and the protection of American borders have listed key electronics in key consumption exempt According to reciprocal prices, but Trump said that these products are still subject to a tariff of 20% of fentanyl. The White House officials said that the suspended additional prices were temporary and that these products would rather be subject to a “semiconductor rate”.

Even before Trump announces the prices, the largest Apple suppliers in India had sent almost $ 2 billion in iphones in March, according to customs archives. It would seem that Apple can obtain its iPhones for the American market in India by the end of 2026 – although perhaps not all. And Trump recently said he had pushed Apple CEO Tim Cook to move the American iPhone production from India to the United States.

But the cost of moving production in the United States could be prohibitive, at least for the moment, due to labor and logistics costs.

The prices, in theory, are designed to have an impact financially on other countries because their goods are taxed. The prices are paid by the important American company the product, and this overload is generally – but not always – transmitted to the consumer in the form of higher price.

Is it better to buy technology now or wait?

If you had already planned to buy a new iPhone, a game console, a MacBook or another technology, buy it now could save money. But if you don’t need a new phone immediately, Holland recommends waiting.

“If iPhone prices are increasing, know that, like cars, second-hand iPhones prices will probably also increase,” he said. “If Apple increases its prices, you will probably get more for your old iPhone when you exchange it, and this should compensate for any increased price.”

If you do not have money at the checkout and you plan to use a credit card or buy now, pay a just plan later to avoid prices, make sure you have the money to cover costs before starting to accumulate interest. The average interest rates of credit cards are currently greater than 20%, the cost of financing a large purchase could quickly eliminate any economy that you would get by buying before prices increase due to prices.

“If you finance these expenses on a credit card and you cannot reimburse it in full in one to two months, you will probably end up paying much more than a price would cost you,” said Alaina Final, accountant, founder of organized money and member of the CNET Expertise Committee. “I recommend that you take a break from big purchases until the economy is more stable.”

One way to save on Apple products, even if prices are increasing, is to buy the model from last year instead of the latest version or a version used. And exchange or sell one used can help to compensate for the cost even more.

“Apple relied on this with its renovated certified program, much like the used car model in the automotive industry,” said Haricka. “This program helps to extend the lifespan of devices, keeping customers in the Apple ecosystem longer while distributing the impact of costs over time.”