Update: The original story we reported appears to be incorrect. See update below.
Smartphones and computers will be exempt from President Donald Trump’s newly announced reciprocal tariffs, according to updated guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection—because apparently, economic whiplash is just part of the ride now.
The clarification comes shortly after Trump slapped a whopping 145% tariff on goods from China, sending a shockwave through the tech industry and giving companies like Apple (which builds most of its products there) a severe panic attack and punishing its stock.
But fear not—this rollercoaster has a soft landing. The updated tariff guidance also spares laptops, semiconductors, solar panels, flat-panel TV displays, flash drives, memory cards, and solid-state drives. For now, at least. Seatbelts optional, but highly recommended.
According to the new guidance issued:
The purpose of this message is to provide further guidance on the additional duties due on imported merchandise which were imposed by Executive Order 14257, issued April 2, 2025, and published in the Federal Register Notice, “Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits,” 90 FR 15041 (Apr. 7, 2025), as amended by Executive Order 14259, issued on April 8, 2025, “Amendment to Reciprocal Tariffs and Updated Duties as Applied to Low-Value Imports from the People’s Republic of China,” and as further amended by the Executive Order dated April 9, 2025, “Modifying Reciprocal Tariff Rates to Reflect Trading Partner Retaliation and Alignment.”
In accordance with the April 11, 2025 Presidential Memorandum “Clarification of Exceptions Under Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as amended” (the Memorandum), products properly classified in the headings and subheadings of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) listed in the Memorandum, are reproduced below. All products that are properly classified in these listed provisions will be excluded from the reciprocal tariffs imposed under Executive Order 14257, as amended, pursuant to Section 3(b)(iv) of that Order, effective for merchandise entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01AM Eastern Daylight Time on April 5, 2025:
The Bottom Line
Audio devices, including speakers, AVRs, soundbars, headphones, and earphones, are not included on the tariff-exemption list. However, there may be a follow-up clarification, and if audio product categories are added, we’ll update the information accordingly.
That said, with 2025 model TVs starting to roll out, this is a significant development, especially given the current state of affairs as consumers begin making purchasing decisions. It’s worth noting that some TV manufacturers were already planning price increases prior to the tariff issue, so don’t expect a sudden wave of bargain-priced TVs from all makers.
While U.S. Customs and Border Protection has exempted smartphones, computers, and certain other tech products from the reciprocal tariffs, manufacturers in other countries still face the reciprocal 10% tariffs. This means that companies based in regions like Europe, South Korea, Japan, and other manufacturing hubs will continue to absorb these costs, which could potentially impact the pricing and availability of products in the U.S. market.
The ongoing tariffs could lead to price hikes or delays in production, adding to the overall complexities of global trade and the tech supply chain. As the landscape evolves, consumers may see some shifts in product pricing and availability, depending on the country of origin.
Price hike information on non-exempt consumer audio products are coming into us on a case-by-case basis. RSL Speakers has informed us they will maintain pre-tariff prices on all current inventory until it is gone. High-end audio distributor Bluebird Music relayed the same plan. It seems A/V companies will hold the line on pricing as long as they can, which means now may be the best time buy that hi-fi or home theater system you’ve been dreaming of.
UPDATE 4/13/2024: Not So Fast!
Well, it looks like President Trump has decided to chime in on this, and things just got weirder:
“NOBODY is getting off the hook for the unfair Trade Balances and non-monetary tariff Barriers that other Countries have used against us, especially not China, which, by far, treats us the worst! … There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday. These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff bucket.’..We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations.”
Lots of mixed messages going on here – creating more uncertainty for the Global Economy.
Related Reading
- Bluebird Music is Holding the Line on Prices: Begun the Tariff Wars We Have
- Sony’s 2025 BRAVIA TV Prices Are Here and They’re Higher than Expected
- Samsung S95F, S90F, S85F OLED TV Prices Revealed, Just Don’t Ask Me How They Look
- TCL’s Best 98-inch TV of 2025: X11K QD-MiniLED 4K TVs Are Available Now
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Anton Lee
April 12, 2025 at 6:44 pm
How transparent this is. Guess Apple cried and begged enough to have this occur. Between TikTok and iPhones…guess we know what Trump’s red lines are.
I’m sure Samsung, LG and Sony are highly angry today.
Ian White
April 12, 2025 at 6:55 pm
Anton,
I agree that this decision reeks of Apple promising to build more in the U.S. so that POTUS would make this move. It’s very focused on them, Google, and anyone making their TVs in China. It’s notable that no other consumer A/V products like headphones, speakers, amplifiers, etc…that are made in China get this exemption.
Sony, Samsung, and LG still have to pay the 10% and that seems rather unfair.
TikTok has made everyone kinda stupid. Especially adults who spend hours on it. Society is devolving.
IW
MadMex
April 12, 2025 at 10:49 pm
A man who’s whole career, whole life is ripping people off is worried about the US being ripped off on trade. Laughable. Ha
Ian White
April 12, 2025 at 10:56 pm
So a few things can be true here at the same time.
America does get ripped off by some of its trading partners. Americans created this mess for themselves by becoming obsessed with mass-produced consumer goods made in other countries by a labor force that does not get paid well by American standards. We all want an iPhone and $200 AirPods (which kinda suck) and $150 jeans — but we’re not willing (the vast majority of people) to pay a lot more for it if it was made here.
The decision today was clearly influenced by the market, possibility of a recession, viability of Apple ever making the aforementioned products here (not happening), and the reality that if none of us buy anything because of the tariffs — the economy and market will tank even more.
The fact that Japan, Taiwan, and Korea did not get this exemption was telling — granted, one could argue that they got it when the tariffs were lowered to 10% from the 20%+ levels that were set the week before.
IW