Apple might import more iPhones from India to side-step China tariffs

Apple is considering importing more iPhones from India to side-step the 54% additional tariffs on goods imported from China that U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources.

The company sees this as a short-term measure while it seeks to negotiate with the Trump administration to get an exemption from the tariffs, as it doesn’t yet want to revamp its supply chain built around China, the report said.

Compared to the new 54% tariffs on Chinese-made goods, the U.S. has proposed a 26% tariffs on goods imported from India. If the tariffs aren’t brought down and Apple continues to import iPhones from China, an iPhone 16 Pro that cost $550 to import before tariffs, could cost an additional $300 now.

Apple was on track to make 25 million iPhones in India this year, with 10 million units for the local market, the Wall Street Journal cited Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan as saying. He said that if Apple decided to import all 25 million iPhones to the U.S., it would satisfy about 50% of the demand in the U.S. market.