Trump excludes smartphones, computers, chips from tariffs

The Trump administration has excluded “smartphones, computers, and other electronics” from tariffs, even those imported from China, reports Bloomberg. Late last night, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) updated its guidance to exempt smartphones, laptops, hard drives, computer processors, and memory chips from the tariffs, according to Bloomberg. The same goes for the machines used […]

Apr 12, 2025 - 15:38

Trump excludes smartphones, computers, chips from tariffs

The Trump administration has excluded “smartphones, computers, and other electronics” from tariffs, even those imported from China, reports Bloomberg.

Late last night, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) updated its guidance to exempt smartphones, laptops, hard drives, computer processors, and memory chips from the tariffs, according to Bloomberg. The same goes for the machines used by companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to make semiconductors, the outlet notes. The update follows Trump’s decision to issue a “90-day pause” on higher tariff rates for most countries, while increasing the rate for Chinese imports, the same day they went into effect.

Companies have reacted to the rapid evolution of Trump’s trade war in different ways, including Nintendo’s decision to pause Switch 2 preorders or Apple’s reported rush to import 600 tons of iPhones from India prior to the tariffs going into effect this week. OnePlus raised the price of its smartwatches, without saying why.

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