Trump tariffs can raise iPhone prices, but remain affordable options

On Friday, amidst a tariff-inspired mania, which inspired the rush of consumers to nervous-to-ephone, President Trump announced a tariff discount on electronics such as smartphones and computers. For a moment, widespread anxiety about the potential $ 2,000 iPhone spread.

But two days later, the Trump administration said that there was a possibility of a hit with a semiconductor and a new tariff that targets semiconductor, or chips from the smartphone and computer. More expensive iPhones can come after all! Talk about whiplash.

Do not panic Even if Tariff caused the price of iPhone to rise, we would have a lot of cheap options, such as buying last year’s phone model rather than the latest and greatest.

The most important lesson we can learn from the upheaval: The only consistent way to save money on the tech is to use long -term devices as much as possible, for which they need to be maintained as a car, and when you have to upgrade.

“Buy the best and run it in the ground,” Ramit Sethi said, A Individual finance specialist“Keeping that item for a long time will reduce the overall cost of ownership.”

In general, there is a lot of uncertainty around the future costs of technical hardware. Nintendo canceled the plan to start taking orders for his game console this month, $ 450 nintendo switch 2 to evaluate the impact of tariffs on pricing and availability. Cost of some goods, such as phone charger, power brick and cases, Already get up on Amazon,

It is mentioned here how to navigate the tech shopping forward.

Catch long -term equipment to save money

The best way to save money on tech is to change your equipment less frequently.

To understand how personal technology affects your finance, calculate the correct cost of ownership, Mr. Sethi said. Every time we buy a new phone, we buy more than this. Like a protective case, extra data storage to keep extra, more photos and apps, and an accessory such as power charger or earbuds.

Take the iPhone 16 as an example. Its $ 800 price tag can easily grow to $ 1,080, as you can also buy:

Your total cost of ownership in three years will be around $ 30 per month. Then you can trade in your phone to offset the cost of a new, but those savings will again be shaved by the next phone case and other extra.

Conversely, if you have bought the phone with those extra, and have been held on it for six years, the total cost of ownership will shrink $ 15 per month.

The same principle is applied to other devices such as computers and tablets: the more you hold your goods, the greater the value you squeeze out of them.

Maintain your technology in the same way you will do a car

Tech products were designed for high-value, long-term investment similar to cars. Many modern smartphones, tablets and computers were designed for six to 10 years. But most of us still buy new phones every three years, according to the research by Chetan Sharma, advisor to the phone carrier.

A common habit is largely guilty: we ignore the change of batteries, the Chief Executive Officer of Effixit, Kail Vins, said, a company that provides instructions and part for the repair of electronics.

Similar to the tires of the car, the phone battery is shown down and should be replaced after use in a certain amount, almost every three years. An old battery directly affects the speed and longevity of the phone. But the process of opening a smartphone to remove a sticky-down battery can be intimidating, and buying a new phone seems easier than going to a repair shop.

Now the time is as good as to make the battery a new habit. Over the years, Apple, Google and others have greatly improved their smartphone designs to make the battery easier to change.

I, for one, used a hair dryer and cheap hand equipment to melt the glue around your iPhone 14 and open it to replace the battery in less than an hour. It costs only $ 50.

Apple and many phone repair stores will also replace battery for approximately $ 100; Apple will replace an aged battery for free for iPhones under the warranty.

The cost of repair is also expected to be shot as most technical parts, such as batteries and screens, come from China, according to three repair shops, I interviewed. But even though a $ 100 battery becomes a $ 150 battery, it will be much cheaper than changing an entire device, Mr. Veen’s said.

Buy a used phone

Recently purchasing tech panic was estimated from analysts estimates that tariffs could take the cost of some iPhone models from $ 1,300 to $ 2,300 anywhere. Apple refused to comment on whether tariffs would affect its iPhone pricing.

But even in the worst situation, we will have a lot of cheap options, such as we do when shopping for cars.

Car shopkeepers are well aware that they never need to buy the most recent model. They can look for the options used or buy the previous year’s model for very cheap. According to data, about 76 percent of cars sold in the United States are used Consumer workOnly 5 percent of the phone is purchased in a renewed position, which means that products were used before restoring in a new position, according to research by the back market, a site that sells refurbished tech gear.

Lauren Benton, a general manager Back marketSaid that anxiety on tariff leads consumers to old phones. He said that the sale of a refurbished iPhone 15 Pro, which was released in $ 1,000 in 2023, increased considerably on the site last week. The refurbished phone is being sold in $ 639 and has a better camera than the latest $ 800 iPhone 16.

And if the tariffs increase the prices of the new phone, then the value of your old phone will also go up, and it will be compensated to a large extent in trading, Ms. Benton said.

It is all to say that the fictional $ 2,000 is not afraid of the iPhone.

And let’s Frank: If you are concerned about your personal finance in the current chaotic position of the economy, then you probably should think about more important issues than the phone upgrade, such as your emergency savings fund, Mr. Sethi.

He said, “This discussion reminds me that someone saw the fire in his entire house, and what they are doing is changing his shovel in peace,” he said. “I have 662 number 662 in the list of things to buy an iPhone.”