Trump Tariffs live updates — Switch 2 pre-order delay, what to buy before prices go up
Tracking the gadget price hikes in real-time
South Korea is facing a 25% tariff on goods entering the U.S. However, Samsung TVs maybe be able to dodge that bullet because most Samsung TVs sold in North America are actually made in Mexico. Canada, the U.S. and Mexico have a trade agreement whereby goods that fall under the USMC agreement would be excluded from tariffs. So it appears Samsung TVs would be safe for now.
That said, other Samsung devices, including its smartphone and chip foundries, may suffer because those devices are primarily made in countries that are seeing stiffer tariffs.
When will the tariffs take effect?
The baseline 10% tariff that President Trump announced last week went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on April 5. The individual reciprocal rates will kick in at 12:01 a.m. on April 9. The individual rates were imposed on countries with which the United States has the largest trade deficits. They will remain in effect "until such a time as President Trump determines that the threat posed by the trade deficit and underlying nonreciprocal treatment is satisfied, resolved, or mitigated," according to a White House Fact Sheet.
G'afternoon, all! Deals editor-in-chief Louis here breaking down the latest tariff news and price increases. I'll be honest: At this point it's hard to predict if a current price increase is due to the latest round of tariffs or if it's just retailers playing with pricing. (Which is something every retailer is guilty of). However, one thing is pretty certain — the cost of our favorite gadgets/devices is certainly going to increase.
In fact, buying cheap tech could take a hit this year as countries like Taiwan are hit with significant tariffs. Many chips are assembled in Taiwan and if chip prices rise, it's highly likely devices like laptops and tablets could see price increases. According to CFR Research, Taiwan has a market dominance of 68% when it comes to making cutting edge chips.
Currently, Taiwan has received a 32% reciprocal tariff, which PC manufacturers will likely pass onto the consumer.
RIP $899 Asus Zenbook A14
Back at CES 2025, I fell in love with the Asus Zenbook A14, and it is fundamentally a great laptop. But the price of the spec I tested ($1,199) was wrong in terms of targeting the MacBook Air M4.
Well, the base model has gone live at Best Buy...for $999. This is $100 more than the previously advertised $899 price tag. Whether this is anything to do with tariffs has not been confirmed, and we've reached out for comment.
But the connection is just a little too convenient to not assume it had a little impact here.
Tariff buster: get $50 off AirPods Pro 2
With the anticipation that the price of AirPods Pro 2 could go up in price due to Trump Tariffs, it makes this deal sound all the sweeter. Right now you can get $50 off the AirPods Pro 2.
What about Apple tech?
Let's turn our attention to Apple — specifically iPhone, AirPods, Mac and Apple Watch. Across the board, everything has seemingly been hit,
Country | Apple Products | Tariff |
|---|---|---|
China | iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch | 54% |
India | iPhone, AirPods | 26% |
Vietnam | AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac | 46% |
Malaysia | Mac | 24% |
Thailand | Mac | 37% |
Ireland (EU) | iMac | 20% |
Indonesia | AirTags | 32% |
Taking these into account, analysts from Rosenblatt Securities said Apple could up the prices of iPhones and Apple Watch by 43%, which means the base iPhone 16 could go up to $1,142 from $799.
Speaking personally (just my opinion), I don't believe the price increase will go this far. As Kimberly Gedeon reported, the profit margin on higher-cost items is usually larger, and Apple is definitely on the more premium side of things.
But if I was to put a tin foil hat on and guess the future based on what's happening here, I think an iPhone 17 could realistically get a $100 uplift in cost.
What could be the real price of Nintendo Switch 2?
Welcome to Tech Tariff Watch! We're in this for the long haul to see how Trump's reciprocal tariffs will hit your wallet, as signs are looking increasingly likely that the increased cost to companies will be passed onto consumers.
And we start with the big one: Nintendo Switch 2. Pre-orders have been delayed (they were supposed to begin on April 9), so the company can evaluate "the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions." Let's break down what this could mean by looking at some data points.
- According to Nikkei, the original Nintendo Switch costs $257 to manufacture.
- Given the $299 MSRP of this system, that points to a 16% profit margin for Nintendo, which could be similar math that the company's following for the Switch 2 (manufacturing cost of $377.16).
- A lot of the Switch 2's manufacturing has been moved to Vietnam, and this country has been hit by a 46% tariff. Following this math, that could mean a manufacturing cost increase up to $550.
- So worst case scenario — if Nintendo wants to keep this 16%, the price could be adjusted to $638. But that doesn't stop the company reducing that margin and going for a $600 or less.
Of course, I want to preface this by saying it's all entirely a prediction. This math explores the worst case scenario, and doesn't take into account the fact that Vietnam has offered to drop all its tariffs on the US.
Come April 9, the reality may leave Americans less hard hit. But speaking to analysts, one thing seems to be agreed across board — the price of Nintendo Switch 2 is going to increase.
