To further contextualize this increase in demand, this year has seen $4.4 billion worth of iPhone shipments from India to the U.S. in just five months. The entirety of 2024 only saw $3.7 billion worth of iPhone exports from India headed to the States.
Apple has also allegedly lobbied the airport authorities at Chennai airport, leading to a waiting time of only six hours in customs compared to the usual 30. All of this extra effort has been to avoid tariffs on China, which is something that might not matter anyway, as the U.S. president has told Tim Cook to move production to the States.
iPhone 16 models in the U.S. are now mostly imported from India. | Video credit — Apple
The entire tariff ordeal has been a pain in the neck for Apple, which flew in iPhone models into the country before the new rates went into effect. Despite all of this, the company is still considering raising iPhone 17 costs as industrywide uncertainty threatens supply chain shortages and price hikes.
Apple is not the only company being affected by all of this. While Samsung — Apple’s largest smartphone competitor in the U.S. — had moved production out of China years ago, it’s still facing the consequences of the tariffs. The countries where Samsung manufactures its phones, like the Galaxy S25 series, have also had new tariffs applied, albeit less than China. Furthermore, technology advancements have driven costs up so much that Samsung is considering Chinese suppliers for its OLED displays.
Apple seems to have found a loophole for now, but I don’t think it’s going to last unless President Trump rethinks his tariff strategy entirely.
